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Program Pledges Will Help Global Hunger/Poverty

The new Global Agriculture and Food Security Program has been established to provide funds to tackle global hunger and poverty. A core group of finance ministers from the United States, Canada, Spain and South Korea, as well the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced the program at the Treasury Department. They hope additional contributions from the public and private sectors around the world will help the program grow.

The United States has committed $475 million, Canada pledged $230 million, Spain $95 million, South Korea $50 million and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $30 million. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the financial commitments to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program will help address this critical issue in a meaningful and comprehensive way.

The fund was created in response to a call by G-20 leaders in Pittsburgh last year for the World Bank Group to work with interested donors to set up a multi-donor trust fund to help implement some of the $22 billion in pledges made by G-8 leaders at their meeting in L'Aquila.