LONDON (AFP) — British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Tuesday hosts a summit of policymakers and experts, including the head of the UN food agency, to kickstart a plan to tackle rising food prices worldwide.
According to a Downing Street spokesman, a complete set of proposals would be taken to a European Union meeting of heads of state and government in June, the Group of Eight industrialised countries the following month, and the United Nations in September, though no final plan will be presented after the summit.
Food prices have been spiralling due to the use of certain foods in biofuels to combat climate change, rising populations, strong demand from developing countries, and increasing floods and droughts as a result of climate change.
"At the moment we're hearing a lot about the world financial crisis," Brown wrote in an article to be published on his office's website, a copy of which was distributed by Downing Street.
"But there's another world crisis underway, a world food crisis that threatens to roll back progress made in recent years to lift millions out of poverty."
In all, 25 people will attend the summit, including Brown, World Food Programme head Josette Sheeran, African Development Bank chief Donald Kaberuka, Britain's environment and international development ministers, the country's chief scientist, as well as campaigners, businesspeople and experts.
"Tackling hunger is a moral challenge to each of us and it is also a threat to the political and economic stability of nations," Brown wrote.
"So I believe we need to see a fully coordinated response by the international community."
Brown wrote to his Japanese counterpart Yasuo Fukuda earlier this month to urge him to include the impact of biofuel production on food prices on the agenda of the G8 summit in July.
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