[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 344 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 344
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 11, 2008
Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the disproportionate impact of the global food crisis on
children in the developing world.
Whereas according to the United Nations, over 850,000,000 people in the world
are chronically or acutely malnourished, and over 300,000,000 of these
are children;
Whereas the 2000 United Nations Millennium Development Summit called for halving
the proportion of hungry people in the world by the year 2015, but
progress reaching this goal has been slow, and, according to
the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, only the Latin
American and Caribbean region has been reducing the prevalence of hunger
quickly enough to reach this target;
Whereas every year, malnutrition caused by chronic hunger leads to the death of
an estimated 5,600,000 children under 5 years old;
Whereas, according to UNICEF, an estimated 146,000,000 children, or roughly one
in every four children under 5 years old, are underweight;
Whereas hunger and malnutrition weaken the immune system, and as a result
treatable diseases pose a greater risk to malnourished children;
Whereas even temporary deprivation of essential nutrients can have a lasting
impact on children's physical growth and intellectual potential;
Whereas children who are only mildly underweight are twice as likely to die of
infectious diseases as children who are better nourished, and children
who are moderately or severely underweight are 5 to 8 times more likely
to die of infectious diseases;
Whereas according to a study conducted by the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization, 45 percent of children who died after
contracting measles were malnourished, as were 60 percent of children
who died after contracting severe diarrhea;
Whereas chronic hunger and undernutrition can lead to growth retardation
(stunting), affecting an estimated 168,000,000 children under the age of
5 in developing countries;
Whereas some 42 percent of children under the age of 5 are stunted in the least
developed countries, compared to 30 percent globally;
Whereas women whose growth was stunted face ongoing health complications as
adults, are more likely to have obstructed labor, are at greater risk of
dying during childbirth, and are more likely to deliver children who are
premature and stunted;
Whereas stunted growth has also been linked to diminished work capacity and
higher propensity to diseases, including diabetes and heart disease, in
adults;
Whereas the global community is currently facing a food crisis, with food prices
doubling over the past 3 years and rising 65 percent between January and
April 2007 alone, and the World Bank has estimated that the emergency
situation could push 100,000,000 people in low-income countries deeper
into poverty;
Whereas in times of food crisis, families often must cut more expensive foods,
such as meat, fruit, and vegetables, from their diets, instead relying
on less nutritious staples such as rice and maize, foods without the
nutrients necessary for proper child growth;
Whereas, on June 3, 2008, through June 5, 2008, more than 180 countries,
including more than 40 heads of state and more than 100 ministers,
attended and participated in the High Level Conference on World Food
Security in Rome, Italy;
Whereas at the High Level Conference on World Food Security, the participating
countries pledged to increase their assistance for developing countries,
in particular least developed countries and those that are most
negatively affected by high food prices; and
Whereas the G8 member states declared at the 2008 Hokkaido Toyko Summit their
commitment to addressing urgent needs of the most vulnerable people
suffering from the global food crisis and to increasing investment in
long-term agricultural development and for programs that respond to the
underlying causes of food insecurity: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That it is the sense of Congress that--
(1) in emergency situations, children have different needs
than those of adults, and nutritional deficiencies
disproportionately affect children;
(2) in the context of the current global food crisis, the
nutritional needs of children must be a humanitarian priority;
and
(3) the United States and the other G8 member states should
continue to monitor the impact of the global food crisis on
children and commit to increasing their assistance to respond
to the global food cri-
sis, and specifically, responding to the needs of children
impacted by the global food crisis.
Passed the House of Representatives September 9, 2008.
Attest:
LORRAINE C. MILLER,
Clerk.