SaafNations ( A Global Forum for Citizens of Humanity )

The recent World Food Summit in Rome clearly failed to do its job. It did well to focus attention on the risk of food price shocks of the magnitude experienced in mid-2008, which led to civil unrest in over 30 countries. Yet it abjured its responsibility to the vision of a world free from chronic hunger and malnutrition, especially child malnutrition. Behind-the-scenes wrangling over the wording of the summit declaration ensured that no tangible commitments were made by rich countries to put the first Millennium Development Goal, MDG 1 — to halve global hunger and poverty by 2015 and eliminate it altogether by 2025 — on high priority. Instead, the 2025 deadline was jettisoned. With one child dying of hunger and malnutrition every six seconds and over 20 million children at risk, such negligence may cost all nations, and perhaps even the world order as it stands, dearly. The summit also chose to put price shocks ahead of a sustainable vision for agriculture through investments in techno...

Madhu Kodas of India, An Appeal to Fellow Citizens I have been closely following recent happenings relating to Shri Madhu Koda, Member of Parliament and former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and some of his cabinet colleagues that have been appearing in the Press. Without going into the murky details which vividly reveal the tale of greed, avarice, and ambition of relatively young, elected representatives for whom politics is the stepping stone to a life full of riches, unbridled power and the license to loot, let it be understood that it reflects the tragic case of an opportunity lost for crores of tribal and non-tribal residents of Jharkhand! It is the culmination of a story of betrayal by their own leaders in whom people had reposed their trust. However, this is not the story of Jharkhand alone. We believe that the same story is being unfolded in other States of India whether they are in the North, South, East, West or the North East. Lust for power, hunger for wealth, intolerance of d...