Nigel Evans, Member of Parliament for the Ribble Valley, has signed thepetition callingon world leaders to act now to support poor women across the globe in their fight against hunger.
Nigel attended the launch of aid agency Concern Worldwide’s Women Can’t Wait campaign, which is calling on the UN and world leaders to act now to support poor women across the developing world in their fight against hunger before it is too late.
The campaign was launched at a VIP reception in the House of Lords to mark International Women’s Day, with moving speeches from Mrs Phoebe Asiyo, UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador from Kenya and Baroness Nuala O’Loan DBE.
The speeches and powerful film footage of women in Africa telling their stories of hardship, all drew attention to the fact that, despite commitments made by world leaders in 2000 to ‘end poverty by 2015’, for the first time in human history there are over a billion people going to bed hungry every night and the majority of these are women.
Nigel joined others in lending his support to this vital campaign by signing a petition calling on the UN and international leaders to act now and deliver support to women in the fight against hunger as they begin preparations for the UN World Summit in New York later this year.
Nigel said,
“I’m really pleased to be able to support this important campaign. It is clear that hunger cannot be tackled without involving and supporting poor women who, in their role as farmers, mothers and primary carers, are the ones who shoulder the burden of finding food for themselves and their families.”
The aim of the petition is to urge decision-makers across the globe to prioritise the needs of poor women as they prepare for the UN World Summit, where they will gather together to discuss progress made against the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the promises they made to ‘end poverty by 2015’.
The Women Can’t Wait campaign asserts that poor women hold the key to tackling hunger and malnutrition because they are largely responsible for growing, buying, selling and cooking food eaten in poor countries. Research has shown that women grow up to 80% of the food in the developing world and yet they are often sidelined and ignored by polices aimed at tackling hunger and rural poverty and their voices remain unhear
Photo (attached): Nigel Evans MP with Phoebe Asiyo, a UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador at signing Concern Worldwide’s Women Can’t Wait campaign calling on world leaders to act now to support poor women in their fight against hunger.
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