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Development Horizons
An interview with Josette Sheeran, the Director of the World Food Program, is the latest feature on 'Development Horizons', the blog from Lawrence Haddad, Director of IDS.
In the interview Sheeran explains the logistical and funding challenges facing her organisation and some of the innovative ways the WFP is trying to overcome them, as well as explaining the danger posed by the current global financial crisis on nutrition levels, social cohesion and economic recovery, saying:
‘There is a devastating economic as well as human cost to hunger. According to the Global Framework for Action the cost of child under-nutrition to national and economic development is estimated at $20-30 billion per year. When multiplied over the lifetime of today’s undernourished children, this amounts to $500 billion - $1 trillion in lost productivity and income. For some countries, the cost of child malnutrition is as much as 2-3 percent of their annual GDP.’
On the blog Haddad records his own personal reflections on a variety of topics, prompted by books he has read (such as a response to Dambisa Moyo’s ‘Dead Aid’); stories carried in the mainstream media; and research he or others at IDS are currently involved in.
Other recent pieces have covered topics such as ‘Data Mining and Homer Simpson’; ‘The Untouchable 0.7%’ and Haddad’s comments on 'Building Our Common Future', the recent DFID White Paper.
