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Old 08-19-2019, 03:06 PM
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Exclamation The end is not near: Sleepwalking through human and military security crises in MENA

The end is not near: Sleepwalking through human and military security crises in MENA
By: Amal Kandeel - Political Analysis - 8-19-19
RE: https://www.mei.edu/publications/end...ty-crises-mena

Photo link: https://www.mei.edu/sites/default/fi...?itok=pdcId6xD
Sad to see this happening to kids let alone adults.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is shouldering the world’s largest humanitarian caseload and most severe crises of undernourishment since World War II. Tens of millions of people in five MENA countries are struggling with chronic hunger, and millions of them are on the brink of famine. MENA has also been grappling with the world’s longest chain of consecutive regional wars every decade since the mid-20th century, now spanning nearly 75 years. These human and military security crises are dangerous because, due to their concurrence and prolongation, they could become locked into a mutually reinforcing cycle.

Food security is an important barometer for the existence of conditions that permit countries to develop and maintain inclusive socioeconomic environments that can ensure sociopolitical stability. A state of food security entails that enough nutritious food is available and accessible at all times for all people. No society has managed to fulfill this objective, but most nations strive to achieve and maintain it at least for most of their people, most of the time. Successfully doing this depends in part on the economic systems and public policies in place. These include policies used to manage the natural resource base necessary to produce food, mainly freshwater and agricultural land, and to make this food accessible through the prevailing distribution of income, infrastructure, and public services. The stability of food supplies and markets is central to preventing hunger.

Stability is a rare commodity in the MENA region. Its countries’ economic systems have historically oscillated between socialist and free market orientations, neither of which has taken adequate care of the natural resource base needed to achieve food security. Taken together, policies have also often been inconsistent and even incoherent. The principle of sustainability in natural resource use and management began to prominently guide policy design toward the end of the 20th century, with the Rio Declaration in 1992. In most MENA countries, however, sustainability is still not well-integrated into policy as a critical priority. This is unfortunate because the sustainability of natural resources, particularly freshwater and agricultural land, is a necessary precursor to human security, economic and sociopolitical stability, and peace.

Sustainable natural resource management involves adopting a long-term outlook. It is possible when there is a certain degree of predictability in contextual conditions that bear upon policy, including macroeconomic stability, over an extended time horizon. Without such stability, formulating sound long-term policies is extremely difficult. In the MENA region, the muddled policy environment, with its shifting priorities and contradictory orientations, has persisted against the backdrop of a debilitating and protracted state of geopolitical instability that has extended since World War II. This instability has become also acute since 2011. Warfare’s physical, humanitarian, social, economic, and developmental repercussions are far reaching. Their marks remain indelible well after the dust from conflicts has settled. The continued escalation, protraction, and expansion of warfare in MENA has created unacceptable risks for the natural resource base *on which the region’s long-term food security, economic development, and sociopolitical stability depend.

In MENA’s hot-conflict areas, particularly in West Asia, military upheavals have destroyed and degraded natural resources and compromised food production. These regional conflicts have also severely undermined people’s financial ability to purchase food. In some areas within the hot-conflict zones, where monetized markets still exist to some degree, inflation has run rampant. In others markets and distribution systems have been destroyed entirely.

Since 2011 there has been a tragic reversal of the human security gains achieved in MENA in the preceding two decades, during which time the proportion of the population living in a state of chronic hunger decreased. MENA is now the only geopolitical region in the world where the proportion of the population that is food insecure is larger than what it was in 1990. The number of undernourished people increased two-fold between 1990 and 2015, from 16.5 million to 33 million, and by May 2019 had reached 52 million. This increase in hunger has been almost exclusively due to the ravages of war and acute military conflicts in five countries: Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Sudan, and Libya. The Mashreq sub-region, MENA’s most populous one, is home to more than 44 million undernourished people, who constitute 85% of MENA’s food insecure population. Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Sudan have hunger rates that are among the highest in the world. Syria’s humanitarian crisis is the worst since World War II. Yemen has been pushed to the brink of famine unseen for 100 years, according to the UN, and its humanitarian emergency is expected to continue through early 2020.

MENA’s massive food insecurity crises have long-term and intergenerational consequences. Chronic food insecurity harms children’s physical and mental growth and development. Undernourishment therefore compromises potential human productivity and undermines sustainable development down the road.

The protraction of human and military security crises is also fueling another dangerous threat to these countries’ future prosperity and stability. While military conflicts rage on and the devastating humanitarian crises of the present magnitude persist in these countries, there is little room for well-informed and effective policy-making that could attend adequately to the longer-term priorities of sustainable development. One of the most important of these priorities is protecting the natural resource base that is crucial for food security now and in the future. While war grinds on, this resource base is not and cannot be properly managed, and remains exposed to degradation, unlawful exploitation, and destruction. But a country’s sustainable development is conditional upon the resilience of this resource base. Exposing it to conditions in which it is chronically compromised elevates the risks of future socioeconomic stress and instability in that country.

MENA is extremely vulnerable to this potential destructive dynamic. The region’s natural resource environment was already fragile before 2011. Freshwater and fertile agricultural land resources are rapidly becoming more scarce, insecure, and vulnerable due to population growth, improper management, and climate challenges. In precisely the region where no constructive effort should be spared to protect these vital natural resources, warfare is doing just the opposite, making these problems harder to address. Instead of allowing countries to attend to their deepening resource challenges, warring parties are compounding the very structural difficulties and harms that MENA societies are increasingly facing within their natural environments.

The health and sustainability of the region’s essential natural resources must receive immediate attention. At some point, neglecting this urgent priority any further will result in crippling conditions in the affected countries, making it extremely difficult for them to emerge intact, viable, and stable over the long-term. This tipping point may have already been reached in some countries.

Regional warfare must end now. What the international community must come to terms with is that addressing the immediate crises of hunger and near-famine in MENA will not be nearly enough to extinguish the catalysts of instability that protracted warfare has bolstered and that could later reignite renewed cycles of military and human insecurity. This is particularly the case in countries engulfed in warfare for many years or decades, and whose economies have consequently become extremely fragile. A full appreciation within the international community of the dire consequences of continuing warfare in MENA would humble the arrogance of all the parties myopically invested in military conflicts there.

About this writer: Amal A. Kandeel is the director of MEI's Climate Change, Environment, and Human Security Program. The views expressed in this article are her own.

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Personal note: You hate to see this happening but whose to fault - Here we see the inhumanity of mankind at its very best. The poor and deprived (no jobs) end up usually effecting the youngest first they are the ones who didn't make the problems that exist in their countries. Yet they are the first to suffer from starvation and malnutrition. Sickness and decease happen next. Of course with no medical to help them you end up starving to death. The world we live in still see's these condition's. Whose at fault. Not them - its their leadership whose to blame. We all see this yet nothing ever changes. NATO or all of us for not being able to work out our differences to the betterment of mankind?

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Here are some statistics:

Every day, more than 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds.



852 million people across the world are hungry, up from 842 million a year ago.


Campus Kitchen has served over 7,188 meals in 9 months to the Mankato Community

Poor nutrition and calorie deficiencies cause nearly one in three people to die prematurely or have disabilities, according to the World Health Organization.

Campus Kitchen at MNSU strives to combat hunger and its effects through nutrition education of our volunteers, students, clients, staff and community each week.


World hunger organizations estimate that nearly 1 BILLION people around the world are chronically hungry.

Over 26,100 pounds of food was donated by students, faculty, staff, MSU classes and the Mankato community.


The number of people who die from hunger every 3 ½ days is the same number of people who died from the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II.

Over 3,000 volunteers are the driving force behind Campus Kitchen at MNSU.


In the United States, 14 million children live in households where people have to skip meals or eat less to make ends meet. That means one in ten households in the U.S. are living with hunger or are at risk of hunger.

Campus Kitchen MNSU is the first affiliate and rural Campus Kitchen in the United States.


The U.S. Administration on Aging estimates that 1 out of 4 seniors in the U.S. has an inadequate diet.

“I totally believe in the concept. I have enough food, others don’t. It is about sharing.”
~Campus Kitchen at MSNU volunteer


Undernourishment negatively affects people’s health, productivity, sense of hope and overall well-being. A lack of food can stunt growth, slow thinking, sap energy, hinder fetal development and contribute to mental retardation.

“Campus Kitchen changed my life. It will also help many people in the area and change the way volunteers live life.”

~Linzy Ramaker
Leadership Team



Socially, the lack of food erodes relationships and feeds shame so that those most in need of support are often least able to call on it.

“Campus Kitchen at MNSU is involving so many different people in the Mankato area and on campus bringing everyone together to help do something great for those less fortunate.”

~Campus Kitchen at MNSU volunteer


There are an estimated 1.08 billion poor people in developing countries who live on $1 a day or less


8.5% of families in Mankato Live in poverty

“It is really a rewarding feeling to make sure that I am helping the ‘war against hunger’. I realize that there is so much that is wasted and taken for granted and I only wish to give what is not given.”

~Meredith Lemiso
Leadership Team


18.3% of families with children in Mankato live in poverty

“I love working with the people and the children that we deliver to!”

~Michelle Hansen
Leadership Team

A projected number of 1.7 million visits were made to food shelves in MN in 2004

“I love working with the clients and cooking with the awesome people that work and volunteer at Campus Kitchen @ MSNU.”

~Allie Houfer
Leadership Team

World agriculture produces 17 percent more calories per person today than it did 30 years ago, despite a 70 percent population increase. This is enough to provide everyone in the world with at least 2,720 kilocalories (kcal) per person per day (Food and Agriculture Organization 2002, FAO 1998).

In every meal that Campus Kitchen @ MNSU provides, we include a protein, starch, vegetable, and fruit or dessert.

Around the world the most vulnerable to hunger are: children, pregnant and nursing women, single mothers, the elderly, the homeless, the unemployed, ethnic and racial minorities, and the working poor.



Campus Kitchen @ MNSU receives food and support from the campus dining halls which are then stored, cooked, and placed in individual meal containers, and delivered to those individuals and families in need

36.3 million American people live in households that experience hunger. This means that one in ten households in the United States is hungry. (USDA, Economic Research Service, 2003)

“Campus Kitchen @ MNSU is a great opportunity for people in the community to get involved and a great asset to those who need it.”

~Campus Kitchen @ MNSU Volunteer

30,000 children die every day of hunger or diseases resulting from hunger.

“Campus Kitchen @ MNSU helps feed people in the Mankato community that need it and maybe even save lives.”

~Campus Kitchen @ MNSU Volunteer



Take a Hunger Quiz at http://www.kidscanmakeadifference.org/quiz.htm


Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger

“I like the thought. For just a few hours a day, we make food and then deliver it; I’m changing a life for the better. Then looking at the program as a whole, it is amazing to see there are so many college students that make an effort to change the world! I love to know that I’m a big part of it!”

~Jasmine Valentine
Campus Kitchen Volunteer


One out of every eight children under the age of twelve in the U.S. goes to bed hungry every night.


“Campus Kitchen is a great way to help others. Helping with nutrition, which will impact kids education, is very beneficial in our town.”

~ Jacly Fishman
Campus Kitchen Volunteer
Gamma Phi Beta


To satisfy the world's sanitation and food requirements would cost only US$13 billion- what the people of the United States and the European Union spend on perfume each year.





“It’s not a random act of kindness – it’s intentional. It’s sharing in abundant life for all, so that kids can learn; adults can work; and all can have hope.”

~Anne Hokenstad
MSU Staff
Campus Kitchen Volunteer


World hunger organizations estimate that nearly 1 BILLION people around the world are chronically hungry.



The number of people who die from hunger every 3 ½ days is the same number of people who died from the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II.



In the United States, 14 million children live in households where people have to skip meals or eat less to make ends meet. That means one in ten households in the U.S. are living with hunger or are at risk of hunger.

Campus Kitchen MNSU is the first affiliate and rural Campus Kitchen in the United States.


36.3 million American people live in households that experience hunger. This means that one in ten households in the United States is hungry. (USDA, Economic Research Service, 2003)

”I love working with the clients and cooking with the awesome people that work and volunteer at Campus Kitchen at MNSU.”

~Allie Houfer
Leadership Team


The U.S. Administration on Aging estimates that 1 out of 4 seniors in the U.S. has an inadequate diet.

“I totally believe in the concept. I have enough food, others don’t. It is about sharing.”
~Campus Kitchen @ MSNU volunteer




About 183 million children weigh less than they should for their age

“I love working with the people and the children that we deliver to! It is a rewarding feeling know that I am making a difference.”

~Michelle Hansen
Leadership Team


Hunger is defined as:
Hun • ger n. – "the uneasy or painful sensation caused by recurrent or involuntary lack of food" that, over time, may result in malnutrition.

“Campus Kitchen is the best thing to happen to Minnesota State Mankato! It gets people involved, creates new friendships, and makes a difference at a community level.”

~Paul Spangle
Campus Kitchen Volunteer


Poverty is the principle cause of hunger

Gamma Phi Beta Sorority Inc. fasted for 25 hours to raise money for Campus Kitchen @ MNSU.
The girls raised over $2,000!

According to the last US Census 380,000 people in MN live in poverty

Shane Bowyer’s College of Business Management class (involving over 330 students) worked on team projects throughout the semester to help provide financial and marketing support to Campus Kitchen @ MNSU.

2 out of 5 seniors will fall below the poverty line (an annual individual income of $9,570 or less) at some point between the ages of 60 to 90.

“I really enjoyed working at Campus Kitchen. It gets me involved with the Mankato area and I have learned that giving back is such a great feeling.”

~Linzy Ramaker
Leadership Team

"The greatest joy of volunteering with the Campus Kitchen is that the possibilities are endless."

~Lori Vincent
Campus Kitchen Volunteer


Every day, one quarter of the food produced in restaurants, businesses, and our own homes is left to go to waste.


In 1999, a year marked by good economic news, 31 million Americans were food insecure, meaning they were either hungry or unsure of where their next meal would come from. Of these Americans, 12 million were children.

“Campus Kitchen has influenced me by making me appreciate having food I can eat and being able to afford things. I really like being a part of Campus Kitchen because it is really fun and its great giving back to the community.”

~Michelle Hansen
Leadership Team
First Year, First Generational College Student


Famine and wars cause about 10% of hunger deaths, although these tend to be the ones you hear about most often. The majority of hunger deaths are caused by chronic malnutrition. Families facing extreme poverty are simply unable to get enough food to eat.

Phi Delta Theta Fraternity volunteers with Campus Kitchen during 2 shifts every single week of the academic year!


For the price of one missile, a school full of hungry children could eat lunch every day for 5 years

Campus Kitchen @ MNSU serves ECHO Food Shelf, Partners for Affordable Housing, The Salvation Army Men’s Shelter, Welcome Inn, Theresa House, and 25 individuals at 4 different homes.

Nearly one in four people, 1.3 billion - a majority of humanity - live on less than $1 per day, while the world's 358 billionaires have assets exceeding the combined annual incomes of countries with 45 percent of the world's people. UNICEF


“Campus Kitchen ROCKS MY SOCKS!”
~Campus Kitchen Volunteer


The World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed one-third is starving- Since you've read this recipe at least 200 people have died of starvation. Over 4 million will die this year.


Volunteer opportunities are available seven days a week. Volunteers assist with food preparation, kitchen upkeep, and outreach to residents of local homeless shelters. Large groups (up to 25) can often be accommodated, but it is necessary to schedule well in advance.

3 billion people in the world today struggle to survive on US$2/day.

“No words can describe the feeling that you get from volunteering at Campus Kitchen. I have helped out as much as I can and I still cannot get enough.
I love Campus Kitchen @ MNSU!”

~Evan Meier


852 million people across the world are hungry, up from 842 million a year ago.


Of the 57 million people worldwide who died last year, 10.5 million of them were children less than five years old.

U.N. studies show that the world already produces more than enough food to feed everyone on the planet and has the capacity to produce even more, and yet...
World hunger organizations estimate that nearly 1 BILLION people around the world are chronically hungry.
30,000 children die every day of hunger or diseases resulting from hunger.

36.3 million American people live in households that experience hunger. This means that one in ten households in the United States is hungry. (USDA, Economic Research Service, 2003)
13 million children in the U.S. go to bed hungry. (Bread for the World, 2004)
The U.S. Administration on Aging estimates that 1 out of 4 seniors in the U.S. has an inadequate diet.

Every year 15 million children die of hunger

One out of every eight children under the age of twelve in the U.S. goes to bed hungry every night.

-

HIV/AIDS and other Diseases
– 37.9 million people are living with HIV/AIDS.

– 74.9 million [58.3 million–98.1 million] people have become infected with HIV since the start of the epidemic.

– The vast majority of people living with HIV are located in low- and middle- income countries, with an estimated 25.6 million [23.2 million-28.2 million] living in Sub-Saharan Africa.

- Poverty
– 736 million people, almost 1 in 10 people in the world, live under $1.90 a day, and over half of the extreme poor (413 million) live in Sub-Saharan Africa.

– Nearly 328 million children are living in extreme poverty.

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Personal note:

We all bitch about how bad we've got it - we have no idea just how bad kid's are suffering all round the world - even here in the US. This has got to stop!

Humanity needs our attention and kids need to be able to grow up rather than be put into a box and buried before they have a chance to grow up.

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Our world is all we have and yet we are impacting climate change and watching young kids die all over the world - while we build weapons to kill more - because we can! If God is watching he's got to be shaking his head saying look what they've done to their world and their children.

Any many of us in the USA say we got it bad! Wow! And you wonder why people from 3rd world countries want to come here. Yea we got it bad - even our poor eat better than the millions who don't eat at all.

This is one of my saddest postings - I know many of you see this but tend to ignore the kids in these countries being deprived of something to eat is distressing to us all. Many of us bitch at times all we got is water - bread and some butter at times in our lives - they don't even have that.

Boats
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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