Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit agus déanaim comhghairdeas lena gcomhairleoirí ar fhoilsiúcháin na tuarascála.

Senator Hanafin touched on a point which I was going to raise at the end of my speech but with which I will begin, namely, that we need to look at the issue of fair trade being properly resourced and funded and that the countries being neglected and being treated unfairly should be prioritised. I concur with Senator Hanafin in that regard.

The UN Secretary-General, in the report, states:

Nothing is more degrading than hunger, especially when man-made. It breeds anger, social disintegration, ill health and economic decline.

How true it is that in the 21st century, when we all live in a relatively affluent Irish society, we focus upon poverty in the world. It behoves the question to which the Minister of State referred in his speech when he spoke about giving a voice to the hungry. Who really will do that? Senator Norris referred to it in his remarks, as did other Senators. Are we really serious about it? Are we serious about eliminating world hunger and giving life to people who deserve better? In many ways the few are dictating to the many.

I support the publication of the report and I welcome the broad thrust of it. Deputy Peter Power is in an unenviable position, being the Minister of State responsible for overseas aid at a time when we in this country are facing massive budgetary cutbacks. I accept his bona fides and believe he will fight his corner. If Ireland is to be a serious player in giving a voice to the hungry, then we need to stand by our commitments and be a leader within Europe in that regard. This exemplary report will be lost if we do not meet our commitments.

There is a commitment by those of us on the political stage to alleviate world hunger, but is it evident among the big players? Are they really serious about it? We saw last week how the US House of Representatives was reluctant to vote for a bail-out bill for the banks at the first stage. Have they got the political will really to lead the challenge?

We can be that voice, given our experience of the Famine where the geopolitical legacy of the British Government still leaves a poor taste with many of us. The Famine was very much a consequence of bad political management. We also recall the Live Aid concerts of the 1980s pertaining to Africa.

If the elimination of global hunger is to be a political aspiration, it requires leadership and in many ways the call, "Show us the money", still pertains. I agree with Senator de Búrca's remarks on the mechanism involving use of a United Nations hunger office, which forms part of the report. It is time for organisations such as the UN to stand up and take on the political leaders of countries which are not interested or which are pay lip-service, a consequence of which is that millions of people are dying because of a failure of governance. Can we all live with such consequences?

The Minister of State, Deputy Peter Power, spoke of it as a deep-seated challenge. While he is correct, I would ask whether the world community really prioritises the elimination of world hunger the way it should.

I recall attending a summer school in New York a number of years ago which was addressed by a young woman from Ghana. She was a young farmer. The Minister of State in his speech correctly referred to the fact that when we in Ireland think of a farmer, we think of a man. He is correct that this is usually not the case in Africa. At that conference for religious education teachers, the woman spoke about the fact that every morning she had to make a fundamental choice regarding her sons and her only daughter. Because of the hierarchy of the country, the sons won out and she had to make a choice against her daughter. We need to change mindsets. That woman left a lasting impression on me, and the Minister of State referred to this in his speech as well.

We are dealing here with people, not small stakeholders or producers. We need to have the political will to effect change. The report is excellent, especially if it is acted on and there is genuine commitment by the Government regarding Irish aid.

We live in an unequal world. That is the reality. As Senator White stated, we are required to redress the imbalance. None of us should countenance the fact that we condone or accept hunger as part of our world today, in any continent. A fundamental task of politicians is to change the way in which the wealth of the world is distributed. Senator Hanafin mentioned the fact that people with cash crops must work to repay loans. This can start in our own households where we can buy Fairtrade products. We must also educate the young people in our schools.

There are 862 million people exposed to malnutrition, hunger and death. We need to take a lead. The Minister of State used the words "war" and "hunger", phraseology with which, unlike Senator White, I agree. I do not agree with war, but we need to take this issue by the lock and determine what we will do. We have a war on our hands.

There are many countries who are not living up to their expectations and commitments. There was an article in The Sunday Tribune on the issue of HIV and AIDS in countries across Africa. There is a complete failure of education and governance.

We are not dealing here with small-holders as units of production tackling under-nutrition but with human beings. It may not be the cool thing to talk about given these recessionary times and we may not have had Bob Geldof to push Live Aid and other such events, but at the time of the famine in Ethiopia, the BBC had footage broadcast every night into our homes which left an impression on people's minds. On one level, we must scare people regarding world hunger. If we do not, we will not develop the mindset to deal with a time that may approach when we are not producing enough food for everybody. The issue of food security must be addressed.

I welcome the report. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has stated that hunger is degrading. It leads to social disintegration and, as we know, it leads to death. As political leaders, we have a responsibility to become proactive rather than passive.