Food riots could spread, UN chief warns
By Gary Cleland
Last Updated: 6:59pm BST 09/04/2008
Rising food prices could threaten political stability around the world, the UN's leading humanitarian official said yesterday.
Sir John Holmes, the undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and the UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, was speaking after two days of rioting in Egypt over the soaring cost of basic foodstuffs.
He told a conference in Dubai that rising prices would spark unrest across vulnerable nations. Average prices have risen 40 per cent across the world in less than a year.
Sir John said: "The security implications should also not be underestimated as food riots are already being reported across the globe.
"Current food price trends are likely to increase sharply both the incidence and depth of food insecurity."
As well as the riots in Egypt, rising food costs have been blamed for violent unrest in Haiti, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Mauritania, Mozambique and Senegal. Protests have also occurred in Uzbekistan, Yemen, Bolivia and Indonesia.
China, India, Pakistan, Cambodia and Vietnam have curbed rice exports to ensure there is enough for their own people.
Experts believe food insecurity should be treated as seriously as climate change.
Last Updated: 6:59pm BST 09/04/2008
Rising food prices could threaten political stability around the world, the UN's leading humanitarian official said yesterday.
Sir John Holmes, the undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and the UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, was speaking after two days of rioting in Egypt over the soaring cost of basic foodstuffs.
He told a conference in Dubai that rising prices would spark unrest across vulnerable nations. Average prices have risen 40 per cent across the world in less than a year.
Sir John said: "The security implications should also not be underestimated as food riots are already being reported across the globe.
"Current food price trends are likely to increase sharply both the incidence and depth of food insecurity."
As well as the riots in Egypt, rising food costs have been blamed for violent unrest in Haiti, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Mauritania, Mozambique and Senegal. Protests have also occurred in Uzbekistan, Yemen, Bolivia and Indonesia.
China, India, Pakistan, Cambodia and Vietnam have curbed rice exports to ensure there is enough for their own people.
Experts believe food insecurity should be treated as seriously as climate change.
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