The World Bank has called for immediate action to drop restrictions on food assistance.

“Ending restrictions would help bring relief to millions of people suffering from high food prices and would be a concrete sign of the international community's commitment to making aid more effective,” said World Bank Managing Director, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Speaking ahead of a September 2-4 conference on Aid Effectiveness in Accra, Ms Okonjo-Iweala said, “There is no time to waste. Onerous conditions on food aid should be removed to ensure that food gets quickly to where it is most needed.”

With 100 million people at risk of falling into poverty from high food prices, the bank is calling on the international community to increase contributions to the World Food Programme, whose funding needs almost doubled to $6 billion this year.

It will likely need equivalent funding next year.

"We cannot afford to let the world's attention drift," said Okonjo-Iweala. "People are still hurting from high food prices.

They need our support now." The bank is also calling for the immediate elimination of taxation or restrictions on humanitarian food aid and an end to export bans by key producers on shipments to the least developed countries and those in fragile situations.

"These three steps: Removing restrictions and conditions on food aid; increasing contributions to the World Food Programme, and lifting export bans and restrictions on the movement of humanitarian food will protect thousands of mothers and children at risk from malnutrition," Okonjo-Iweala said.

 "In addition, donors must support investment in an African Green Revolution so that millions will not suffer in the future."

The 'Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness' in Accra brings together members of the global development community - donors, country partners, civil society groups and international development agencies committed to making aid more effective and delivering better results to the poorest people.

Participants will agree to a new consensus approach, the 'Accra Agenda for Action', to improve impact on the ground, including better co-ordination, more transparency, strengthened accountability and a focus on development results.

Since the previous conference held in 2005 in Paris, nearly 60 countries have made progress in strengthening their national development strategies. But much remains to be done, particularly on donor co-ordination, and there has been some slippage in some areas.

The World Bank supports the Accra Agenda for Action, and calls for bold new steps to honour the commitments made in 2005 at the Gleneagles G-8 Summit to increase official development assistance (ODA) to $130 billion per year.

Currently, there is a $39 billion annual shortfall.

Increase the predictability, flexibility and the amount of food assistance by replacing tied aid with cash so food can be purchased locally and get where it's needed fast.

Increase transparency – so donors and country partners can see aid flows and better attack corruption.  Continued    Source: Daily Graphic - Daily Graphic