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The 50^th Anniversary Conference of Food For Peace

WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov/
Press: (202) 712-4320
Public Information: (202) 712-4810

2004-066

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2004

Contact: USAID Press Office

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will host the 50th Anniversary Conference of its "Food for Peace" program entitled: Bringing Hope to the Hungry: Food Assistance in the New Millennium. This one-day conference will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of P.L. 480, the U.S. government's world-wide food assistance program. Guest speakers will include USAID Administrator Andrew S. Natsios, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman as well as such notable guest speakers as Former Senator Bob Dole and George McGovern.

Food for Peace's goal is to minimize hunger in the world so that people everywhere can enjoy active and productive lives, as well as to ensure that one day no one needs food aid. Throughout the first 50 years of the program, Food for Peace has delivered over 106 million metric tons (MTs) of U.S. food aid to 150 countries, valued at over $33 billion. The food commodities have helped over 3.3 billion people in the last 50 years, primarily on sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asian subcontinent. For example, Food for Peace has leant a helping hand with the 2003 drought in Ethiopia, staving off famine in Afghanistan in 2003, providing nearly $82.9 million this year to the World Food Program to relief operations in Darfur, Sudan for 86,700 metric tons of food commodities, supporting the feeding of 26 million Iraqi citizens in 2003, and providing 12,000 people in Mauritania with clean water to drink.

Food for Peace helps countries strengthen their own agricultural systems so that they can outgrow the need for food aid and ensure that the most vulnerable receive the nutrition they need. Many countries who have received U.S. food aid have become self-sufficient and, in some cases, food exporters and major international donors. "In the end, hope is what America has promised, and hope is what Food for Peace delivers around the world every day," said Administrator Natsios.

As it was in the aftermath of World War II, the Food for Peace program remains a powerful example of the U.S.'s generosity, compassion, and leadership, and helps lay a foundation for a hunger-free world. While we look back on this unique American achievement with pride, we are also looking forward to the challenge of the new century: finding creative new ways to reduce hunger and malnutrition and make sure people everywhere have enough food to lead healthy, productive lives.

Topics on the agenda include: The Food Aid Chain (Chaired by James Morris, Executive Director for the World Food Program), and Food Assistance in the New Millennium (Overview given by Roger Winter, Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance at USAID).

The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.

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