In 2007, an estimated 50 million people went hungry because food was unavailable, unaffordable or both. In 2008, that number is estimated to be 150 million.

According to Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, this growing global poverty is not just a threat, but also “the undoing of many of the development and health gains that have been achieved over the last decade.”

Lugar, along with Sen. Robert Casey (D-Pa.), is part of the Center for Strategic and International Studies task force on the global food crisis. The task force was launched this May to address the issues of food costs and shortages and to create a bipartisan “feasible but bold plan of action” that Lugar said needed to be “as multi-faceted as the cause” of the shortage.

“When crises occur we can view them as challenges or as opportunities. I choose to see the food crisis as an opportunity for the U.S. to demonstrate its humanitarian and technological leadership,” Lugar said in a statement.

The plan, released in July, calls for the government to “modernize” and double emergency food relief (from $1.6 billion a year to $3.2 billion). It also suggests making agriculture and rural development higher priorities in U.S. foreign policy as well as making them goals of U.S. trade policy.

Other recommendations include “revising” the country’s approach to biofuels by trying to “decouple food and energy issues” so that food security and fuel security are not mutually exclusive and “strengthening organizational capacities.”

“We can bring America’s dedication to science, innovation, technology and education to bear on expanding the global food supply and helping others feed themselves,” according to Sen. Lugar. “It is in our own interest to lead the world in disseminating innovative solutions to ensure that food scarcity does not hold back human potential.”

The Global Poverty Act

Lugar believes the U.S. can fight global poverty and hunger through the Global Poverty Act now pending in Congress.

Passed by the House of Representatives in September 2007, the Senate version of the bill was introduced last December and currently has 30 additional senators as co-sponsors, including Lugar.

According to supporters, the Global Poverty Act seeks to bring clarity, coordination and accountability to U.S. foreign assistance programs that are currently handled by more than 25 different federal agencies.

The act would require the president to develop and implement a coordinated strategy of U.S. aid, debt relief and trade policies to meet the goal of cutting in half by 2015 the number of people who live on less than $1 a day. Additionally, the legislation would require regular reports to Congress on U.S. efforts to fight extreme poverty.

While the legislation neither authorizes or obligates the U.S. to spend more money on global poverty efforts, nor does it establish any new government programs, it does require a more coordinated and comprehensive strategy for U.S. trade policies, debt cancellation and private sector efforts — measures many believe will make existing efforts more effective and efficient.

With the end of the current legislative session rapidly approaching, and the Global Poverty Act (SB 2433) still awaiting passage by the full Senate, advocates for the legislation are stepping up efforts to get more lawmakers on board.

Thus far, it has not been brought to the full Senate for a vote. If it is to become law during this congressional session, the Senate leadership must move this bill to the floor for full Senate consideration, or the process will have to start all over again in the next Congress.

One name noticeably absent from the list of 30 senators who have thus far sponsored the Global Poverty Act is Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh.

For the past several months, a variety of organizations have lobbied in person, on the telephone and as part of a vast letter writing campaign urging Bayh to join Lugar in committing the United States to a focused effort and approach to fighting world hunger. To date, Bayh has not agreed to sponsor the bill; and has not publicly expressed his support or opposition.

(NUVO’s efforts to reach Bayh for this story were unsuccessful. Calls to his Indianapolis office were referred to his Washington, D.C., office; after explaining the nature of the call to the Washington, D.C., receptionist, and being put on hold for a substantial period, we were told that his press staff was “unavailable” to comment and were invited to leave a voicemail. At press time, our call had not yet been returned.)

In an effort to motivate a more direct response from Bayh, many local activists and advocates are planning a demonstration outside of the senator’s Indianapolis office (10 W. Market St.) on Tuesday, Sept. 30, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Many of the participants will also be taking part in a 24-hour solidarity fast that begins at 6 p.m. and is also aimed at prompting action by Bayh.

“Hundreds of Hoosiers have written Senator Bayh, called him and even met with his staff in both Washington and Indianapolis,” says Fran Quigley, one of the organizers of the demonstration. “But the senator has not responded substantively to this outreach.

“It’s important for us to be able to let Senator Bayh and the public know that many Hoosiers care about the world’s poor,” according to Quigley, who is also an advocate for Bread for the World. “We hope people will join in for all or part of the demonstration or the fast — even if that just means skipping a meal to empathize with those who struggle for food every day and bring attention to this important and life-saving legislation.”

What: Call for Sen. Evan Bayh to support the Global Poverty Act
When: Tuesday, Sept. 30, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.,
Where: Office of Sen. Evan Bayh, 10 W. Market St.
How: A demonstration outside of the building will last throughout the day; advocates are also encouraged to take part in a 24-hour solidarity fast beginning at 6 p.m. Constituents are also encouraged to call Sen. Bayh on this day, urging him to join Sen. Lugar in sponsoring the Global Poverty Act, at 317-554-0750.

In 2000, the United States committed to the Millennium Development Goals to improve life for the world’s poorest people by 2015. The first Millennium Development Goal is to cut in half by 2015 the number of people living on less than $1 a day.

This legislation requires a more coherent strategy for U.S. aid, debt relief and trade policies. The strategy would emphasize improved coordination among the various U.S. agencies implementing foreign assistance programs, as well as cooperation with other countries, international institutions, faith-based groups and the private sector.

The Global Poverty Act (HR1302) passed the House of Representatives on Sept. 25, 2007. A companion bill (SB 2433) was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Chuck Hagel (R-Nev.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) on Dec. 7, 2007. There are currently 30 cosponsors in the Senate, including Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar. For more information on the Global Poverty Act, go to www.Bread.org/gpa.