The Baltimore Declaration: Africa in Crisis

The World Food programme (WFP), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the "Coalition for Food Aid" (15 American non-governmental relief organizations) met in Baltimore in December 2002 to launch a coordinated global campaign to create awareness of the pending food crisis in Africa.

The African continent is facing severe food shortages as a result of the convergence of a number of natural and man-made disasters. Erratic rainfall, drought, floods, political problems and economic mismanagement are causing shortfall in crop yields and food insecurity. The situation has been further complicated by high HIV/AIDS infection rates which devastate the productive populations throughout the continent. While 10 percent of the world's population lives in Sub-Saharan Africa, this region is today also home to 70 percent of the world's HIV/AIDS-infected people.

According to UN estimates, the current problems in Africa could lead to a situation where up to 34 million people in southern, eastern and western Africa will face starvation in the coming 6 to 8 months if food aid is not increased in time. The crisis could, in fact, reach the same magnitude as the famine experienced in Ethiopia in 1984-85.

At the meeting in Baltimore, the WFP, USAID, and the Coalition for Food Aid also unveiled "The Baltimore Declaration: Africa in Crisis" - a unified pledge of the participating agencies to act in a joint effort to stave off the impending disaster.

The Baltimore Declaration: Africa in crisis In response to the catastrophic hunger crisis in Africa, the executives of the American humanitarian organizations engaged in food aid and the Executive Director of the United Nations' World Food Program have come together to act. Today, we launch a global campaign to assist more than 34 million people who face the very real risk of death by starvation. This crisis is compounded by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which is devastating the productive populations of many African countries. We appeal to governments, citizens' groups, private voluntary organizations, religious institutions and individual citizens to recognize the enormity of the crisis confronting Africa and to join in a massive and urgent response. We commit ourselves to mobilizing our own organizations and joining with people of good will everywhere in providing the resources required to stave off this looming disaster. At the same time, we call upon governments in food insecure countries, donor governments, and the entire international development community to take the necessary steps to avert future crises of this nature. December 3, 2002

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Click on map to see food aid requirements for Africa 2003 (source: USAID)