Must do more - Fighting world hunger

PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins, speaking at the National Famine Commemoration Day in Dublin yesterday where a memorial was unveiled in Glasnevin, appropriately took the opportunity to remind us of one of the great tragedies and challenges of our world. 

Mr Higgins pointed out that despite our great advances almost a billion people live in “conditions of extreme or avoidable hunger”.

This crisis manifests itself in many ways, everything from riots at Calais as refugees try to reach Britain, to bitter and seemingly intractable wars, especially civil wars, in parts of Africa. It even fuels the hate campaign being used by Republican candidate Donald Trump as he tries to reach the White House.

But what to do? The developed world has intervened in an effort to end hardship in poorer countries for generations but the poor and hungry are still with us. However, the problem has become even more pressing from a selfish, self-serving point of view. Unless we, the rich, do much more to end this tragedy our world will become increasingly unstable.