Thursday, May 13, 2010

If Only All Our Leaders Showed this Type of Commitment...

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva used his influence to improve the lives of those who had no bread and now 93 percent of children and 82 percent of adults in Brazil eat three times a day.  
-Jossette Sheeran, director of the World Food Program

Photo from the Latin American Herald Tribune.

Brazil's President Lula has been a champion of the Millennium Development Goals.  I've written about this before.  But his commitment to addressing hunger and poverty in his country (and elsewhere) is unwavering. It's great when such a leader keeps getting recognition.  This is because he's a great example for the rest of the world's leaders (Hear that G-8?).

The great thing about Lula's approach was that his close attention to the needs of the poor came hand-in-hand with strong economic growth.  

Here's a quote from Jossette Sheeren, who recognized Lula as a“Global Champion in Combating Hunger and Poverty.”
“Contrary to what many people think, subsidizing the poor can stimulate the economy,” as has happened in Brazil, even with all the problems sparked by the international financial crisis that exploded in 2008, the WFP official said.
This was one of two awards at the the Brazil-Africa Dialogue Forum on Food Security, Fighting Hunger and Rural Development, being held in Brasilia.

The other prize, the World Food Day medal from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, was awarded to Lula at the same ceremony by FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf.

Read more about Lula's recognition in the Latin American Herald Tribune

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