IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 344 
Recognizing that we are facing a global food crisis. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 7, 2008 
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas (for herself, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. KILPATRICK, Ms. 
CLARKE, Mr. COHEN, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. JOHNSON of 
Georgia, Mr. WYNN, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. DAVIS 
of Illinois, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Ms. 
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. HARE, Mr. 
BRALEY of Iowa, Mr. COURTNEY, Ms. SUTTON, Ms. LEE, Mr. KLEIN of 
Florida, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. 
LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. KIND, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. SIRES, Mr. 
ARCURI, Ms. SOLIS, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. BACA, Mr. ORTIZ, Mr. GUTIER-
REZ, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. RODRIGUEZ, Mr. BOSWELL, Mr. 
ENGEL, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. CARSON, Ms. MOORE of 
Wisconsin, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. CROWLEY, Ms. WATSON, Ms. 
ROYBAL-ALLARD, and Ms. WATERS) submitted the following concurrent 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Recognizing that we are facing a global food crisis. 
Whereas according to the United Nations, over 850,000,000 
people in the world are chronically or acutely malnour-
ished, and over 300,000,000 of these are children; 
Whereas the 2000 United Nations Millennium Development 
Summit called for halving the proportion of hungry peo-
ple in the world by the year 2015, but progress reaching 
this goal has been slow, and, according to the United Na-
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tions Food and Agricultural Organization, only the Latin 
American and Caribbean region has been reducing the 
prevalence of hunger quickly enough to reach this target; 
Whereas every year, malnutrition caused by chronic hunger 
leads to the death of an estimated 5,600,000 children 
under 5 years old; 
Whereas, according to UNICEF, an estimated 146,000,000 
children, or roughly one in every four children under 5 
years old, are underweight; 
Whereas hunger and malnutrition weaken the immune sys-
tem, and as a result treatable diseases pose a greater risk 
to malnourished children; 
Whereas even temporary deprivation of essential nutrients 
can have a lasting impact on children’s physical growth 
and intellectual potential; 
Whereas children who are only mildly underweight are twice 
as likely to die of infectious diseases as children who are 
better nourished, and children who are moderately or se-
verely underweight are 5 to 8 times more likely to die of 
infectious diseases; 
Whereas according to a study conducted by the United Na-
tions Food and Agriculture Organization, 45 percent of 
children who died after contracting measles were mal-
nourished, as were 60 percent of children who died after 
contracting severe diarrhea; 
Whereas chronic hunger and undernutrition can lead to 
growth retardation (stunting), affecting an estimated 
168,000,000 children under age 5 in developing coun-
tries; 
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Whereas some 42 percent of children under 5 years old are 
stunted in the least developed countries, compared to 30 
percent globally; 
Whereas women whose growth was retarded face ongoing 
health complications as adults, when they are more likely 
to have obstructed labor, are at greater risk of dying dur-
ing childbirth, and are more likely to deliver low-birth-
weight and stunted children; 
Whereas stunted growth has also been linked to diminished 
work capacity and higher propensity to diseases, includ-
ing diabetes and heart disease, in adults; 
Whereas the global community is currently facing a food cri-
sis, with food prices doubling over the past 3 years and 
rising 65 percent between January and April 2007 alone, 
and the World Bank has estimated that the emergency 
situation could push 100,000,000 people in low-income 
countries deeper into poverty; 
Whereas rising food prices have caused riots in Haiti, Ban-
gladesh, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Mozambique, 
and Senegal, and, as of December 2007, 37 countries 
faced food crises; 
Whereas as a result of rising food prices, individuals and 
families throughout the developing world have a de-
creased buying power, and are often forced to either buy 
significantly smaller quantities of food, or to buy less nu-
tritious food; 
Whereas in times of food crisis, families often must cut more 
expensive foods, such as meat, fruit, and vegetables, from 
their diets, instead relying on less nutritious staples such 
as rice and maize, foods without the vitamins and min-
erals necessary for proper child growth; 
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Whereas, given the scope of the current food crisis, United 
Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has proposed a 
task force, to be composed of the heads of United Na-
tions agencies and the World Bank, to address the global 
problem caused by soaring food prices; and 
Whereas United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has 
made closing a $755,000,000 funding gap for the World 
Food Programme, caused by rising food prices, a pri-
ority: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That— 
(1) it is the sense of Congress that— 
(A) in emergency situations, children have 
different needs than those of adults, and nutri-
tional deficiencies disproportionately affect chil-
dren; and 
(B) in the context of the current global 
food crisis, the nutritional needs of children 
must be a humanitarian priority; and 
(2) Congress— 
(A) recognizes that we are facing a global 
food crisis caused by, among other things, ris-
ing fuel prices, increased diversion of land to 
biofuel production, drought, and increases in 
population; 
(B) recognizes that lack of adequate nutri-
tion is particularly damaging to children, as it 
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stunts their growth, leaves them more vulner-
able to numerous diseases, and hunger affects 
children’s ability to learn; and 
(C) calls for a world forum to be held, on 
the issue of rising food prices and international 
response, and for the United States to play an 
active role in alleviating the crisis. 
Æ 
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