Letter to the Editor, Irish Times, 5th October 2009

Madam,

Minister for State & Overseas Development, Peter Power, is absolutely right when he says that the eradication of hunger “and nothing less than its eradication should satisfy us” (September 28th, 2009).

The Minister added that this can only be achieved by a comprehensive approach which addresses its structural causes. While he listed some of the key challenges, it seems, sadly, that corruption - one of the most devastating causes of poverty and hunger in the Developing World - was ignored.

The statisticians tell us that in Africa alone corruption steals close to $150 billion dollars from various economies each year. And those who suffer most from corruption are those at the very bottom of the socio-economic ladder.

If the international community is really determined to eradicate hunger, it must deal with all of its causes. Shutting our eyes and hoping that corruption will disappear is not just foolish, it is an affront to the millions of people who are the victims of these corrupt regimes.

There is surely no point in calling for a global initiative to tackle the issues behind world hunger, without recognising the damaging and crippling role that corruption has played, and continues to play in the lives of the poorest of the poor.

Corruption is not endemic; it is pandemic. Despite this, it can be tackled, but we need to recognise it, speak openly about it, and come together as a global community to establish and implement a strategy that will eliminate it once and for all.

Politicians worldwide, the people who are elected to represent us on a world stage, should be the first to acknowledge this.

Yours etc,

John O’Shea
GOAL
PO BOX 19
Dun Laoghaire
Co. Dublin
01 280 9779