UNITED NATIONS. –Every six seconds, somewhere in the world a child dies of malnutrition, according to Olivier De Schutter, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food. In a UN General Assembly session, the official also stated that there are 1 billion people going hungry in the world, the majority of them women and children, and that the dimensions of the global food crisis are far from having diminished this year.

"On the contrary, the volatility of prices and climate change will inevitably exacerbate the situation in 2009 with the poor being those most affected," De Schutter said.

The expert indicated that the reasons for global hunger are marginalization, poverty, lack of land and decent employment, along with an unjust international trade system that has sparked a decrease in investment in agricultural projects over the last 30 years.

The Rapporteur proposed redesigning international trade with the objective of boosting economic growth, as well as evaluating the potential of different models of agricultural development aimed at feeding the most vulnerable populations.

Likewise, De Schutter urged the application of incentives and regulations necessary to assure that transnational industrial agricultural companies contribute to the development of countries which serve as a source of resources.

(Notimex) Translated by Granma International