Author, human rights activist to present global treaty to eradicate hunger

EUGENE, Ore. -- (Feb. 8, 2008) -- A proposed treaty that aims to eradicate global hunger through enforceable international law will be presented by John Teton, novelist, filmmaker and founding director of the International Food Security Treaty (IFST) Campaign at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at the Knight Library Browsing Room, 1501 Kincaid St.

IFST supporters describe it as the critical missing link in the world’s efforts to overcome hunger, a global public health problem with more victims than all the world’s crimes and wars combined. Based on existing international covenants, the IFST was developed in consultation with food security advocates from around the world.

Teton's appearance is sponsored by the University of Oregon political science department, the UO international studies program and The Duck Store. The public is welcome and admission is free.

Following his speech, "Conquering Paradigm Paralysis: Human Rights Law and End of World Hunger," Teton will answer questions from the audience. In addition, a reception will immediately follow where he will read from and sign copies of his novel, "Upsurge," the early research for which gave rise to the IFST years before the book's publication in 2006.

The IFST is designed to be a legally-binding international agreement, delineating the responsibilities of nations to prevent starvation and malnutrition, with enforcement provisions to ensure that they are carried out. Examples of legally-prohibited activity would be the use of starvation as a weapon, as happened in Somalia in 1992, or channeling famine-preventing food supplies away from civilians to support military forces, as has happened more recently in North Korea and the Sudan.

United Nations Undersecretary-General Maurice Strong, an expert in global commerce and a veteran in the field of international law, has stated "I'm very sympathetic to (the IFST)…as the centerpiece of a whole system by which the capacity of the earth to feed its people is translated into a real commitment to do something, because there’s no fundamental need for hunger now, and certainly none for starvation."

A resident of Oregon, Teton originally came to this state in the 1970s after graduating from Harvard and working in film in New York and San Francisco. He has appeared on behalf of the IFST Campaign at many universities, including the law schools at Harvard, the University of Washington, and the University of California campuses in Berkeley and Los Angeles, and at briefings for the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. In addition to "Upsurge," he is the author of the related novel, "Appearing Live at The Final Test."

The Feb. 20 event marks the first presentation of the IFST at the University of Oregon.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Julie Brown, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu

Link: International Food Security Treaty, www.treaty.org

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