In November, the leaders of the world's largest economies (the G20) will meet to tackle numerous issues of global concern. G20 nations together represent two thirds of the world's population and as much as 90 percent of the global economy. As such, this group of leaders has both the means and responsibility to champion a global economic system that works for children and families living in poverty—a system that finally eradicates global tragedies like malnutrition, hunger, and preventable child and maternal deaths. All of these tragedies are related to poverty, and all of them are magnified by economic crises.

In 2008-09, poor people around the world were hit hard by a deadly combination of high food prices and a financial crisis. The impact on poor people was clear: 100 million more people were thrust into extreme poverty, which often means less food for households to eat, poor nutrition for children, and fewer children in school.

The signs are here again. Fears of another global financial crisis are looming. Food prices remain high and began to spike again earlier this year, adding 44 million more people to the ranks of the chronically hungry, according to the World Bank. The Horn of Africa food crisis was in part driven by higher food prices, and the international response has been inadequate as many donor countries struggle to deal with declining economies at home.

World Vision is urging G20 countries to act swiftly to avoid a repeat of the global food and financial crises of 2008-09, which pushed 100 million already-vulnerable people into extreme poverty. We want G20 leaders to focus their discussions on protecting poor children and their families from the worst effects of another global economic downturn, and to ensure that those same families benefit from global economic growth in future.

• To make it a priority to improve child health;
• To support poor, small-scale farmers in developing countries–particularly women–to produce more nutritious foods and increase their incomes;
• Regarding the emergency food stocks being discussed in the G20, to make sure that these food stocks include provisions to meet the special nutritional needs of pregnant/lactating women and children under 2 years old. This is critical because women and children are particularly vulnerable to serious health problems or even death, when food is so scarce—as we have seen in the current Horn of Africa crisis.

1. The G20 will happen on November 3-4, 2011. Keep informed by watching the news coverage of these events: do the needs of the poor appear in the coverage?
2. Join the Voices network and add your voice to others calling for poverty and related issues to figure more prominently on media and political agendas
3. Sponsor a child and support sustainable solutions to poverty for the world's children