Seventeen countries signed the African Union convention on internally displaced persons (IDPs) after years of preparation culminated in a week of meetings in the Ugandan capital but a lot more hard work remains before it becomes effective, according to observers. Nairobi (Kenya) — Hunger will be a thing of the past in the region should plans by the East African Community to start formal cross border trade in food yield positive results. The proposals will guide the formation of the Food Security Protocol that will bind the five member states — Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and Tanzania.The MPs said 10 per cent of their partner states’ budgets should be invested in rural areas, as opposed to research and extension services — as agreed during the Maputo Declaration.