Second Kennedy Round

[Benjamin Barrett]

The expression "second Kennedy round", often abbreviated to 2KR,
elicits about 543 Googits, a number greatly decreased when limiting to
English hits. It seems clear that the rounds refer to aid for
increasing food production, but it is unclear where this expression
comes from.

It appears this is a double import from Japanese, coined in memory of
the Kennedy Round of GATT discussions.

Although this round was held in Geneva from 1964 to 1967, it was named
for Kennedy, who had been assassinated the year before the round
started.

Tying Kennedy to food aid was his move to eliminate hunger. In 1963,
Kennedy announced the National Freedom from Hunger Week (http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=24135
), and one of the items to come out of the Kennedy Round was aid to
provide food to hungry nations (http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1967/may/31/tariff-negotiations-kennedy-round
). The expression "Kennedy Round" is used in connection with aid for
food.

It seems possible that the expression Kennedy Round to refer to food
aid came out of the Food Aid Convention.

There is a Japanese article (http://www.paw.hi-ho.ne.jp/kr2-net/2kr/index.html
) that says that 2KR started in 1977 as aid for increased food
production, but the reason why it's called that is not provided. The
Tokyo Round was in progress at this point and might be connected as
well.

If anyone has any further information on this, it would be appreciated.

BB

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