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| FAO Summit boosts agriculture to end hunger
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Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) -
The three-day World Summit on Food Security
ended in Rome late Wednesday after committing the international
community to investing more in agriculture and to eradicating hunger
at the earliest date.
FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf, who hosted the event, said the
Summit marked "an important step towards the achievement of our common
objective - a world free from hunger", According to a news dispatch
from FAO headquarters in Rome.
But, he declared: "To my regret the official Declaration adopted by the
Summit this past Monday contains neither measurable targets nor
specific deadlines, which would have made it easier to monitor
implementation..."
FAO had proposed setting a target of 2025 for the total eradication of
hunger from the face of the earth and increasing Official Development
Assistance to agriculture to US$44 billion per year for investment in
developing-country agriculture and rural infrastructure.
At the same time, however, the Summit produced four important
commitments, Diouf said.
They include: A firm pledge to renew efforts to achieve the First Millennium
Development Goal of halving hunger by 2015, and eradicating hunger
from the world at the earliest date; and a pledge to improve international coord
ination
and the governance of food security through a profound reform of FAO's Committee
on World
Food Security (CFS), which would become a central component of the
Global Partnership for Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition.
Others are: A promise to reverse the downward trend in domestic and
international funding for agriculture, food security and rural
development in developing countries and significantly increase their
share in public development aid; and a decision to promote new investments in ag
ricultural production
and productivity in developing countries in order to reduce poverty
and achieve food security for all.
The Summit also adopted Five Rome Principles for Sustainable Global Food Securit
y including: Invest in
country-owned plans channeling resources to well-designed and results-based prog
rammes and partnerships;
foster strategic coordination at all levels to improve governance, promote bette
r allocation of resources and
avoid duplication, and strive for a twin-track approach to food security includi
ng both
short-term emergency and long-term development measures.
Other Principles are: Work to improve the efficiency, coordination and effective
ness of
multilateral institutions and ensure sustained and substantial commitment by all
partners to
investment in agriculture and food security and nutrition.
Sixty Heads of State and Government and 191 Ministers from 182 countries and the
European Community attended the Summit,
while speakers included Pope Benedict XVI, who said in his address the rules gov
erning international trade should be separated
from "the logic of profit viewed as an end in itself".
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| Nairobi - 19/11/2009 |
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