Global perspective Human stories

Europe can do more to aid developing world, UN food agency chief says

Europe can do more to aid developing world, UN food agency chief says

Jacques Diouf
The head of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) today called on European countries to provide more support for farmers and fishermen in developing countries.

Speaking at an FAO meeting in Nicosia, Cyprus, Jacques Diouf said European support for the agency's programmes would confirm the continent's "central role in ensuring stability and progress worldwide."

Food quality is a source of increasing concern throughout the world, and particularly in Europe where, the Director-General noted, "In recent years a number of food safety-related problems have placed consumer health in jeopardy, and hampered trade both within the region and with other regions of the world."

Mr. Diouf also pointed to progress in promoting food security in Europe, where improved political stability in the Balkans, high crop yields and economic growth had made it possible to gradually scale down food assistance to the region.

Mr. Diouf said an upcoming review meeting in Rome would provide an opportunity to galvanize political will and mobilize financial resources. He called on European heads of State and government "to attend in person, to ensure the success of the meeting." The conference, "World Food Summit: five years later," will take place from 10 to 13 June.

Meanwhile in New York, FAO's Director for North America, Charles Riemenschneider, also called attention to the importance of next month's forum, pointing out that worldwide, over 800 million people - including 200 million children - went to bed hungry every night. "If the current trends continue, the number of undernourished is projected to fall to 580 million by 2015 - well short of the 1996 World Food Summit target of halving the number to 400 million by that year," he said.

Emphasizing that food security is essential to development, he said, "we'd all do ourselves a big favour by facing the fact that widespread hunger can only breed hopelessness, desperation [and] conflict which knows no boundaries."

The Rome meeting, he said, would provide an opportunity for high-level ministers to evaluate global efforts to fight hunger. "We will look at the results achieved as well as the obstacles met and the means of overcoming them," he said.