Nineteenth FAO Regional Conference
for Africa
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 16-20 April
1996
Mr Chairman,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is not by chance that the
Nineteenth FAO Regional Conference for Africa is being
held in Burkina Faso, a land of free people where the
three Volta Rivers ? the Red, the Black and the White ?
come together to form a single mighty waterway. We all
know how important the big river basins are for
agriculture, development and African life itself: and
water is somehow also symbolic of the Conference that
opens today.
FAO is a specialized agency of the
United Nations and, as such, has a universal vocation,
but its DirectorGeneral is well aware that he must draw
on the deeprooted values of his Continent to reach the
wider dimension of a world response. Understandably,
then, I feel particularly moved to be here in the midst
of my African brothers and sisters, who have gathered
together to review the state of food and agriculture in
their region and to seek sustainable agricultural
development and food security for the present and future
inhabitants of this vast continent.
We meet again as a family, joined by
our common love for Africa and I know that I speak for
you all as I express our profound gratitude to the
Government and people of this noble land for the warm and
caring welcome that they have extended to the
participants of this Regional Conference.
The subjective nature of my personal
attachment is based, however, on the objective reality of
the agricultural situation in Africa which is more
worrying than that of any other region in the world and
should therefore be given priority attention by the
international community.
The difficulties assailing this vast
continent are many: droughts and other whims of weather;
plagues of locusts and pests; fragile and swiftly
depleted soils; desertification; disease affecting or
preventing husbandry over vast tracts of land; inadequate
control and inefficient utilization of water; the
unchecked rural exodus ? all compounded by murderous
conflicts and a refugee population wholly without
historical precedent. This picture will, unfortunately,
be alltoo familiar to you: your governments are doing all
they can to prevent these acute problems from attaining
disaster proportions.
That their efforts cannot always
control sudden production slumps as a result of drought
and floods, nor stave off the spectre of famine that
reaps thousands of human lives is a tragic reality. Yet,
awesome and appalling as these emergencies are, they
weigh less heavily on the future of the African people
than the chronic undernutrition and malnutrition rampant
in so many countries of the continent. We should remember
that of the current 88 low income, food deficit countries
in the world, 42 almost half lie in subSaharan Africa.
Famines set off powerful bursts of
solidarity in the world, but these tend to be shortlived.
Meanwhile, the global level of development aid is
falling, as is the share of this aid earmarked for
agriculture.
What will happen if nothing is done to
change the course of events? Population growth
projections tell us that by the year 2010 (in less than
15 years) an estimated 300 million Africans will be
suffering from chronic malnutrition.
Such a prospect is clearly
unacceptable. That is why FAO decided to launch a
largescale operation to enlist a solemn commitment at the
top level to eliminate hunger and malnutrition and to
undertake concerted action at global, regional and
national level to ensure food security for all. This has
been the underlying aspiration behind the organization of
the World Food Summit to be held in Rome this November.
The preparation of the Summit is one
of the main items on the agenda of this Conference, which
is being asked to take a common regional stance on this
important question. Any solution to the terrible problems
of today inevitably entails an unprecedented scale of
policies and measures that can only be implemented after
collective and profound reflection by all interested
parties, including the public authorities, universities
and researchers, the private sector, NGOs and, more
particularly, farmers' organizations, women and the
young.
You, with your responsibilities for
the rural and agricultural sector in that part of the
world most at risk from food insecurity, are surely in
the best position to interpret for the international
community the nature and scale of this dramatic
situation, and to help frame the action so urgently
needed to resolve it.
Reassuringly, this initiative has
already been enthusiastically endorsed by the
Organization of African Unity whose Council adopted a
resolution in February this year inviting the African
States to mobilize individually and collectively for the
success of this initiative, and to make a particularly
active contribution to the Summit and its preparation.
This resolution follows in the wake of the June 1995
resolution by the Assembly of Heads of State and
Government of the OAU. Also as regards the Summit, the
Secretariat of the OAU has drawn up a draft text defining
Africa's common position on food security and
agricultural development. I note with pleasure these
renewed manifestations of the unfailing cooperation
between the OAU and FAO. I see this resolute commitment
on the part of the African community as a clear sign of
hope. It also shows that Africa's leadersare fully aware
of the implications, and are determined to respond singly
and collectively to the challenge of food insecurity.
Such clarity of purpose will
inevitably be countered by scepticism, here and there,
questioning the need for the Summit. What, they may well
ask, is the point, after so many initiatives of all
kinds? Was not concern to feed the world the springboard
for the establishment of FAO 50 years ago, followed by
the Freedom from Hunger Campaign, the two World Food
Congresses of 1963 and 1970, the World Food Conference of
1974 and, more recently, the International Conference on
Nutrition in 1992? We can answer this on two levels.
Firstly, this will be the first time in the 50 years
since FAO was founded that a meeting on these issues is
held at the level of Heads of State and Government. And
the fact that the proposal was unanimously approved by
the Conference of FAO and the United Nations General
Assembly clearly attests that the world food problem has
now become very serious. Secondly, while FAO's mandate
has not changed from that laid down by the founding
fathers in its Constitution, the sheer size and the
nature, even, of the problems at hand have evolved with a
speed typical of the century in which we live. And
lastly, it is FAO's fundamental responsibility to alert
world opinion and world leaders to the deteriorating food
situation before it attains catastrophic proportions.
There has undoubtedly been prodigious
progress in the realms of technology and knowhow, and
there is no question that the transformation in plant and
animal production, the knowledge and use of inputs, water
management skills, progress in resource conservation,
storage and processing techniques have revolutionized the
rural and agricultural sectors in many countries.
And yet, at the same time, there are
more than twice as many mouths to feed, and as their
number continues to grow, available per capita farmland
diminishes. Need we recall that Africa is the only region
in the world in which average food output per inhabitant
has fallen during the last 25 years? The intensive
exploitation synonymous with some developed countries
degrades the environment, while in the poor countries,
forest cover is shrinking fast and increasingly marginal
land is being brought under the plough, so accelerating
the pace of erosion. Fishery resources are overexploited
and in this as in many other domains, nature can no
longer regenerate its resources as fast as people destroy
them.
Additionally, even though there is now
enough food to feed everyone in the world, its
distribution remains terribly unequal, both within and
between countries, and from one region to another. The
poverty of certain social groups and nations is driving a
terrible wedge, a situation further aggravated by
political upheaval, conflict, and the growing numbers of
refugees and displaced persons. And in this respect, too,
Africa is sorely affected. In the developing countries,
nearly 800 million people suffer chronic undernutrition
and some 200 million children under the age of five are
affected by acute or chronic protein and calorie
deficiency. We are very far from the vision of FAO's
founding fathers, and more than 20 years after the World
Food Conference of 1974, the goal of "eradicating hunger,
food insecurity and malnutrition within a decade" remains
stubbornly beyond our grasp.
And yet, the right to food is the
first and foremost of the human rights, without which the
others have no meaning. How can a hungry person be
expected to exercise his or her right to education, work
and culture, or to participate fully in the political and
social life of the community? Food and water loom
prominently among the major world challenges as we enter
the third millennium. The dimensions of the problem are
ethical, political and strategic, and could lead to
extremely violent and serious conflict unless we put
things right.
FAO is so keenly aware of the need for
strong, immediate action that it has launched a Special
Programme on Food Production in Support of Food Security
in LowIncome, FoodDeficit Countries without awaiting the
worldlevel decisions that will be taken by the Summit.
This Programme directed towards lowincome, fooddeficit
countries is now being implemented. It is of direct
concern to a number of African countries and you will be
sufficiently familiar with it for me not to have to go
into details. I should just like to underline, however,
that its approach might serve as a source of inspiration
in shaping the Policy Statement and Plan of Action that
will be submitted for Summit approval.
This Programme addresses the challenge
of food insecurity from several angles:
The main thrust is to work on a
specific, daytoday basis with farmers, livestock owners,
forest workers, fishing communities and fish farmers, so
that they can sustainably increase their productivity and
thus combat poverty. The Programme's activities include
demonstrations of improved techniques in the farmers' own
fields. Identification, implementation and evaluation are
all done by those most directly involved: the farmers
themselves.
Additionally, the Programme strongly
emphasizes people's participation, particularly that of
women. Women indeed play a predominant, multifaceted and
totally irreplaceable role in feeding the household and
community. In many regions (and especially in Africa),
women are the main providers of food, which they grow,
prepare and store. They are responsible for the
children's education and for handing down cultural values
and knowhow related to food. Without broadbased people's
participation, particularly of the feminine population,
there would be no momentum or spillover effect, no
continuity, and n universal adhesion to a joint
undertaking.
Lastly, there is the immense effort of
cooperation and consultation at all levels: the recipient
countries, FAO and donors; the recipient countries and
developed countries offering bilateral aid; but also
among the developing countries in the context of
SouthSouth exchanges.
The philosophy behind the Programme,
now in its pilot phase in about 15 countries and showing
promising results, will help to chart the
majororientations of the Summit.
The focus of the Summit will be on
meaningful, sustainable action. In the spirit of UNCED's
Agenda 21 Programme, rather than relentlessly pushing out
agricultural boundaries and jeopardizing fragile
ecosystems, efforts will centre on highpotential areas
where productivity can be increased by intensifying
farming practices with,in particular, the conservation,
collection and harnessing - and hence better management -
of water. However, where this is not a feasible option,
as in several countries in your region, marginal lands
will have to be developed sustainably without causing
environmental damage. The aim, in both cases, is to
increase output sufficiently to cater for population
growth and raise nutritional levels where serious food
deficiencies exist. However, increasing output is only
part of the equation; we need to ensure that the benefits
from national efforts reach all members of society and
particularly its poorest members. Measures will therefore
be needed for more equitable access to food for all, more
efficient distribution and far fewer food losses.
Public opinion and the media will have
to be mobilized, with world political leaders setting the
guidelines for resolute and dynamic food policies and
solid sustained action. The general debate on food will
also address the problems of investment and trade, which
are key issues for Africa.
Beyond the Summit itself, what is
needed is a truly global campaign, with cooperation and
consultation at all levels. Following in the footsteps of
the Freedom from Hunger Campaign, its theme would be
"Food for All", which is the slogan FAO has adopted for
the forthcoming years. The driving force for this Food
for All Campaign would be National Committees involving
all segments of civil society: the private sector,
nongovernmental organizations, academic and research
institutions, women's associations, and youth groups. To
muster the support and mobilization necessary to ensure
its success would demand longterm commitment and
sustained resources. The mandate and objectives of the
Food for All Campaign would be determined by the Summit,
and its structure adapted to the specific situation of
each country. The mechanism established would supplement
the governmental FAO National Committees already in
place. You have before you a document on this topic, and
you may wish to recommend that the World Food Summit
launch this Food for All Campaign.
How will this Summit differ from the
many past attempts to combat hunger and malnutrition? Is
this initiative any more likely to succeed than all its
predecessors?
One original concept in the
preparation of the Summit is that no costly special
meetings have been required, with all necessary
consultations being held during the course of regular
sessions of the Organization's Statutory Bodies. Thus, at
its Twentyfirst Session a few weeks ago, the Committee on
World Food Security began its review of the draft Policy
Statement and Plan of Action that the Summit is to adopt,
formulating several proposals in this respect. The text
before you is therefore more than just a first draft, and
will be further refined in the light of your comments.
The Summit will be held at FAO. Headquarters. Every
effort is being made to involve all sectors in its
preparation and to promote all initiatives that will help
ensure its success.
The World Food Summit differs in many
respects from previous events addressing the problem of
world food security. In contrast to recent highlevel
meetings, the Summit has been convened by a body that was
specifically set up to deal with food and agricultural
development, and which therefore has a solid base and the
human and material resources to implement its programmes.
Furthermore, two key practical initiatives are already in
train to achieve food security for all and the Summit
will be able to take concrete decisions so that these are
effectively and globally implemented. I am speaking of
the Special Programme on Food Security, and the Emergency
Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant
Pests and Diseases.
The challenge before the World Food
Summit is unprecedented, however. Even though much has
been done to overcome hunger and malnutrition, to bolster
agricultural growth and to ensure that food is
distributed more equitably, past actions have for the
most partbeen oneoff, uncoordinated efforts. What are now
required are articulated actions that will target every
country where the need to secure or consolidate food
security is becoming increasingly acute. The many
implications of this huge undertaking will have to be
squarely faced: production, conservation of the resource
base, investment and infrastructure, and social and
economic policies to guarantee fair distribution of food
and income, not to mention the thorny issue of
international trade. This is indeed a momentous
challenge: how are we to change everything that needs
changing in the world food situation? How are we to
ensure regular access to an adequate diet for hundreds of
millions of our fellow human beings?
FAO has not stood still on the long
journey towards success. It has done and I believe done
well everything that it has been asked to do. It has
accomplished much solid work, such as furthering the
international standards in force on pesticides, plant
genetic resources and other matters. In the process, it
has devoted considerable human and material resources to
Africa, particularly through its field programmes. But
has all this really changed life for the better in the
villages of the Third World? Has productivity increased
in the leastdeveloped countries? Has the use of
fertilizers and other inputs and the biological control
of pests and diseases been enough to raise production to
the required level without harming the environment? Has
definitive progress been made against hunger,
malnutrition and the poverty of individuals and nations?
Unhappily, the answer is all too
clearly no. There must be a way of doing more and doing
better, of pooling our random efforts and mounting an
allout attack on hunger from all sides, for the good of
future generations and for the very survival of the human
race.
The huge surpluses in the developed
countries (which were also hard to manage, economically
speaking) were long (and erroneously) seen as a global
cushion against serious shortfalls. But even back in the
1970s, the food crisis brought home how easily these
mountains of surplus goods could vanish like snow in the
sun, leaving painful shortages. After a renewed period of
bumper surpluses, we are now back to a situation where
the world's grain reserves have fallen below the level
considered necessary to guarantee global food security.
World prices have soared and the lowincome, food deficit
developing countries will have to pay out an additional 3
billion dollars this year for their food imports.
The poet Aragon wrote that man's work
is never done; but it is precisely this state of
uncertainty that inspires human endeavour. Has not
impending disaster always driven people to come up with
the energy and inventive capacity required for their
survival? Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are all
living today in a state of impending disaster.
Paradoxically, however, this could
prove to be the salvation of this and future generations,
if only we can read the signs of the times and rise to
the occasion. Untold clarity of mind, imagination,
courage, patience and tenacity will be required, as will
concerted mobilization on a scale largely unparalleled in
human history. Citizens of all countries and ranks, of
all ages and religions; associations and groups of all
kinds; professionals from all sectors;
community leaders in all walks of life,
whether intellectual, social,economic, political or
spiritual; government officials and representatives of
all levels, men and women from the smallest village to
the largest international organization will have to
marshal their forces and rally together for an allout
joint effort.
Are there sufficient resources for
such a vast undertaking? Will the interdependence of our
global village outweigh the narrow shortterm interests
that divide it? I hope with all my heart that this is so.
Today this hope is a growing
conviction. Africa's problems and its myriad trials have
only served to sharpen the vision and strengthen the
resolve of those responsible for its development,
agriculture and food security. The unity that
characterizes this meeting betokens success both for the
World Food Summit and for the planetwide mobilization
that will be needed. Africa is destined to play a lead
role, and has already begun with the OAU decisions I
mentioned earlier. The fact that so many nations have
come together today at this meeting, out of solidarity
and a desire for justice, can only reinforce my
conviction that the harder and the more serious the
situation is, the more we can depend on human ingenuity.
It is therefore with full confidence
and from the bottom of my heart that I wish you every
success in your meeting.
Thank you.
