Address to the Council of
Ministers of the Organization of African Unity
Harare, Zimbabwe, 29-30 May 1997
Mr Chairman,
Distinguished Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is once again a great honour for me
to address this august assembly of African States. I
should like to begin by expressing my most sincere
gratitude to the countries of Africa and the OAU for
their outstanding contribution and unflagging support for
the World Food Summit which was held last November in
Rome, and which was so important for the future of this
continent.
The Summit publicly reaffirmed the
right of every person to safe and nutritious food, and
the 186 participating countries pledged theircommitment
towards achieving food security for all and eradicating
hunger in all countries. They also reaffirmed that a
peaceful, stable and enabling political, social and
economic environment was essential if States were to be
able give adequate priority to food security and the
eradication of poverty.
The Summit mobilized not only
governments, but also all partners with a role to play in
implementing its commitments: parliamentarians, the
private sector, non-governmental organizations and the
media.
The massive presence of African Heads
of State and Government at the Summit was an undeniable
indication of their determination to overcome hunger and
achieve food security. While the Summit was of course
global in magnitude, the success of its Plan of Action
will primarily be measured in Africa.
The state of food and agriculture in
Africa is still a cause for concern despite the
remarkable growth in staple food production of 4.8%
registered in 1996 and the improved economic conditions
in many low-income countries. Such however progress came
after a fall in production in 1995 and a relatively
modest increase in 1994. After a long period of economic
difficulties, it will therefore take time to build up the
purchasing power of the least privileged population
groups in a sustainable manner.
The prospects for 1997 are on the
whole encouraging, with satisfactory harvests in West
Africa and parts of the Horn of Africa, and favourable
projections for southern Africa. The picture though is
not uniform. Some Sahelian countries have localized food
supply problems and the outlook for East Africa is
uncertain. Thus, sixteen countries are still facing
exceptional food crises, the most worrying being those in
the Great Lakes Region for reasons that are familiar to
you.
The World Food Summit Plan of Action
covers many areas: production, conservation of the
resource base, investment and infrastructure, social and
economic policy for a fair distribution of food and
income, besides commerce and international trade.
It is now up to each African
government, in line with the first commitment of the Plan
of Action, to initiate a process of sustainable
agricultural and economic development based on
cooperation and consultation at all levels and on the
full and equal participation of men and women in the
design and the implementation of strategies and
programmes. In this connection, I welcomed the decision
taken at the last ordinary session of the Council of
Ministers of the OAU, in February 1997, in follow-up to
the World Food Summit. This decision calls on the Member
States to give top priority to achieving food security
for their respective populations and to implement the
commitments of the Rome Declaration and Plan of Action
that fall within their competence.
For its part, FAO has already begun
work with individual countries in preparing national
strategies for agricultural development up to the year
2010, as a means of transposing the Summit's commitments
from global to national level. Strategies for 43 African
countries have already been drawn up and were discussed
last March with representatives of governments and key
development partners, and are now awaiting government
approval.
However, governments will clearly not
achieve the expected results without the active
involvement of society at large. They therefore undertook
to launch national campaigns under the banner "Food for
All". These would involve all of civil society and would
aim to mobilize the support of all stakeholders and their
resources in the national implemention of the Summit Plan
of Action.
The first step in these campaigns
would ideally be to set up a national forum of all actors
and partners of development, including the private
sector, non-governmental organizations, universities,
research institutes, parliamentarians, women's and youth
groups, the media, and civil societyin general. The
appointment of a public figure to head the forum -
someone highly respected for his or her independence,
integrity and development expertise - could give added
impetus to the process.
Such campaigns have already been
initiated in both developing and developed countries. I
sincerely hope that your governments will actively
encourage and support the establishment of these forums,
and can confirm here and now that FAO will support all
your efforts in this direction.
The Summit charged FAO's Committee on
World Food Security with the important task of monitoring
implementation of the Summit commitments and reporting on
it to the appropriate bodies of FAO and the United
Nations. The Committee met in April this year to set up
such a monitoring system which will be based on reports
from governments and the international organizations that
are directly concerned.
The countries also asked FAO to
promote the establishment of a "Food Insecurity and
Vulnerability Information and Mapping System". The first
technical consultation for such a system has already been
held and we are counting on the help of the African
countries and organizations to develop it further.
Furthermore, an agreement has been
reached with the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights to work closely on defining more clearly the
right to food as a basic human right.
However, the most important
contribution expected from FAO for implementation of the
Plan of Action is of course that of agricultural
development. Our action in this area will be spearheaded
by the Special Programme for Food Security in low-income
food-deficit countries, which I intend to reinforce and
substantially broaden.
Most of the 840 million people
suffering from chronic undernourishment live in these 87
countries, of which 43 are in Africa. Two years after it
was launched, the Special Programme is now operational in
18 of these countries, including 15 in Africa, and is
being introduced or under formulation in seven others,
including three in Africa. The programme aims to increase
food production and availability where need is greatest,
and in so doing squares directly with the third
commitment in the Summit Plan of Action.
The programme has two phases, a pilot
phase and an expansion phase. The first has four
components: water management to protect crops from
irregular rainfall; the sustainable intensification of
plant production systems; the diversification of
production, mainly through aquaculture and small animal
husbandry; and finally, analysis of the social and
economic constraints.
The expansion phase will then deal
with reform of agricultural policies and investment.
If food security is to improve
tangibly, the programme must rest on people's
participation, consideration of the role of women, areas
and food with high potential and the protection of the
environment. Equally, the programme must be country-led
and fully involve the beneficiary communities. This is
not FAO's programme - it belongs to your countries and to
your farmers.
At this time of budget stringencies
for governments everywhere, the mobilization of funds for
the implementation of results-oriented programmes in
follow-up to the Summit, especially within the framework
of the Special Programme, requires a measure of
innovation. FAO is therefore doing all it can to
encourage donors to prioritize actions that are directed
towards food security. By way of example, I should like
to mention the Memoranda of Understanding that were
recently signed with the World Bank and the African
Development Bank, testifying to the importance attached
by these financial institutions to rural development and
makingsignificant funds available to the Special
Programme, upon government request. I should also like to
mention the programmes for the extensive transfer of
experts between developing countries, within the
framework of South/South cooperation.
But, such efforts go beyond the realm
of public institutions and extend to the private sector
and all individuals wishing to contribute, however
modestly, towards achieving our common goal of food
security. One of the most innovatory aspects of the Rome
Declaration and Summit Plan of Action was the emphasis
placed on the need to mobilize all sectors of civil
society and all possible human, technical and financial
resources so that countries would be able to deliver on
their national commitment towards food security.
This is what lies behind the TeleFood
operation, in which FAO wishes to appeal to international
solidarity to finance concrete and sustainable field
projects for food security, particularly through the
Special Programme. This worldwide audio-visual event,
planned to coincide with World Food Day, is designed to
raise funds from civil society in all countries wishing
to help eliminate hunger from the world.
Mr Chairman,
Though well pleased with progress made
since last November, I must point out that our journey
has only begun. The success of the Summit brings even
more responsibility in its wake, not only for FAO, but
also - and perhaps more so - for the Member States and
their governments who made solemn commitments on that
occasion. This is all the more true for the African
countries, which are the most affected by food
insecurity. As I said in the immediate aftermath of the
Summit, we will now be judged by our deeds. So let us act
accordingly.
Thank you for your kind attention.
