LE PRESIDENT: Mesdames, Mesdemoiselles, Messieurs, nous déclarons ouverte la session d'aujourd'hui de la quatre-vingt-dixième session du Conseil. Comme vous le savez il nous reste à terminer la composition du Bureau par les élections d'un troisième vice-président et par le parachèvement de la composition des membres du Comité de rédaction.
Vous vous souvenez qu'hier on a demandé au Conseil de vérifier s'il y a d'autres propositions afin de finaliser la composition du Comité de rédaction. Ceci étant, y a-t-il des observations sur ce point précis?
José Ramón LOPEZ-PORTILLO ROMANO (Mexico): Más que para proponer y resolver los asuntos pendientes de la Mesa es para hacer una reflexión en este Consejo y para exhortar a las diversas regiones a que lo consideren.
Señor Presidente, ha sido tradición en el Consejo que el Comité de Redacción tenga cuanto más doce miembros y en ciertas ocasiones ha llegado hasta trece miembros. En esta ocasión, y por lo que leyó usted el día de ayer, inclusive ciertas informaciones un tanto ambiguas que recibimos ayer mismo por la noche, el número del Comité de Redacción parece expandirse hasta quince, es decir un tercio o casi un tercio de lo que es nuestro Consejo. En tal caso, el Comité de Redacción es ya prácticamente un grupo de negociación y no un Comité de Redacción más, y como Presidente de tal Comité me parece que un numero tan grande de miembros lo haría francamente inmanejable y por tanto poco efectivo.
Señor Presidente, a estas alturas solicito a las diversas regiones que se atengan al número que tradicionalmente ha integrado el Comité de Redacción y que sé reconsidere, lo repito, que se reconsidere la membrecía del mismo con el propósito de establecerlo en doce miembros, o en caso de que no se pueda evitar en trece miembros.
LE PRESIDENT: La liste des pays porte sur 14 noms. Y a-t-il d'autres délégués qui veuillent prendre la parole?
Octavio Rainho da SILVA NEVES (Brazil): I quite agree with what has been said by the Ambassador of Mexico. In fact we are all aware that we are here in order to try to deal with a serious crisis. My feeling is that such a large and unorthodox drafting committee is not going to help matters. In fact we are almost facing a Sub-committee of the Whole. In this connection I would like to endorse the views advanced by the Ambassador of Mexico and suggest that the Council refers this matter back to the regions and that we then try to see if we can make something more orthodox and in accordance with tradition and not a negotiating committee.
Humberto CARRION M. (Nicaragua): Deseamos asociarnos con la inquietud que han planteado los delegados de México y Brasil. Particularmente la delegación de México presidirá el Comité de Redacción y, por lo tanto, son legítimas y justificadas las preocupaciones de que en un Consejo tan importante como éste un Comité de Redacción muy amplio, con gran número de miembros, dificultará más bien los trabajos del mismo. Por lo tanto, nosotros apoyamos las propuestas hechas por México y Brasil de que el Comité de Redacción de este Consejo quede en doce miembros como se ha hecho en el pasado y tradicionalmente.
Gonzalo BULA HOYOS (Colombia): La delegación de Colombia espera que no habrá ninguna dificultad en que se logre lo que ha propuesto el colega de México.
Los informes de los últimos cinco periodos de sesiones demuestran claramente, y esto es fácil de confirmar, que la tradicional composición del Comité de Redacción ha sido la siguiente:Dos miembros por cada una de las cuatro regiones de países en desarrollo, o sea Africa, Asia, Medio Oriente y América Latina y El Caribe; dos miembros por Europa occidental, y a veces, y esto es muy justo, un miembro por Europa oriental; un miembro por América del Norte y un miembro desarrollado por Asia y el Pacífico. Esto es lo que ha sucedido en las reuniones del Consejo y a ese patrón es al que debe ceñirse la composición del Comité de Redacción. Por lo tanto, yo creo que no es necesario prolongar este debate, sino que, a la luz de lo que hemos hecho siempre, los representantes de las regiones informen a usted sus respectivos candidatos.
Joseph TCHICAYA (Congo): Effectivement, nous sommes ici depuis un certain temps et notre petite expérience au niveau des comités de rédaction auxquels nous avons souvent participé nous montre que nous ne dépassons, nous n'avons jamais dépassé le nombre de 12 ou 13 membres avec le Président, au niveau du Comité de rédaction pour le Conseil. C'est pour cette raison que nous demandons pour quel motif le nombre des membres s'est brutalement accru au cours de cette session. Nous savons bien sûr que des problèmes importants, certainement, vont être débattus au cours de cette session mais cela ne peut pas être une raison valable pour faire en sorte que le Comité de rédaction soit le plus large possible. Nous savons tous que plus ce comité est large, plus ses travaux peuvent se paralyser: pour cette raison je voudrais appuyer la proposition faite par le Président de ce Comité de rédaction pour que le nombre soit réduit au nombre traditionnel. Je crois que mon collègue de la Colombie vient de donner la composition traditionnelle de chacune de nos régions; composition que nous appuyons formellement.
Khalil MAKKAWI (Lebanon): I should like to take the floor to support fully what has been said by the distinguished representative of Mexico, as Chairman of this Drafting Committee. Lebanon is a member of this Drafting Committee and from experience shares the views which have been put forward by all the distinguished delegates who have preceded me. For this reason I support fully what has been said by the distinguished representatives, in particular, the specific proposals made by His Excellency the Ambassador of Colombia.
LE PRESIDENT: Il semble donc qu'il y ait une convergence vers une proposition tendant à réduire le nombre des membres du Comité de rédaction de 14 à 12, en essayant de respecter, autant que faire se peut, les représentations régionales. Il est donc proposé que les régions se réunissent à nouveau pour voir dans quelle mesure on peut réduire de deux unités les membres proposés pour le Comité de rédaction et ceci dans le but de faciliter la tâche au Président du Comité de rédaction. Est-ce que cette proposition peut recueillir l'agrément du Conseil? Sommes-nous autorisés à vous prier de bien vouloir revoir vos propositions dans le cadre des différentes régions de la FAO et de faire les propositions au secrétariat aussitôt que possible?
Sra. Mercedes FERMÍN GOMEZ (Venezuela): Solamente quiero responder a su pregunta de si esta propuesta tiene apoyo, y Venezuela dice que apoya la proposición del embajador de México, Presidente del Comité de Redacción, y especialmente aclarar la representación por regiones.
Jacques POSIER (France): Je voudrais simplement poser une question pour avoir un éclaircissement sur les régions qui sont concernées. Doit-on se pencher sur ce problème afin de réduire le nombre total des candidats à la composition du Comité de rédaction?
LE PRESIDENT: Les nombres par région sont: 2 pour l'Afrique, 2 pour l'Asie, 2 pour le Proche-Orient, 2 pour l'Amérique latine et 6 pour l'OCDE. Voici la composition actuelle du Comité de rédaction. Voici ce qui est proposé par le secrétariat. Deux pour chaque région en voie de développement. Cela fait 8. Deux pour l'Europe occidentale, 1 pour l'Europe orientale, 1 pour l'Amérique du Nord, 1 pour l'Asie et le Pacifique développés.
Jacques POSIER (France): En ce qui concerne le Groupe de l'OCDE, il est parvenu à un accord et a proposé 6 membres: 6 candidats au Comité de rédaction.
La question posée est: quelles sont les régions que vous appelez à se pencher à nouveau sur la question pour faire un nombre total de candidatures qui permette de revenir au nombre habituel? J'ai tendance à considérer que notre groupe régional n'est pas concerné par cette révision.
LE PRESIDENT: Voilà le schéma proposé par le secrétariat…par le délégué de la Colombie: 2 pour l'Afrique, 2 pour le Proche-Orient, 2 pour l'Amérique latine, 2 pour l'Asie, 2 pour l'Europe occidentale, 2 pour l'Europe orientale, 1 pour l'Amérique du Nord, 1 pour l'Asie et le Pacifique développés. Ceci est la proposition du délégué de la Colombie.
José Ramón LOPEZ-PORTILLO ROMANO (Mexico): Señor Presidente, que a nadie le sorprenda que yo haya levantado esta cuestión, las razones son obvias. Esta es una ocasión extraordinaria donde el Comité de Redacción propone que tenga 15 miembros. Tradicionalmente-y eso se puede revisar caso por caso-la distribución ha sido como la que ha señalado el distinguido delegado de Colombia y en la mayor parte de las veces el Comité de Redacción no ha tenido más de 12 miembros, se ha limitado a 12 miembros, . y, en ciertas ocasiones excepcionales, asl es, cuando por razones de interés para Europa Oriental se ha visionado con un miembro de esa región, de manera que monta a 13. Y para contestar directamente al distinguido delegado de Francia, no solamente la propuesta que hemos hecho sino la tradición, la forma de resolver la integración del Comité de Redacción implica que Europa debe limitarse a dos miembros y América del Norte a un miembro. Esas son las dos regiones que deben limitar su membrecía en el Comité de Redacción.
LE PRESIDENT: Nous sommes saisis de propositions précises de la part de la délégation de la Colombie. Est-ce que cette proposition peut servir de base à une réflexion pour la composition du Comité de rédaction? Est-ce que le Conseil peut retenir cette proposition qui découle de l'usage concernant la composition du Comité de rédaction? Si tel est le cas, je propose que l'on retienne cette proposition qui porterait la composition des membres du Comité de rédaction à 13 et nous verrons si nous pouvons aboutir à quelque-chose de représentatif de l'ensemble des régions de la FAO pour ce Comité de rédaction.
Nous passons maintenant au second point sur la composition du bureau, à savoir l'élection du troisième Vice-Président de notre Conseil.
A. K. M. Kamaluddin CHOUDHURY (Bangladesh): I have great pleasure in proposing the name of His Excellency Paul Bomani, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development of Tanzania, for the third post of Vice-Chairman of the Council.
Mr Bomani is already quite well known for his dynamic role and long experience in the various committees of FAO and other United Nations Organizations. I feel that his inclusion in the bureau will be of very great help and assistance for the success of the Council.
Joseph ΤCHICAYA (Congo): Je souhaite prendre la parole pour appuyer la proposition faite par le représentant du Bangladesh. Nous pensons également que M. Paul Bomani, Ministre de l'agriculture et du développement et de l'élevage de son pays, la Tanzanie, serait un excellent Vice-Président qui vous aidera dans l'accomplissement de votre tâche. Pour cette raison, nous souhaitons que le Conseil approuve sa candidature.
Sra. Mercedes FERMIN GOMEZ (Venezuela): Es simplemente para dar el apoyo de Venezuela a la candidatura propuesta.
LE PRESIDENT: Nous avons une proposition concrète tendant à élire Son Excellence M. Paul Bomani, Minietre de l'agriculture et de l'élevage en Tanzanie au poste de Vice-Président de notre Conseil. Je pense que le Conseil est d'accord et je le félicite de ce choix.
Applause
Applaudissements
Aplausos
LE PRESIDENT: Nous passons maintenant à la suite du point 4 de l'ordre du jour, intitulé: Situation de l'alimentation et de l'agriculture en 1986. Les délégués quiont demandé de prendre la parole aujourd'hui sont les suivants: Tunisie, Ouganda, République fédérale d'Allemagne, Australie, Arabie Saoudite, Philippines, Bangladesh, Canada, Iraq, Tanzanie, Sénégal, Bulgarie, Yougoslavie, Royaume-Uni, CEE, Malaisie, Autriche, Egypte, Etats-Unis d'Amérique, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Inde, Argentine, Libéria; et j'avais recueilli hier la proposition d'un observateur: Alliance coopérative internationale.
Je suggère dans toute la mesure possible aux honorables délégués qu'ils veuillent bien tenir compte du fait que nous avons deux heures et demie à trois heures pour 26 interventions; je leur demande d'être aussi concis que possible.
Mohammed ABDELHADI (Tunisie): Je vais essayer d'être bref, conformément à votre recommandation, je voudrais pour commencer, au nom de la délégation tunisienne, remercier M. Islam pour l'excellente présentation qu'il nous a faite hier sur un sujet très important et que nous avons l'habitude de passer en revue au sein du Conseil; je le remercie également des documents intéressants soumis à notre examen.
Nous avons également écouté hier avec beaucoup d'attention l'importante déclaration du Directeur général de la FAO, où il a passé en revue tous les problèmes et préoccupations du moment, ainsi que la situation mondiale de l'alimentation et de l'agriculture. Ma délégation a par ailleurs apprécié à sa juste valeur les efforts intenses du Directeur général durant les dernières années pour améliorer d'une façon efficace la gestion et le fonctionnement de l'Organisation, tels la compression dans une proportion des frais de personnel ou des coûts administratifs, et l'affectation de davantage de ressources aux programmes de terrain.
La délégation tunisienne a étudié soigneusement les documents qui sont soumis à notre examen, et voudrait faire quelques brefs commentaires sur un certain nombre d'éléments et formuler quelques observations.
En ce qui concerne la situation alimentaire en général, nous constatons qu'elle continue d'être marquée par un contexte difficile et défavorable; le chômage persiste ainsi que les déficits budgétaires dans de nombreux pays; l'endettement devient pour de nombreux pays du tiers monde insupportable, à tel point que le service de la dette absorbe une proportion importante des revenus de l'exportation. Dans ce contexte, nous constatons toujours la persistance du paradoxe d'une abondance alimentaire dans certains pays et d'une pénurie dans d'autres, qui se trouvent quasiment dans l'incapacité d'acheter, faute de ressources financières.
Le paragraphe 15 du document traduit, comme l'a souligné hier le représentant du Congo, une note quelque peu pessimiste, puisqu'il est mentionné que les premières estimations pour 1986 ne sont guère encourageantes pour la plupart des pays en développement. La baisse du prix des produits de base va se poursuivre et entraîner, selon le FMI, une détérioration de 12 pour cent de leurs termes de l'échange; cette situation influera certainement, à notre avis, sur les recettes d'exportations qui vont diminuer. Mais ceci ne nous empêche pas de constater une amélioration globale dans la situation alimentaire en Afrique en 1986. En effet, le nombre des pays où sévissait la famine a
notablement diminué, et la production agricole a enregistré dans de nombreux pays, après les années de vaches maigres, une augmentation sensible. C'est pour nous un motif de satisfaction que de constater que la conjugaison des efforts â l'échelle nationale et internationale-et notamment les diverses actions de la FAO-a commencé à produire ses effets. Il n'en demeure pas moins que, si certains pays africains-et ceci a été souligné par le Directeur général dans sa déclaration d'hier-ont pu réaliser des excédents-céréaliers, ils n'ont pu les écouler faute de marchés. Ces excédents auraient pu être utilisés pour approvisionner des pays déficitaires. A cet égard, la délégation tunisienne est heureuse d'appuyer la suggestion du Directeur général, qui a appelé les pays donateurs à faire un effort pour acheter certains de ces excédents au profit de pays dans le besoin.
Dans le cadre des informations très utiles sur la situation alimentaire mondiale, le document CL 90/2 nous a permis de passer en revue cette situation, région par région, et même sous-région par sous-région; c'est une bonne initiative que le Conseil devrait encourager.
Concernant la région à laquelle appartient mon pays, â savoir l'Afrique du Nord, le paragraphe 123 du document a signalé de bonnes perspectives pour les récoltes en 1986, au moins pour une bonne partie de la sous-région. Toutefois, en ce qui concerne la Tunisie, compte tenu de facteurs climatiques défavorables, la production céréalière en 1986 a été très inférieure à celle enregistrée en 1985, durant laquelle nous avons pu obtenir une production céréalière globale record. Je voudrais saisir cette occasion pour évoquer très brièvement notre stratégie agricole qui a conféré à l'agriculture une priorité absolue. Cette stratégie est basée sur les principes suivants:
Allocation de près de 20 pour cent des investissements au secteur agricole; encouragement des investissements dans l'agriculture par la promulgation du code des investissements agricoles qui accorde des avantages financiers et fiscaux spécifiques; création d'un environnement favorable au développement agricole, par exemple, amélioration des prix à la production, un meilleur approvisionnement en intrants; meilleures conditions d'écoulement des produits; politique de crédits à des conditions de faveur; renforcement des services de recherche et de vulgarisation agricoles; établissement de priorités dans la politique de développement de la production agricole; une mention particulière est accordée aux produits stratégiques, plus particulièrement aux céréales, et à cet égard, avec le concours de la FAO, au travers d'un projet de coopération technique TCP, un plan de développement du secteur céréalier est sur le point d'être achevé; ce plan a permis d'identifier toutes les potentialités, ainsi que les mesures d'accompagnement nécessaires à la mobilisation des ressources en faveur de ce secteur. Il est à espérer que ces mesures, d'ordre institutionnel, juridique, financier et économique, permettront à la Tunisie d'aspirer à une amélioration tangible de sa production céréalière et permettront notamment d'assurer sa sécurité alimentaire.
Le paragraphe 123 m'a amené à parler brièvement de notre stratégie agricole; je ne voudrais pas laisser échapper la possibilité d'évoquer un événement qui a d'ailleurs été mis en relief dans le document ainsi que dans la déclaration du Directeur général, compte tenu de son importance. Il s'agit du programme de redressement de l'économie africaine 1986-90 adopté par la session extraordinaire de l'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies au mois de mai dernier. Ce programme constitue un haut lieu, un des faits marquants de cette année, compte tenu du consensus qui s'est dégagé en faveur de l'Afrique, et notamment du fait que l'agriculture africaine a été reconnue par la communauté internationale comme étant le secteur prioritaire dans tout effort de développement économique du continent.
Les Ministres africains réunis à Yamoussoukro lors de la Conférence régionale de la FAO au mois de septembre dernier ont unanimement reconnu le mérite et les efforts de la FAO, de son Directeur général, pour avoir contribué efficacement à l'élaboration de ce programme dont la Conférence régionale constitue à nos yeux la première initiative de sa mise en oeuvre.
Dans le même ordre d'idée, la délégation tunisienne a exprimé sa reconnaissance pour les efforts considérables que la FAO ne cesse de consentir à l'Afrique. Parmi ces efforts couronnés de succès, on peut citer la campagne de lutte antiacridienne, menée avec énergie, avec le concours de plusieurs pays donateurs que je voudrais ici saluer. Ces efforts et ces actions de la FAO sur le terrain illustrent à notre sens l'efficacité du rôle de l'Organisation dans des domaines aussi importants que la préservation et la protection des récoltes dans des pays qui en ont grandement besoin.
Il s'agit là de quelques brefs commentaires et de quelques observations que les documents CL 90/2 et CL 90/2 Sup. 1 ont suscités à ma délégation.
Augustine Κ. OSUBAN (Uganda): Mr Chairman, my delegation is delighted to see you again chairing this Session. I extend our compliments to the members of your bureau who have been elected to assist you.
On behalf of my delegation and on my own behalf I wish to extend my congratulations to the Director-General for his comprehensive appraisal of the world food and agriculture situation in his opening statement, and to Professor Islam for his excellent introduction of this agenda item.
Going through the documents before us, it is clear that world trade in agriculture has stagnated; but the situation in developing countries is more pathetic. In these countries the situation has greatly deteriorated owing to the continuing decline in export prices of their commodities and the protectionist policies of several developed countries, severely restricting possibilities of generating export earnings. In addition, in many cases large burden of debt and debt servicing charges and declines in official external assistance have also greatly contributed to the worsening economic situation of many developing countries.
We learn from the documents before us that preliminary estimates for 1986 indicate a minor increase in world agriculture production of 0.8 percent as a net result of 1.5 percent growth in food production. While food output growth in developing countries in 1986 is reported to be of the order of 3. 3 percent, the growth in Africa is reported to be only 1. 1 percent compared to the 7 percent increase achieved in 1985. This is a very disheartening situation given the fact that the region's rapid population rate of growth is more than 3 percent a year and is coupled with a rapid urbanization rate.
Political awareness and concern for the disturbing, deterioration in the performance of the agricultural sector in Africa has been at the focus of the African leaders. The Lagos Plan of Action (1980), the Harare Declaration (1984) and the Addis Ababa Declaration last year, which was a precursor to the UN Programme of Action for African Recovery and Development, are all clear manifestations of the commitment of the African leaders to prevent the deteriorating food situation from getting worse. A major component of this UN Action Programme calls for internal reforms to guarantee priority to agriculture. Since then, many countries on the continent have introduced policy reforms which have embodied those essential reforms.
The FAO study "African Agriculture: The Next 25 Years" presented to the FAO Regional Conference for Africa, September 1986 gave a clear analysis of the causes of retarded agricultural growth. We shall not dwell on it at this point, as the Council will have an opportunity to discuss it under Agenda item 8, 2. Nevertheless, we would like here to reiterate our endorsement of the four-point programme of action for Africa's agricultural progress as proposed by FAO (CL 90/2 Sup. 1 para. 28).
Mr Chairman, we welcome the second replenishment of IFAD. Although the target has fallen short of what was required, we feel it is a very positive trend.
Regarding fertilizers we believe that fertilizers along with improved seeds and water are indispensable inputs in bringing about increased productivity and food production to enable countries to become more food self-reliant. We therefore welcome this 'temporary' fall in prices of fertilizers, we hope prices will not go up in symphathy with oil prices which will be now going up any moment.
The resurgence of locusts and grasshoppers in West Africa and of migrating locusts of all species in Africa are a great concern at a time when we are struggling to become food self-reliant. We welcome the establishment of the Emergency Centre for Locust Operations created to help mobilize funds and equipment and coordinate action. We thank FAO and the international community for assistance in effecting control campaigns. We request that as the emergency phase is tapering off, mechanisms should be worked out to assist national and regional plant protection Organisations both financially and materially to enable them to cope with future invasions of this nature. This will ensure a more lasting solution. In this connection the Ugandan Delegation would like to propose that the Council pass a resolution concerning those matters.
Regarding forestry in developing countries the fact that fuel wood accounted for more than 66 percent of the total energy consumption in a sample of 24 tropical countries, is an indication of the need to pay more attention to forestry conservation and afforestation programmes. There is also a need to explore other sources of renewable energy.
We are encouraged to note that there is an increasing tendency in developing countries to expand the manufacture of processed products such as paper, sawnwood and plywood, instead of transporting of unprocessed tropical logs for export.
Finally, I would like to thank the FAO for the work it is doing to promote increased food production and the international community for the assistance they have offered in implementing Africa's Priority Programme for Economic Recovery and Development.
Joachim WINKEL (Germany, Federal Republic of): My delegation welcomes the presentation of this year's Report on the State of Food and Agriculture, document CL 90/2 which contains in a clear form a wealth of data and facts. As last year the report starts with an examination of the current world economic situation, paras. 1 to 23·
We especially welcome the fact that growth in food production in the developing regions in 1985 was even more spread than in previous years, para. 24·
In contrast to paras 33 and 34 of the document CL 90/2, the Federal Republic of Germany during the previous years increased the share of official commitments of external assistance to agriculture, which now amounts to more than 30 percent of our total economic cooperation with developing countries.
With regard to the international agricultural trade, paras. 36 to 42, we welcome the results of the Ministerial Meeting at Punta del Este for the preparation of the forthcoming GATT negotiations. Moreover, agricultural imports of my country from developing countries increased at substantial growth rates during previous years.
In Chaper D, "Recent Developments in Fisheries and Forestry" we would have welcomed some remarks on the increasing role of aquaculture in securing nutrition for a growing population.
We share the views expressed in paras. 123-127 of the document CL 90/2. In this regard we welcome the improvements in the African situation, especially the policy reforms as described in paras. 105-121. We look forward to the publication of the up-to-date situation report on Africa mentioned in para. 127. In this connection, allow me to stress that we would welcome a new edition of FAO's publication "African Agriculture: The Next 25 Years", which had been published on the occasion of the last Regional Conference for Africa.
I refer to the representative of the Commission of the European Economic Community who will express the Community's view with regard to paras. 192-195.
We gladly notice that according to para 4 of document CL 90/2-Sup. 1, inflation rates continue to recede and nominal interest rates are at their lowest level since the early 1980's.
The documents stressed to a large extent the problem of indebtedness of developing countries. The Federal Republic of Germany is making efforts to ease the difficulties which developing countries have arising out of their very high debt servicing. Recently my country, in fact, has written off a total of DM 4.2 billion of debt coming from official development cooperation to a number of developing countries with a low gross national product. With this very high amount, allow me to say that the Federal Republic of Germany is on top of all developed countries.
My delegation shares the view expressed in the Report that world economic difficulties have not yet been eliminated. Many world economic indicators, however, meanwhile show a vigorous upward trend, particularly in favour of developing countries. We welcome these signals and we are convinced that the international community can tackle now, with greater confidence, the tasks than it could last year.
LE PRESIDENT: Je donnerai la parole au représentant de la CEE, afin qu'il puisse parler au sujet du paragraphe 95, lorsque nous aurons épuisé la liste des Membres du Conseil. Je donne maintenant la parole au délégué de l'Australie.
David Lawrence COUTTS (Australia): I would like to say that Australia finds the Report on the State of Food and Agriculture a very useful document for the information it provides and we are thinking carefully about the issues it raises and the policies that will be needed to address them.
I was interested to note the Director-General's remarks yesterday about the problems which Third World producers are facing in the present situation of world surpluses of some major agricultural products, especially grains. This is a problem which is particularly difficult also for countrieslike Australia which is a low cost producer of those products and the income of our farmers has dropped dramatically this year as a result of low world market prices for these products.
Australia feels very strongly that an essential part of any solution to the problems of agricultural development in developing countries is effective reform of the world market system for agricultural products. The key factor in this regard is the need to address the role played by domestic policies in major producing and consuming countries and to create a situation where world prices are more responsive to the underlying forces of supply and demand. Countries which have a comparative
advantage In producing these products can expect to sell their products under fairer conditions than at the present time.
In this context, I would like to emphasise the importance, in our view, of the outcome of the GATT meeting at Punta del Este in September 1986 to launch the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations-As the Director-General pointed out yesterday, and a number of other speakers have indicated, this MTN round is particularly significant in that the Contracting Parties have agreed, for the first time, to hold substantive negotiations on agriculture. There has been agreement to look at the real causes of the agricultural trade problem by holding substantive negotiations on all direct and indirect subsidies and other measures affecting agricultural production and trade.
The Australian Government has already devoted considerable effort to the process of focussing attention on the problems caused by policies followed in some major producting and consuming countries and to the long and undoubtedly arduous process of achieving necessary reforms. There have been intense and continuing representations and dialogue for some time, both within GATT and directly with key producing and consuming nations. It is pleasing to note that there are fundamental pressures in all these countries for change and that we may hope that this will lead to real efforts to wind back the use of subsidies that distort agricultural production and trade.
Australia has been very active in this regard and played a key role in the establishment of the Cairns group of fair traders. This particular initiative played an important role in the Punta del Este meeting and the coalition of interests represented by this group (comprising both developed and developing countries) should continue to be an active force as the negotiations get under way in earnest. In particular, this group has provided a focus for countries which are competitive producers and traders of agricultural products to bring pressure to bear on the countries whose domestic policies have been largely responsible for the current surplus problem, or which need to consider some opening up of their markets for imports of agricultural products, namely the United States, the EEC and Japan.
Australia acknowledges that the agreement in Uruguay is only the beginning and that real changes may take some time to achieve. As indicated earlier, we feel that achieving meaningful reforms must be tackled in a multilateral framework and I am heartened to hear the widespread conviction, as expressed by many speakers at this meeting, that the impetus of these negotiations must be maintained.
The process of agricultural trade liberalization will not be painless, for developing countries as much as for developed countries, and we trust that these expressions of support will be carried through to the multilateral trade negotiations themselves. I would note in passing, that document CL 90/2 does not accurately summarize the results of the Punta del Este meeting, referred to in paragraph 40. This is understandably because it was drafted, I presume, before that meeting but I think It is important that the report of this session of the Council makes appropriate reference to the very significant initiatives agreed at that meeting.
I was also pleased to note, in the Director-General's speech, that FAO will be doing what it can to assist the GATT negotiations to be successful in relation to agriculture by providing assistance in the form of information and statistics. Australia feels strongly that multilateral institutions, such as FAO, must play a vital part in solving these, problems and to do this they must be as efficient and flexible as possible in their operations. In this context I would like to mention a general principle that Australia feels is most important; namely that Heads of major international and national organizations including UN Specialized Agencies be limited to a maximum of two terms in office. Australia is firmly committed to the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies, including FAO. Where appropriate, however, we have been critical of inefficiency and ineffectiveness. We have consistently argued the need for periodic re-invigoration of the UN family. The central element of this re-invigoration must be leadership. Large Institutions benefit from re-assessment and periodic injections of enthusiasm and new ideas and need dynamism in its senior management and regular changes in leadership to combat rigidity and encourage leaders to operate within a corporate team and make organizations more responsive to current needs. Australia supports the two-term principle in a wide variety of situations and takes the view that the two-term principle is as applicable to FAO as to other institutions.
Lastly, I would like to emphasize that we should not forget the area of fisheries when considering the question of achieving higher nutrition standards in developing countries. Fisheries are referred to in paragraphs 72 to 79 of document CL 90/2 and I would underline that development of fisheries, particularly in the area of aquaculture, should be taken into account in any discussion of the world food situation. In this way FAO's own assessment (made at the World Conference on Fisheries and Management and Development in 1984) of the contribution of fisheries to food supplies and nutritional standards would find greater acceptance by Member countries, particularly those where aquaculture offers opportunities for alternative land use.
LE PRESIDENT: Je remercie le délégué de l'Australie de sa communication. Je me permettrai cependant de noter que, dans sa déclaration, il a abordé une question qui ne figure pas à l'ordre du jour du Conseil, à savoir les conditions de réélection du Directeur général, conditions établies par l'Acte constitutif de notre Organisation. Si un débat doit s'Ouvrir sur ce point précis, je ne vois pas comment on pourra insérer cette discussion dans le rapport du Conseil. Nous ne pouvons pas faire état de ce genre de vues-qui ne peuvent être qu'informelles-dans le rapport du Conseil. La seule façon d'aborder cette question, c'était de l'inscrire à l'ordre du jour du Conseil qui a été adopté hier.
José Ramón LOPEZ-PORTILLO ROMANO (México): No quise interrumpir al distinguido delegado de Australia cuando introdujo un tema que no estaba en el orden del día. Este tipo de actos, señor Presidente, creo que dificultan los trabajos de un Consejo que no está deliberando sobre cuestiones que se tratarán mucho más adelante, el próximo año. No comamos ansias, ya que esto solamente complica nuestros trabajos, esto es irregular y, como bien ha señalado usted, señor Presidente, no se puede incluir en nuestros trabajos. No provoquemos, facilitemos, y si tanto se respeta y se quiere en estos organismos internacionales, como se ha declarado una y otra vez, una solución para los problemas de la humanidad, no metamos asuntos que solamente vienen a deteriorar la atmósfera, ya difícil, por las graves implicaciones financieras que ahora enfrentamos. Esperamos cordialidad de parte de todos los miembros, sensatez y, sobre todo, señor Presidente, apoyamos su declaración y esperamos que no se nos complique la vida en el futuro inmediato.
Jacques POSIER (France): La délégation française considère qu'il n'y a pas lieu à débattre de cette initiative et ceci pour les raisons suivantes:
1) Cette question n'est pas à l'ordre du jour de cette session du Conseil;
2) Les statuts de la FAO ne prévoient pas la limitation du nombre des mandats du Directeur général à deux. Si le Conseil se prononçait en faveur de cette limitation, cela aboutirait à procéder à une modification des statuts de l'Organisation et le Conseil n'est pas compétent pour le faire.
3) Je considère que cette initiative est inopportune et ferait courir le risque d'introduire dans nos débats des éléments polémiques inutiles, déplaisants et déplacés alors que notre attention et nos travaux devraient être exclusivement consacrés à la solution des graves problèmes, particulièrement ceux financiers, auxquels l'Organisation doit faire face.
Je me borne à mettre en avant des données touchant à cette question de procédure et à cette question statutaire ainsi qu'à des considérations d'opportunité car je voudrais être logique avec moi-même en refusant de débattre sur le fond d'un problème dont je considère que nous n'avons pas à discuter.
Joseph TCHICAYA (Congo): Après votre intervention, je pensais ne plus pouvoir prendre la parole sur ce sujet. Je crois que nous avons reçu un ordre du jour suffisamment lourd pour que notre temps puisse être consacré essentiellement à résoudre les problèmes qui nous sont posés. Je crois moi aussi que la déclaration faite par le délégué de l'Australie sur la durée du mandat des chefs des agences des Nations Unies et, tout particulièrement pour ce qui concerne la FAO, est inopportune.
Elle est inopportune parce que nous pensons qu'il s'agit là d'un point très important qui doit être débattu au niveau de nos gouvernements et que nous aurions dû avant de nous présenter ici à cette session recevoir des instructions de la part de notre gouvernement. Or, en l'absence de ces instructions, nous ne voyons pas comment nous pourrions débattre d'une question aussi importante et je crois que vous avez bien fait de vouloir tirer au clair cette question en demandant à ce que rien ne figure dans notre rapport sur ce sujet.
Point of order
Point d'ordre
Punto de orden
Sra. Mercedes FERMIN COMEZ (Venezuela): Simplemente voy a decir que ésta es una moción de orden; yo no creo que puede haber lugar siquiera para comenzar a intervenir sobre el contenido de la sugerencia del delegado de Australia. Los oradores que me han precedido en el uso de la palabra están perfectamente de acuerdo con la opinión de Francia, pienso que no debe haber lugar ni siquiera para continuar interviniendo en el asunto y que, por consiguiente, el señor Presidente con todo respeto debe declarar eso fuera de orden puesto que no está en la agenda. Es mi proposición.
LE PRESIDENT: D'autres délégués désirent prendre la parole. La proposition de point d'ordre tend à ce que l'on n'aborde pas cette question et je voudrais par principe soumettre ce point d'ordre â l'analyse de nos amis du Conseil. Est-ce que le Conseil est d'accord pour considérer ce point est un point d'ordre et que cette question ne peut être évoquée devant le Conseil. Par conséquent si cette question n'est pas évoquée, elle ne figurera pas dans le rapport du Comité du Conseil et je souhaite vivement, compte tenu de la complexité de nos travaux et de leur importance pour la vie de l'Organisation et de notre mission à accomplir ici, que notre tâche soit simplifiée et qu'elle se fasse dans la sérénité et que la sérénité domine les débats afin de nous permettre d'aboutir à un consensus. Nous avons charge d'âmes et une mission â poursuivre.
K. Robin HIGHAM (Canada): Your last comments give me some difficulty because ray instructions from Ottawa are very clear on this point: that is I have very clear instructions that at some time during the Council meeting the Canadian delegation should endorse the two term principle as well. Where do you think it would be best for us to make that declaration?
LE PRESIDENT: Nous vous remercions de votre intervention. Il y a une question de procédure légale; nous sommes une organisation qui comporte des règlements intérieurs et des actes constitutifs. Tout peut être présenté sous la seule réserve que cela soit dans le respect de la procédure et du règlement. Je ne suis pas disponible pour travailler dans des conditions qui ne respectent pas la réglementation et le règlement de la FAO, de sorte que, si, avec vos conseillers juridiques, vous avez une formulation conforme avec le règlement de la FAO, il vous appartient de trouver une formulation qui aille dans le sens du règlement de la FAO.
Je reviens au point d'ordre. Le Conseil a retenu le point d'ordre en question. Je souhaite encore une fois vivement que nous puissions avancer dans les travaux. Une tâche ardue nous attend, des problèmes financiers graves aussi. Je souhaite vivement que nous puissions, en dehors de toute pensée électorale, travailler pour le bien de l'Organisation et j'émets le voeu que tous les membres du Conseil ici présents soient conscients de leurs responsabilités et qu'ils puissent aider le Conseil à préparer un avenir financièrement stable, pour l'Organisation.
David Lawrence COUTTS (Australia): I just wanted some clarification. I raised a matter in my intervention, as I was instructed to do. That particular intervention merely raised a point that Australia still feels strongly about in the context of how international organizations such as FAO may play a part in the very serious problems of food and agriculture facing us. Now, as I understand it, you are saying that it is ruled out of order, that intervention can be referred to in any way so that other delegations may raise that matter. Now I am quite new to FAO and I am not familiar with the legal aspects, but delegations raise all sorts of issues, many of which we may not agree with, and I find it a little puzzling that a point of that nature can be ruled out of order only in the sense of a general intervention and nothing else, and I would like some clarification please.
Ronald F. R. DEARE (United Kingdom): I share some of the puzzlement of ray colleague from Australia because my understanding is that he was not suggesting that the question he raised should be debated. He simply made a statement on behalf of his authorities of an opinion which they held. I gather that the delegate of Canada would wish to do the same thing, and I might add that we would wish to touch on the subject, but simply in a factual way in our statement, not to introduce it for debate under this item. We accept that it is not a subject for debate under this item, but we are representatives of sovereign countries and I assume that we are free to make our statement and have it recorded in the report of the Council in the same way as any other statements are recorded. So I would appreciate your guidance on that point.
LE PRESIDENT: Je crois que nous avons pris note de ce qui vient d'être dit. Il est normal que chaque gouvernement puisse, et c'est tout à fait son rôle, faire état de son point de vue sur toute question. Je remercie le délégué du Royaume-Uni ainsi que ceux du Canada et de l'Australie pour avoir informé le Conseil sur un point de vue, un point précis. La seule chose qui me gêne personnellement c'est que ce point ne figurant pas dans l'ordre du jour, le rapport du Conseil doit se limiter à l'ordre du jour. Si la question avait été posée hier au moment de l'adoption, on aurait vu dans quelle mesure les procédures auraient autorisé l'ouverture d'un tel débat de l'ordre du jour. Comme cela n'a pas été fait, nous ne pouvons noter le point de vue très légitime de pays tels que le Royaume-Uni, le Canada et l'Australie. Nous ne pouvons avoir un débat sur une question qui n'est pas à l'ordre du jour. Nous en prenons note mais elle ne peut pas faire l'objet d'un débat et être insérée. De mon point de vue, il faut poser la question au conseil juridique si elle va figurer dans le rapport de notre Conseil du fait qu'elle ne figure pas à l'ordre du jour.
LE DIRECTEUR GENERAL: Je n'ai pas à intervenir mais plusieurs délégués ont été empêchés de le faire en raison de ces interventions de dernière minute. Je sais que ce n'est pas à l'ordre du jour, mais vous avez vous-même vu la liste des délégués qui désireraient peut-être exprimer le même avis ou un avis contraire à celui du Canada, du Royaume-Uni et de l'Australie. Je fais ces remarques mais je suis froid dans cette affaire, je remarque seulement.
Guillermo Enrique GONZALEZ (Argentina): Mi delegación había solicitado la palabra sobre el punto de orden que había presentado la Embajadora de Venezuela. Consideramos que ése era el procedimiento más adecuado frente a un comentario que mi delegación, con todo respeto, considera inadecuado, inapropiado, para la discusión del tema 4 de nuestra agenda. En todo caso nos encontramos ahora en una situación paradójica porque si aquellas delegaciones que no coincidimos con esas tres representaciones que nos han hecho conocer su parecer en la mañana de hoy sobre un tema que no hace a la cuestión que estamos debatiendo, nos encontraríamos en el Comité de Redacción y posteriormente en este plenario con una gran duda: esas delegaciones han hecho, efectivamente, sus declaraciones; otras delegaciones no han expresado un punto de vista contrario y entonces cuando la Secretaría deba informar cuántas delegaciones hablaron a favor y cuántas lo hicieron en contra nos encontraremos en que un grupo mayoritario de delegaciones habló sobre este tema que está fuera de orden; por lo tanto, señor Presidente, con todo respeto, yo creo que debemos volver a la moción de orden de Venezuela en el sentido de declarar fuera de orden, esta cuestión, de lo contrario, comenzaremos un nuevo debate en el que estoy seguro todos los miembros de este Consejo vamos a referirnos con toda tranquilidad y con la extensión que se quiera a este tema.
Igor KIPMAN (Brazil): Very briefly, I would like to say that my delegation endorses the preposition made by the delegate of Venezuela and which was supported by Argentina.
Chavaly SRINIVASA SASTRY (India): Like the delegate of Australia, I am also a first-timer to the FAO Council. I have four submissions to make.
As far as my comprehension would seem to guide me, the suggestion that has been made by the delegate of Australia has no direct or cognate relationship with the agenda item which the Council is now discussing, which is entitled "State of Food and Agriculture 1986".
The second submission which I would make is that the procedure, discussions, deliberations, resolutions and decisions of the FAO and its bodies are governed by well laid out rules, procedures and conventions and we have to respect these rules and conventions when we make any suggestions or proposals which have some significant impact on the functioning of the Organization.
Thirdly, should you at this time make a departure from the well-established procedures, with due respect to you I would submit that it would be open to all of us during the rest of the Council Session to raise a number of issues which might or might not be directly related to the subjects which are carefully chosen to be placed on the agenda and in support of which elaborate documentation has been tabled.
I would therefore submit with due respect that I agree entirely with the point of view very cogently and legitimately argued by the delegate of France and I would submit that the proposal by Australia be ruled out of order.
LE PRESIDENT: Nous avons une proposition de point d'ordre. Le point d'ordre est le suivant: on nous propose de ne pas discuter de cette question dans le Conseil. Je pose la question au Conseil: est-ce que cette motion présentée par le Venezuela est retenue ou non? Quels sont ceux qui sont contre? Ceux qui sont pour la motion d'ordre? Je répète, ceux qui sont en faveur de la motion d'ordre? Je considère que le Conseil a admis à la majorité la motion présentée par le Venezuela.
K. Robin HIGHAM (Canada): I believe two delegates are permitted according to the text of the Organization to speak against a proposition before it is voted on. We have already cast the vote. My point is that you should have invited delegates to speak for and against the proposal before It was voted on.
LE PRESIDENT: J'aimerais avoir l'avis du Conseil juridique qui doit nous éclairer: Est-ce qu'un point d'ordre doit donner lieu au préalable à un débat?
LEGAL COUNSEL: The relevant rule on the question of a point of order is Rule XII paragraph 20 of the General Rules of the Organization, and I will read it slowly: "During the discussion of any matter, a delegate or representative may rise to a point of order and the point of order shall be immediately decided by the Chairman."
That is the first sentence, and it is my understanding that the Chairman took a decision. Rule XII 20 continues as follows: "A delegate or representative may appeal against the ruling of the Chairman, in which event the appeal shall inmmediately be put to the vote and the Chairman's ruling shall stand unless overruled by a majority of the votes cast. A delegate or representative rising to a point of order may not speak on the substance of the matter under discussion. "
My interpretation is that the Chairman of the Council ruled that he considered that the subject that had been raised was out of order. Some delegates, including I believe the delegate of Australia, objected to this ruling. A vote was then taken and the ruling of the Chairman was upheld. Therefore I think that is where the matter ends.
K. Robin HIGHAM (Canada): I am sorry to pursue this so far but could I ask for clarification. Have we a ruling that the subject is out of order for the whole Council Session or for the debate under this agenda item, because we have two agenda items where it would seem to me to be most appropriate: 16.1, appointment of the Director-General, and 19, Any other Business. I think your ruling, if I understand it correctly, is that we are out of order for this agenda item, but I would appreciate your clarification.
LEGAL COUNSEL: The basic ruling was clearly that the matter was out of order under this particular agenda item. But it is also implicit that it was out of order because it was a matter that was not on the agenda. If the matter is to be added to the agenda there is a perfectly clear rule, under Rule XXV, paragraph 7 (c) the Council may in the course of its session include a new item by a vote of two thirds of its membership. If the delegate of Canada, or any other delegate concerned, wishes to raise the matter again under "Any other Business" the question will have to be decided at that time, and may or may not be decided in exactly the same way. However, I should make one specific observation on the item "Any other Business". In view of the fact that there is a very clear rule governing the addition of items in the course of a Council Session, it is equally clear that "Any other Business" is not a "hold-all" under which a delegate may raise any particular item that comes to mind. It is generally used for formalities such as votes of thanks, or expressions of sympathy to a country which has suffered some natural disaster. It is not an item under which Members of the Council may raise entirely new and eminently substantive items.
Gonzalo BULA HOYOS (Colombia): Señor Presidente, la delegación de Colombia estaba en primer lugar entre la lista de oradores que usted leyó. Comprendemos muy bien que el curso del debate no le haya podido permitir a usted concedernos la palabra, pero no podemos permanecer en silencio porque consideramos inoportuno y desafortunado el hecho de que, durante la discusión de un tema que interesa esencialmente al Tercer Mundo, se haya provocado discordia, con intenciones que preferimos no calificar.
El delegado de Australia se refirió a la eficiencia y capacidad de los jefes de los organismos internacionales. Nosotros no podemos aceptar esa insinuación sibilina. El Gobierno de Colombia se ha reiterado una vez más en la admiración que siente por la excelente administración del Doctor Edouard Saouma como Director General de la FAO por la inteligencia, la capacidad y la consagración con que él cumple sus altas responsabilidades.
Quisiéramos rogarles a los colegas de Australia, Canadá y Reino Unido, que no nos sigan perturbando, que nos permitan continuar la discusión de este tema.
Afif Y. BUKHARI (Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of) (original language Arabic): I have listened to this lengthy discussion with great patience. I should like to say that my delegation feels a certain bitterness and sadness at what the Delegate of Australia has just said. He knows very well that his statement was going to lead to the atmosphere we have now, an atmosphere which we should avoid in order to maintain the respect due to our Council. We have come here to consider and to face very serious responsibilities, responsabilities which have enormous repercussions particularly on the
Situation of developing countries. Therefore it seems to us that this discussion is rather out of place. In fact, what was said by our colleague has no bearing on any agenda item. We consider that the statement tends to disrupt the smooth running of our Council and distracts its attention from the acute and major problems which we have to face.
Our delegation categorically rejects discussion on this matter under this agenda item (or under any other item) and we believe that the very fact it has been raised, is out of order. We cannot accept it. However, we must say that we support all the proposals which have been made particularly those put forward by France and Venezuela.
Finally, I should like to say that we cannot forget the great achievements of the Director-General, Dr. Saouma, which have been of particular benefit to developing countries and have provided them with the necessary aid for their agricultural development. We should also not forget the achievements within the administration itself and the smooth running of the Organization. We owe him a great deal of respect and admiration. I believe that our Council should have made a statement thanking the Director-General for these achievements instead of making a statement which raises unnecessary problems from all points of view.
I would like to finish with this item as soon as possible and continue to deal with the items which are on our agenda.
Horacio, CARANDANG (Philipines): I should like to congratulate you, Mr Chairman on the way you have handled this matter. I think your decision is, just. As any civilized gathering of human beings we are governed by rules, which are very clear. If it is not an agenda item we cannot discuss it. It takes thirty days before anybody can request the Director-General to circulate the matter, or, during the Session one needs a two-thirds vote in order to insert an agenda item. This has not been complied with so the matter cannot be discussed. I concur with your decision. I congratulate you on your wisdom and precision, and do not think the item can be included in the report.
LE PRESIDENT: Je vois que d'autres délégués demandent à prendre la parole; puis-je leur demander de m'autoriser à considérer que ce point d'ordre soulevé a été résolu, car nous devons avancer dans l'examen du point 4. En effet, notre ordre du jour est chargé; je voudrais que nous passions au point 4, ne serait-ce que pour pouvoir parler de la crise alimentaire et des points soumis à notre point du jour.
Leopoldo ARIZA HIDALGO (Cuba): Señor Presidente, discúlpeme por utilizar la moción de orden, pero considero que debo usarla porque de otra manera usted me iba a cerrar el punto. Ahora, yo quiero expresar no sólo la sorpresa porque estamos perdiendo un tiempo necesario y precioso para la discusión de lo que estábamos realmente profundizando, sino también quiero expresar que, si hay instrucciones de gobierno,-todos los que estamos aquí sentados tenemos instrucciones de gobierno-, yo también tengo instrucciones de gobierno para no excluir la posibilidad de reelección del Director General y puede pasar también que en estos momentos en que las dificultades financieras hacen necesario tener al frente a una personalidad decidida, yo también puedo dar argumentos y puedo hablar también de que si la FAO no ha hecho más es por los mecanismos financieros que le han restado y porque estamos sometidos a un crecimiento cero desde hace siete años. Podíamos hablar de esto mucho; por lo tanto, yo le pido disculpas, pero quería expresar que no debemos entrar en esta discusión, pero que no se nos ponga como condición el que durante el Consejo no lo podamos hacer, porque nosotros tenemos instrucciones de hacerlo también.
Ivan TONEV (Bulgaria): Probably this is an explanation after the vote, however I shall be very brief. My delegation supported the motion raised by the delegate of Venezuela and also the explanations given by the delegates of France, Colombia and others.
Humberto CARRION M. (Nicaragua): Lamento intervenir, señor Presidente, puesto que comparto la opinión de que tal vez tomamos mucho tiempo en esta cuestión que ha perturbado nuestros trabajos de esta mañana. Sin embargo, como usted recordará, Nicaragua estaba también en la lista de oradores original que usted tenía antes de que Venezuela hiciera el punto de orden sobre un punto de orden anterior. Ese punto había sido apoyado por Argentina, que fue ya votado con el resultado que ya conocen. No obstante, yo no podía pasar como delegado de Nicaragua esta oportunidad dado que aquí, y con todo respeto debo mencionarlo, tres delegados de países desarrollados prácticamente han introducido un tema provocatorio en este Consejo que no estaba relacionado con el tema 4 del documento 2 del trabajo de este Consejo.
Deseo simplemente mencionar lo que ya he hecho, digamos, en grupos regionales y en el grupo de los 77. Nicaragua, nuestras más altas autoridades, han dado ya un apoyo específico y oficial al señor Director General Edouard Saouma para su reelección para un tercer mandato como Director de esta Organización. Por lo tanto es una obligación de parte mía como representante de mi país reconocer la autoridad que tiene el Director General en cuanto a la conducción que ha tenido, dinámica, sabia y efectiva.
En este sentido deseo reiterar que lamento haber tenido que prolongar las deliberaciones, pero era para mí un deber motivado por las intervenciones que han hecho representantes de países amigos y colegas de trabajo.
Danilo VUJICIC (Yugoslavia): I have tried a few times to get the floor to discuss the matter which has been raised, but I was not successful in catching your eye. I had thought that by the solution of the point of order we could settle the matter, but since the discussion has continued on the subject I should like also to express the surprise of my delegation and to deplore that some delegations have injected a totally alien subject into the useful and constructive debate which we have had so far on the food and agriculture situation in the world. This provoked reactions from many delegations, and I consider it was really unnecessary and is to be deplored.
I would say that my delegation would not accept at any time during this Council a debate on the proposal to consider the subject proposed by the representative of Australia because we do not think there are good reasons for this, especially bearing in mind that even in his statement he said we have to apply the principle prevailing in the United Nations to have a limit of two terms. I do not know In which organizations this rule is implemented. I could mention at least four specialized agencies and other organizations where the executives are from developed countries and where they have three or more terms in office.
I am not going to discuss the subject of efficiency or non-efficiency, but I would say from my own experience and I have been in touch with this Organization for at least 12 years, since the time of the World Food Conference which was called because of the. difficulties and inefficiencies in FAO-that since Mr Saouma has taken office in this Organization there has been much improvement, and I think his best work has been done in this Organization, particularly during the last food crisis and especially concerning the situation in Africa.
LE PRESIDENT: Je remercie le délégué de la Yougoslavie. J'espère que le débat est terminé et que le Canada voudra bien nous aider car nous avons réellement beaucoup de travail et, le Conseil ayant adopté le point d'ordre, il n'y a pas lieu de poursuivre ce débat. Je vous prie de bien vouloir m'autoriser à poursuivre la discussion du point 4 de l'ordre du jour.
A. K. M. Kamaluddin CHOUDHURY (Bangladesh): Mr Chairman, let me begin by complimenting Dr Islam for presenting an excellent document containing detailed information on the current state of food and agriculture.
In his report, Dr Islam raised a number of important issues like the decline in the level of external assistance for agricultural development, the continuing fall in commodity prices and consequential deterioration in the terms of trade for developing countries, the worsening external debt burden of the LDCs, protectionism, and the need for increased cooperation among the developed and developing countries.
The Bangladesh delegation generally endorses the report, but in certain areas we have a few comments to make.
The world food and agriculture situation today is characterized by a paradox of ample supplies on a global basis and abnormal food shortages occuring in a number of low-income developing countries of Asia and Africa. Although in recent years the availability of food has improved due to higher production and larger imports, for many developing countries there has been a decline in the nutritional standard, which is highly disappointing. The document itself points out that the per capita calorie intake has declined in 46 countries out of 102 developing countries. That is a matter of great concern because the sharpest losses in calorie intake have been suffered by countries with the lowest level of DES. Poverty, hunger and malnutrition continue to be the most critical problems faced by the world community.
The report on the State of Food and Agriculture reinforces our view that agricultural development, particularly production of food grains, is of the utmost importance for the low-income developing
countries. Development of agriculture is of vital importance for the economic suryivial of the LDCs, but these countries, because of their limitations, budgetary and otherwise, cannot release adequate funds or resources for investment in agricultural development. Therefore, they are still in need of support from the developed countries who are in a more fortunate situation. Funds are needed to supply essential inputs such as seeds and fertilizers, to achieve increased production and to achieve food security for these nations. Therefore, resources are needed for agricultural development in the LDCs. We note with great concern that the level of multilateral assistance and bilateral assistance for agricultural development is going down. This trend of declining assistance has to be arrested to improve the level of nutrition and eradicate hunger in the low-income countries.
We would appeal to the donor countries, particularly the developed countries, to step up their level of assistance for multilateral agencies like IFAD and for funding development projects in the food and agriculture sector. This will help in the better utilization of land and in improving the level of productivity.
K. Robin HIGHÀM (Canada): In his preparation and presentation of the document, Dr. Islam has delivered nothing less than the excellence we have come to expect from him and his staff, and for that we thank him. We have a small technical amendment to propose for paragraph 200 concerning Canada, but my delegation will pass that directly to the secretariat.
This morning I should like to respond to the paper on three levels: first, the prospects for international trade in agriculture; secondly, resources for development assistance; thirdly, the challenge before FAO.
Concerning prospects for international agriculture trade, removing restrictions to a further liberalization of world trade is, for Canada, a vital element in ensuring economic growth for all countries, I believe. Canada views the successful launch of the new multilateral trade negotiations as an important and positive element in the outlook for international trade in agriculture. Our common efforts and success at Punta del Este forged a new sense of cooperation among trading nations. Canada will be working hard, together with both developed and developing countries, to achieve these common objectives. Of particular concern to us is the deteriorating agriculture trade situation which is plagued by structural surpluses and by massive trade distortions through production and export subsidies. It is devastating the smaller economies, both developed and developing, which rely heavily on agricultural exports. Clearly, increases in agricultural disciplines are needed urgently, and the multilateral trade negotiations must reform the rules for agricultural trade and bring them under a discipline similar to the GATT.
Depressed commodity prices are seriously affecting the economies of many developing countries and some producers such as Canada. For this reason, we attach particular importance to the fullest liberalization of trade in natural resource-based products and in natural resource based commodities, including their processed and semi-processed forms. The MTNs must effectively deal not only with tarrifs but also with escalation on non-tarrif measures.
In many developing countries domestic reform and structural adjustment policies are being implemented with much emphasis on the agriculture sector. As the most recent-World Bank Development Report points out, international discipline in trade subsidies and trade restrictions can have a large and positive impact on developing economies. It is important, therefore, that agricultural adjustments in developing countries are supported by parallel adjustments in the conditions for international trade.
Secondly, on development assistance: development assistance remains a critical complement to national efforts to realize human aspirations in the developing countries. We can today reaffirm Canada's commitment to efficient and effective multilateral development institutions through which more than 40 percent of Canadian assistance is provided. Sustained and adequate flows of financial, technical and emergency assistance from official sources is both imperative and catalytic. Governments, through well conceived overseas development assistance, encourage their private sectors and Individual citizens to participate as well. The African Emergency Response in Canada manifested clearly the potential impact of such synergy. Globally, Canada concentrates its aid on agriculture, energy and human resource development. In the multilateral context we are placing particular emphasis on three areas: the need for greater international support for the poorest countries, especially those in Africa; secondly, the sustainability of development, which we consider critical; and thirdly the pervasive and important role which women play in development.
The third and final point I have to make is perhaps the most important one in the context of this Council. It is to reiterate Canada's belief that there is a growing need to rejuvenate this
Organization's capacities for assisting its members in dealing with the difficulties growing out of the current state of food and agriculture.
Canadian delegates have often spoken for some years now in FAO governing bodies of their concern over such basic activities as selection of priorities, accounting in budget procedures, personnel management and the management of field activities. We are also convinced that there is a need for a hard look at the decision making process in governing bodies and how we set programmes and priorities. We believe that the rejuvenation of FAO via a variety of reforms will benefit all member states and by doing so will strengthen the Organisation itself. We are convinced that it is essential for the success of organisations such as FAO that they are constantly exposed to, and will welcome, new ideas in the approaches to developing new ideas and new approaches for dealing with new problems·
I terminate by mentioning this now, Mr Chairman, only because we believe that it is an important point to keep in mind as we consider the documents before us and those other papers coming up for study this afternoon and later on in the week. We believe we must be looking not only to the future of the state of food and agriculture, but also to the future state of the key UN agency which is responsible for helping us deal with agriculture. Similarly, in our discussions on reform of national and international food production and trading systems we must not turn away, however uncomfortable it may be, from a consideration of parallel efforts to reform the multilateral institutions which serve that rapidly evolving agricultural sector.
To conclude I want to emphasise it is specifically because we in Canada are convinced of the importance of the UN system and most particularly of the FAO within that system that we are prepared to tolerate discomforts which sometimes accompany any efforts for change. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to repeat that still 40 percent of Canadian development systems go through multilateral channels so their efficient functioning is almost as important to us as it is to the development assistance of recipient countries.
Atif Y. BUKHARI (Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of) (Original language Arabic): First of all I would like to thank you for the effective way of conducting the work at our Council, which has made it possible for us once again to entrust you to conduct in the appropriate way our activities. I would also like to thank Dr. Islam and the FAO in general for having submitted these documents to us. This broad-ranging Report, which is so rich in information, is particularly useful in terms of future projections of the situation, in particular of developing countries. This report has displayed the difficult situation of the economic burden of developing countries, and while these countries are suffering from the difficult economic problems, we see how many countries are maintaining a passive position when faced with these serious problems, the major problems, facing developing countries. This problem is something of which everybody is fully aware-the fact that the south is calling the north and the north is calling the south, but the two remain immobile, and maintain a passive stance. We cannot be overly optimistic and say that we can solve the world economic crisis within the space of one year, but what we can do is reaffirm that if there is sufficient goodwill to establish a new and just international economic order, we think that this task can be achieved and both south and north will be able to embrace it.
The economic structure of our world as we see it is an integrated circuit of circle which, whenever one of its links is weakened, causes the whole chain to fail in consequence. Nor should we fail to mention the problems of the developing countries and, in particular, the increase in their external debts and the protectionist measures which their exports are having to face. We think that this has negative repercussions also on the developed countries. Nonetheless, we should try to ensure that this massive chain continues to work correctly for the benefit of everybody. This Report refers to a self-evident truth, the fact that economic interdependence between countries, particularly when they are countries of the same region, is something of absolute importance, which is why countries should persevere and work hard in order to relaunch and integrate this economic inter-relationship between each other irrespective of beliefs or ideological schemes. They should be doing this for the benefit of all their peoples.
As for the developing countries in general, the enormous gap between food production and consumption is increasing, therefore achieving agricultural developments and improving the food situation seems to us to be crucial and can only be achieved by giving high priority to the agricultural sector, which would require particular improved and maintained imported inputs which seems so vital to us for the improvement of agriculture production in these countries.
Finally, I would like to mention that we expressed our pleasure at the fact that so many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America had managed to improve and increase their agricultural products and foodstuffs, had given greater priority to the agricultural sector, and had carried out specific and intensive improvements. As far as we are concerned, we would like to make an appeal to other countries to continue working fruitfully to ensure that with God's help, these countries and their
people would achieve food self-sufficiency. We also hope that what has been achieved in these developing countries has not just been a fluke or an exception. We hope that this has been the fruit of a new logical structuring so that over time it will continue to strengthen this trend. I believe that I have a duty to mention paragraphs 171 and 178 where references are made to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia facing certain difficulties in exporting its wheat surplus. We believe that this is an improvement of what we were able to achieve in agricultural production particularly when we consider that there has only been a ten year period involved. Here, I should mention, agricultural production has increased in our country of the order of 14 percent. We think this is a major step forward and this is the fruit of collaboration between our political leaders and managers for carrying out projects on behalf of our people, particularly when the primary objective of agricultural developments within our Kingdom is to achieve self-sufficiency in all areas. As for the modest surpluses in wheat production in the last year, it gave rise to no kind of problem, since the majority of these surpluses have been distributed as food aid to friendly countries in need, or they were used for international trade with other countries in our region.
Badr Jassim ALAWI (Iraq) (Original language Arabic): Please permit me to express my congratulations on behalf of the delegation of the Republic of Iraq on your re-election to the Council Chairmanship. I am sure that this will guarantee the success of·our meeting and will lead to practical recmmendations in order to deal with the issues listed in the agenda.
I would also like to express ray gratitude to the Director-General of FAO, Dr. Saouma, for the efforts he has make and will continue to make. These efforts have a major effect on FAO's work in achieving its humanitarian objectives.
We support this report. All the issues listed on the agenda reflect the capacity of the Organization in dealing with urgent problems that are closely linked to the improvement of the nutritional level of the peoples of the world and particularly the peoples of the Third World.
The documents submitted to us have reflected the food problems and the widening economic and food gap between the developed and developing countries despite the improvement of food production in some countries. This makes it even more necessary for us to reconsider the international economic order in order to ensure a more equal distribution of economic resources among countries. Due to the importance of the agricultural sector and in order to achieve food self-sufficiency, the assistance provided should primarily aim at developing production potentials within the countries themselves. Convinced of the importance of this sector, the Government of Iraq has taken a great deal of measures aiming at exploiting its natural resources in order to improve the productive capacity of the country. This is clearly reflected in the annual financial allocations for investment in the field of agricultural infrastructure.
These investments were devoted to the construction of dykes and dams for the optimal use of water resources. Vast amounts of saline land were reclaimed and others were transformed from rainfed land to irrigated land in order to better control the factors of production.
Emphasis has been placed on agricultural research which has a direct effect on the increase of production. We have also focused on extension as well as the provision of credit facilities and mechanization.
Given that the human. being is the primary objective and tool of the revolution in Iraq, our country paid particular attention to the development and training of human resources through training programmes within and outside the country. Importance was also given to the training of women. The role of women in agriculture was stressed.
As to the provision of services to the rural areas, the Government of Iraq supplied housing, water, electricity, schools, health and social care and the construction of roads in most rural areas.
Immigration from the rural areas to the cities, which prevailed before the revolution, has completely stopped and has even been reversed in some aspects.
Despite the war imposed on Iraq for more than six years, a great deal of progress has been achieved in the agricultural sector during the last few years. Various agricultural projects have been implemented.
In view of the world food problem, we insist on the necessity to provide and increase technical assistance to developing countries to enable them to produce their own food.
To allow FAO to carry out its mission to increase agricultural production in developing countries through the strengthening of its technical programmes, all Member States must support the Organization.
I wish this meeting every possible success.
Paul A. BOMANI (Tanzania): Mr. Chairman, let me at the outset express my deep appreciation to you for your wise leadership and firm but fair judgement, which was a moment ago displayed, in dealing with the complicated situation which almost created a kind of pollution of the atmosphere of our deliberations. We feel fond confident that under your leadership this Council will succeed in achieving what the billions of people we represent here expect of us.
I wish also to associate myself with the previous speakers, first to congratulate, second to thank the FAO Director-General Dr. Saouma and his staff for the excellent analysis on the State of Food and Agriculture as contained in document CL 90/2 and its Supplement. The document is comprehensive and accurately reflects the problems surrounding agricultural production in the world. In short, problems facing agricultural production are summed up as protectionism, trade imbalance, debt servicing and over supply in developed countries which result. In depressed prices for agricultural commodities. Permit me to add that the low per unit cost production of agricultural products in the developed countries make the low prices offered in the world markets an advantage to those countries. Thus in one way it helps to provide foods to poor communities but also it causes some problems for the developing nations. The fact that through technological methods and improved techniques and approaches employed by the developed countries and more superior approaches than those used by developing countries creates a very queer set of imbalances. The situation in a way creates a serious problem for deficit countries and developing countries to be able to participate even when they have small surpluses in the export market. We know in the developing countries that we would only be able to compete if we emphasized quality, and quality of our products has been a major focus but we will not be able to achieve this unless the idea that has been discussed at the Regional Conference of African Countries in Côte d'Ivoire, Yamoussoukro, and that is aid in kind which we consider to be the very best and the right approach unless this idea is carried through the strategy for Africa's agriculture may not be able to attain the expected results.
The state of external assistance to agriculture from both multilateral and bilateral is shown on Table 8 of the document, explains very clearly what the situation is; while developing countries have been urged to institute reforms in their countries the transfer of technical know-how from developed countries has been lagging behind, in other words the transfer of technology and, perhaps I may add, appropriate technology to be able to help developing countries cope with the new development programmes has not been in keeping with the rhetoric. The capital aid material assistance through multilateral and or even bilateral is too slow and too little and just frittering out to reach the developing countries. Here we see very clearly some political problems which interfere with the flow; some interference based on domestic policies of donor countries have manifested presently to be an impediment in the process of reviving assistance to developing countries. So this kind of atmosphere does not encourage the newly independent countries, the new upsurge and the new awareness developed and manifested itself in the developing countries and communities to provide priorities to agriculture. I believe it is high time that these questions and issues should be re-examined. It is not enough to ask countries to institute reforms when those reforms can not be reinforced by serious follow-up of technical contribution and material support. I believe the assistance to developing countries should take a new face to enable production and productivity in agriculture to increase in the developing countries.
It is very vividly reflected in the document before us that one of the problems affecting the efforts of developing countries is the serious problem of debt servicing which is becoming very stormy and is an impediment to the progress being made in the developing countries. Structural and policies adjustments have been made and these have been suggested by donor countries with very good intentions and some changes have been realized in the economies of some of the developing countries. I can cite an example of my own country, that the use of fertilizer which was unknown just a few years ago, and for which we have now a demand we cannot cope with. The best techniques of husbandry are now becoming normal procedures in the countryside but the capability of providing inputs, incentive, including incentive goods, is lagging behind. This shows very clearly that unless external assistance is restructured to address the priority needs of recipient countries we shall only be preparing studies year after year which will just be an exercise in futility, for no meaningful economic recovery will be achieved that way.
It is no secret that in the area I come from the political destabilization caused by the situation in Southern Africa is a great impediment to our smooth work towards development and has contributed to low production in some countries in the front-line states. These states require assistance and, more than that, they need to be ensured of peace and stability in the areas so that they can get on
with their development work, so that they can produce food to feed their people, so that they can earn income to improve their standard of living, so that they can earn foreign exchange for the necessary imports and sustain their own growth, their own development.
The Tanzanian delegation wishes to affirm its position on the noble role which is being played by FAO and IFAD, but the present financial position of these two prominent and important organizations is a major concern to us. As you will see when you examine the budgetary allocation and financial resources for these two organizations, it is very clear that there is nowhere that we can see a balance between expectation and goals and the availability of resources.
We would like to appeal to the major donors to reconsider their position, especially on provision of financial resources committed, that they should be made available in keeping with the appropriate financial year. The funding of these institutions by instalment and in arrears does not really help in having proper planning for these institutions and, worse still, makes the allocation of funds which are intended to reach the recipient countries an almost impossible job. We would like to seek the understanding and support of the donor countries to change their approaches so that the work that we all intend to achieve can be realized by proper funding and proper timing for the allocation of resources.
Mr Chairman, we will have an opportunity later on to make a contribution on the resource question. Meanwhile I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to air these few remarks.
Henri Pierre Arphang SENGHOR (Senegal): Je voudrais tout d'abord au nom de ma délégation adresser mes plus vives félicitations à vous-même Monsieur le Président, ainsi qu'à l'ensemble des membres du Bureau et du Comité de rédaction, pour votre brillante désignation pour présider nos travaux. Ma délégation ne doute pas que ceci constitue pour nous un gage de réussite quant à l'issue de nos débats. Ma délégation saisit l'occasion que vous lui offrez pour renouveler ses chaleureuses félicitations au Directeur général de la FAO pour la clarté et la concision, ainsi que le courage avec lesquels il nous a présenté les différentes facettes de la situation agricole mondiale ainsi que de celle de la FAO et de ses activités. Nos félicitations s'adressent également à M. Islam pour sa brillante présentation de la situation de l'agriculture mondiale, situation qui sera complétée et actualisée pour être soumise à la prochaine assemblée.
Permettez-moi, à ce stade des débats, de porter quelques brefs commentaires sur trois points soulevés dans la déclaration du Directeur général de la FAO et dans le document portant sur la situation mondiale de l'agriculture. Suite à la situation acridienne qui a prévalu sur le continent africain en 1985 et 1986, ma délégation voudrait apporter un témoignage de l'intervention décisive, diligente et efficace de la FAO pour contenir et juguler les attaques des criquets et des sauteriaux au Sénégal et dans les pays de la sous-région. C'est avec célérité que la FAO, sous l'impulsion de son Directeur général, a répondu aux appels de détresse, dont le premier a été lancé par le Président en exercice du CILSS lors de la Conférence des chefs d'Etat de cette organisation qui s'est tenue à Dakar en janvier 1986. C'est l'occasion de remercier l'ensemble de la communauté internationale qui n'a ménagé aucun effort pour matérialiser les espoirs qu'une reprise des pluies régulières avait suscités dans le Sahel. Ma délégation note avec satisfaction que la FAO a démarré des concertations afin de renforcer les capacités d'interventions des services phytosanitaires nationaux et des organismes régionaux antiacridiens de l'Est, du Centre et du Sud de l'Afrique pour les campagnes de lutte 1986-88. Or en Afrique occidentale et dans le Sahel les organisations sous-régionales de lutte antiacridienne n'ont cessé de se débattre dans de grandes difficultés telles que l'Organisation inter-Etats de lutte contre le criquet africain (OICMA) a dû être dissoute au début de l'année 1986, tandis que l'Organisation de lutte antiacridienne et antioviaire connaît une paralysie croissante du fait du manque de ressources.
Rien n'indique que la situation qui a prévalu en Afrique de l'Ouest et dans le Sahel soit éradiquée définitivement; voilà pourquoi ma délégation invite la FAO à engager des concertations afin de mettre en oeuvre un programme à moyen terme de renforcement des capacités d'intervention des services phytosanitaires nationaux de cette sous-région et de l'OCLALAV. Une telle action revêt aux yeux de ma délégation un caractère d'urgence.
Il ressort du document portant sur la situation de l'agriculture mondiale que la situation alimentaire de l'Afrique reste dans l'ensemble favorable. En Afrique occidentale plus précisément, le rapport note avec pertinence que dans les zones sahélosoudaniennes et sahéliennes, les premières prévisions sont moins favorables et les récoltes risquent de beaucoup souffrir des infestations de criquets et de sauteriaux.
Je voudrais confirmer ces estimations et noter que le profil pluvioraétrique de 1986 n'a pas été homogène pour tout le Sahel. En effet, les Etats côtiers du Sahel ont connu un retard de un à deux mois dans l'installation des pluies qui se sont réparties essentiellement sur le mois de septembre. C'est le facteur essentiel qui explique les déficits céréaliers enregistrés dans certains Etats dont
le Sénégal. Je voudrais en concluant relever et dire toute notre satisfaction pour la qualité de l'étude présentée à Yamoussoukro en septembre dernier ainsi que la pertinence des propositions du Directeur général de la FAO à qui ma délégation renouvelle ses félicitations pour cette belle et utile oeuvre.
Ma délégation note avec satisfaction qu'un effort louable est entrepris pour élargir le champ des propositions à des considérations dont ma délégation s'est faite largement l'écho à Yamoussoukro. Ma délégation reviendra plus en détail sur ce point lorsqu'il sera soumis à notre examen.
Ivan TONEV (Bulgarie): Our delegation examined the documents CL 90/2 and CL 90/2-Sup. 1 on the world food and agriculture situation, submitted then for our consideration and followed with great attention the statement by the Director-General.
The problem of food production has always been of great importance and it has been included in the agenda at all Sessions of the Council. The statistical data submitted by the FAO Secretariat shows increases in the annual production of foodstuffs, while distribution remains uneven among continents and countries. The discrepancy between production and need in foodstuffs in developing countries still exists. Obviously, the crisis in food supplies is part of the main problem, namely the economic backwardness and dependence of some countries.
One subject of our attention during the last decade has been the problem of uniting the efforts of the world community to provide resources for investments in, and the training of specialists for seeds, machines, fertilizers and technology for the modernization and intensification of agriculture in a number of developing countries. At present, international aid is considerable but not sufficient. There is a need for large quantities of resources, part of which can be found in the countries themselves.
The solution to this problem is bound up with the state of international economic relations, which does not contribute to the growth of the national economic potential of the developing countries.
A serious obstacle to overcoming this problem is the use of food as a means of exerting political pressure. The protectionist trends in some western industrialized countries are causing grave harm to international trade. Only the establishment of a new economic order on a just and democratic basis will promote rapid economic development of the poorer countries. The problem with the indebtedness of the developing countries is of the most serious concern to the international community. The accumulated indebtedness goes well beyond reasonable boundaries. In our judgement this cannot be maintained. The problem can be solved by eliminating all the obstacles to foreign trade, in particular their protectionist character. There is a need to establish normalization of the conditions for submitting loans with a low interest rate.
The solution of the food problems is based on the development of industrial capacity within individual countries, agricultural modernization and the improvement of the social conditions in the rural regions. Probably, It is very difficult to elaborate a universal model for agricultural development, applicable in every country. Obviously the problems of malnutrition and hunger must be solved "in all their complexity. We should like to stress the necessity for structural changes in production on the basis of progressive forms of management in the economy and better use of the available resources.
The experience of the socialist countries in establishing agro-industrial complexes is significant. This is why thousands of young people from the developing countries are graduating from the universities in the countries of the world socialist system. The Peoples Republic of Bulgaria is expanding the economic and scientific and technical cooperation with developing countries on the basis of long-term planning. Many measures have been undertaken on our side to stimulate foreign trade with the developing countries. We have initiated a system of preferential duties on their imported goods, for some imported goods it is 50 percent and some are duty free.
We should like to state our readiness to share our experience and knowledge with all who are interested.
My delegation is deeply concerned about the financial situation of our Organization which is due to the reduction of contributions and the delay of payments to the regular Budget by some Member Countries.
Before I conclude I should like to point out that only through general and complete disarmament and reduction of military spending can the enormous financial, human and material resources be provided, part of which can be used for the development of agricultural production and the elimination of malnutrition and hunger throughout the world.
Joint FAO/IAEA Display
Panneau d'exposition FAO/AIEA
Panel de exposición FAO/OIEA
Bjorn SIGURBJÖRNSSON (IAEA): I have been given the opportunity to draw your attention to a display which is on the ground floor of this building just opposite the entrance from building B. This display consists of photographs of a new laboratory facility which was constructed jointly by FAO and the International Atomic Energy Agency and also is operated jointly by the two agencies.
When the joint FAO/IAEA division, which as you know is located in Vienna, became twenty years old two years ago the Director-General went to Vienna and addressed the General Conference of the IAEA, and on that occasion he suggested that the occasion be marked by the two agencies joining hands in constructing a laboratory for the training of agricultural scientists from developing countries and for supporting and assisting research in developing countries in the fields of plant and soil sciences.
Exactly two years later the new laboratory was inaugurated by the Director-General of IAEA. This is part of a large complex of laboratories operated by IAEA and quite a large proportion is devoted to agriculture. The activities there are operated jointly by FAO and IAEA and often carried out in collaboration with the Government of Austria.
This laboratory is rather unique. There are not many laboratories operated by the UN system, and it has greatly assisted the joint division in transferring rather advanced technology to scientists in developing countries. The laboratory, as I said, was funded by'joint contributions of FAO and IAEA for the construction. But I am very pleased to acknowledge here generous donations by other Member Nations. I am pleased to acknowledge the donation by the Government of Poland of all the furnishings of the laboratory. I am also grateful to the Government of the United States of America who donated a research training greenhouse which is now being constructed and to the Government of Canada, which donated a radiation source for use in plant breeding in etymology and so on and for training of young scientists.
The meeting rose at 12. 30 hours.
La séance est levée à 12 h 30.
Se levanta la sesión a las 12. 30 horas.
