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OTHER MATTERS (continued)
QUESTIONS DIVERSES (suite)
OTROS ASUNTOS (continuación)

21. Fiftieth Anniversary of FAO: Draft Declaration of Food and Agriculture (continued)
21. Cinquantième anniversaire de la FAO: Projet de Déclaration sur l'alimentation et l'agriculture (suite)
21. 50° Aniversario de la FAO: Proyecto de Declaración sobre la Agricultura y la Alimentación (continuación)

EL PRESIDENTE: Distinguidos delegados, antes de dar curso al Tema 5 deseo referirme a una petición de parte de la Secretaría de la FAO en relación al tema anterior, el proyecto de declaración sobre agricultura y alimentación. Como ustedes escucharon hoy en la mañana, varios delegados tenían algún comentario sobre dicho proyecto. La petición es que, para que podamos apresurar los trabajos del grupo de trabajo constituido, aquellas delegaciones que tengan observaciones las envíen por escrito a la mayor brevedad posible al Sr. Secretario General del Consejo. Esto le permitirá a la Secretaría preparar el documento para las discusiones informales del grupo de trabajo. Esperamos también que ese documento podamos distribuirlo el miércoles por la mañana.

WORLD FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SITUATION
SITUATION MONDIALE DE L'ALIMENTATION ET DE
L'AGRICULTURE
SITUACION MUNDIAL DE LA AGRICULTURA Y LA ALIMENTACION

5. Report of the 20th Session of the Committee on World Food Security including the current World Food Situation
5. Rapport de la vingtième Session du Comité de la sécurité alimentaire mondiale y compris la situation mondiale de l'alimentation
5. Informe del 20° período de sesiones del Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria Mundial con inclusión del examen de la Situación actual de la alimentación en el mundo

Me permito pasar ahora al Tema 5, el informe sobre el vigésimo período de sesiones del Comité sobre Seguridad Alimentaria que incluye el examen de la situación actual de la seguridad alimentaria mundial. Documento CL 108/10 y documento CL 108/2. Como todos ustedes saben, este tema es de suma importancia para esta Organización, y las decisiones que sean tomadas por nuestro Consejo influirán además en los preparativos de la Cumbre Mundial de la Alimentación. Desde luego, y lo subrayo, este tema será tratado por este Consejo mañana por la mañana, conforme al calendario que hemos aprobado bajo el tema 4. En este sentido también, les pido que en sus declaraciones pospongan la discusión o el debate de la parte correspondiente del informe del Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria relativo a la Cumbre Mundial de la Alimentación, para discutirlo mañana. Les vuelvo a repetir que en la parte correspondiente del informe del Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria que se refiere a la Cumbre Mundial de la Alimentación, traten ustedes de evitar una discusión amplia al respecto en virtud de que este tema lo trataremos mañana por la mañana.

También les aconsejaría que pudieran identificar en sus declaraciones la parte relativa a la situación de la seguridad alimentaria, es decir, el examen de la situación de la seguridad alimentaria, y la correspondiente a la agricultura sostenible y la seguridad alimentaria, así como la parte correspondiente a otros asuntos.

Respecto al primero de los asuntos, el relativo al examen de la situación de la seguridad alimentaria, deseo destacar, en lo que se refiere a las emergencias alimentarias, los párrafos 6 y 7 del informe. Quizás también ustedes desearán expresar su preocupación por la reducción de la ayuda alimentaria, párrafo 9; sobre las implicaciones de la Ronda Uruguay y el impulso a la actividad económica, párrafo 15; la posición divergente que tienen ciertos países y otros en desarrollo importadores de alimentos respecto de los efectos negativos a corto y medio plazo de dichas negociaciones, párrafo 16; también lo concerniente a los países europeos en transición y la importancia de la asistencia técnica y la ayuda alimentaria, párrafo 20. Les destaco que en el párrafo 18 se trata lo relativo a las reservas nacionales e internacionales de cereales y la preocupación por su disminución.

En cuanto a la pane relativa a la agricultura sostenible y la seguridad alimentaria, me permito llamar su atención sobre la importancia del acceso de las familias a la alimentación, el combate a la pobreza, la generación de empleo, así como el acceso a mayores oportunidades de ingreso. También el reconocimiento de condiciones agroecológicas, económicas, sociales e institucionales, párrafo 26, y la visión diferente respecto a atender áreas con alto potencial, bajo potencial o pobres en recursos para el impulso a la producción agrícola en países de bajos ingresos con déficit de alimentos, párrafo 27.

Finalmente les hago notar que en la versión en español del documento CL 108/10, en la segunda parte del párrafo 27 y el párrafo 28, tienen, aunque con redacción distinta, el mismo contenido; debe, por tanto, desaparecer la segunda parte del párrafo 27 en la versión en español que seguramente por omisión permaneció allí.

Para presentar el informe del Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria y el documento sobre la situación de la seguridad alimentaria mundial le otorgo la palabra al señor de Haen.

H. de HAEN (Assistant Director-General, Economic and Social Policy Department): Thank you Mr Chairman, Distinguished Delegates, Members and Observers. It gives me great pleasure to present to the Council the Report to the 20th Session of the Committee of World Food Security, and the Report CL 108/10. The Committee meeting which was held in April this year reviewed the current world security situation and the Medium-Term Review and also assessed the potentials for increasing staple food production for food security and low-income food-deficit countries. It also discussed the elements for the World Food Summit but, as the Chairman suggested, I shall leave those out of my presentation as this will be subject to a separate agenda item.

Mr Chairman as regards the current food situation, as the Director-General has made some remarks, I would refer to that and remind you that the Committee concurred with the Secretariat's analyses that showed that this was the position in April and an overall deterioration in the world food security situation during the current season. Unfortunately, information received since the conclusion of the Session has given us reason to be less optimistic with respect to wheat and coarse grain supplies during the 1995-96 season. Global stocks of these grains which constitute a substantial component of energy intake of many people all over the world are foreseen to be drawn down further. The ratio of world cereal stocks by the end of 1995-96 seasons to trend utilization in 1996/1997 is projected to fall below the 17 to 18 percent range which is the benchmark as considered by the Secretariat as the minimum necessary for world food security. Wheat carry-over stocks by the mid-1996 are projected to fall to their lowest level since the beginning of the 1980s, that is, around 106 million tonnes. A crucial factor for world food security has been the inventories held by the principal exporting countries which represent an important buffer to help meet crop shortfalls in importing countries. In this context the continuing decline of the wheat carry-overs constitutes an additional source of uncertainty in the global food security situation. So far our overall analysis of the recent information that we have received. It must however be stressed that changes in the structure and condition of the international markets may have already altered the significance of FAO's benchmark 17 to 18 percent stock to consumption ratios that we have been using so far. Therefore, while this very delicate balance will continue to be monitored closely, other indicators, especially international prices, exportable supplies and food aid availabilities will continue to receive our full attention as well. Mr Chairman, the Committee welcomed the broader scope of the assessment paper which provided a longer-term prospective on global food security issues. The analysis of the possible impact of the Uruguay Round of multi-lateral trade negotiations on food security in developing countries and the ensuing lively debate provided the basis of the request by the Committee to the Secretariat to reconsider the minimum safe level of global cereal stocks in light of significantly changed national and global food policy regimes and improved transport and logistics infrastructures. It also requested the Secretariat to continue to provide technical assistance to Members on developing modalities of the implementation of measures concerning the possible negative effects of the reform programme on vulnerable countries and to assist developing countries in the reconsideration of the optimum national food security stock in the opposed Uruguay Round world. These recommendations if confirmed and endorsed by Council - and that is why I bring it to your attention again - are most timely given the emerging situation in the international cereal markets.

The Committee's consideration of this Session of the linkages between sustainable agricultural development and food security focused on assessing the potentials and low income in food-deficit countries for increasing staple food production in a sustainable manner.

The Committee stressed that the identification and analysis of constraints hindering the exploitation of existing potential in these countries needed to be broadened to encompass the effects of political and social instability, the shortcomings in available human resources and institutional capacities, lack of foreign exchange, appropriate technology and credit facilities and insufficiently available appropriate inputs. In this context, Mr Chairman, many delegates supported the focus of the Special Programme on Food Production for Food Security on high potential areas for achieving rapid increases in food production in the low-income, food-deficit countries, taking into account the economic, social and institutional conditions that needed to be in place. Also of great significance was the emphasis that was placed and was to be placed on improving household access to food by alleviating poverty and generating employment and income opportunities. Many delegates also noted the necessity of programmes to support the high human potential in all areas in order to promote investments in environmentally sound, sustainable infrastructure, developing technologies and farming practices appropriate for resource-poor areas and using indigenous capabilities by strengthening national agricultural research systems.

The Committee thought that it would be opportune to carry out in-depth country studies which take into consideration the actual situations and most urgent requirements of the population in order to provide guidance to members in the design of food security programmes and projects. It wished to return to a sustainable agriculture and food security in the future sessions of the CFS, treating different aspects of the issues as recommended by the Committee and, of course, this still has to be endorsed by the Council in this Session.

Finally, Mr Chairman, let me very briefly remind the Council that the Committee considered the request by CO AG in its March 1995 Session for the Secretariat to analyse the arguments for and against a shifting of the standing item on nutrition from CO AG to CFS. This matter will be presented to you under Item 6 when you discuss the Report of COAG. In fact, under that item the Secretariat will propose this shift for the Council's consideration such that future CFS meetings would have a standing item on nutrition.

That is my brief summary of the report and I thank you for your attention.

EL PRESIDENTE: Muchas gracias por la presentación del informe, Sr. De Haen, y antes de abrir el debate deseo recordarles que la decisión que se somete al Consejo es la de aprobar el informe del vigésimo período de sesiones del Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria. Abro la lista de los miembros del Consejo y luego pasaré la palabra a los observadores.

POINT OF ORDER
POINT D'ORDRE
PUNTO DE ORDEN

Jacques LAUREAU (France): Normalement, les pays européens n'interviendront pas sur ce sujet, car nous avons trouvé le rapport intéressant, bien fait, et il s'agit d'approuver le rapport. Donc normalement, nous approuvons le rapport et nous n'interviendrons pas. Nous espérons que la discussion qui va avoir lieu maintenant ne remettra pas en cause les résultats acquis au moment de la discussion du rapport.

EL PRESIDENTE: Distinguido delegado, entiendo su punto de orden, pero yo no pensaba hacer otra cosa, como sabe usted, que someter al Consejo la decisión principal, que es aprobar el informe y, sin embargo, está también previsto que pueda haber un debate respecto de estos temas, en particular de las tendencias quizá preocupantes, alarmistas en algún sentido, respecto al deterioro de la situación alimentaria. Quizá algunos de ustedes deseen hacer algún comentario al respecto.

Wilberforce A. SAKIRA (Uganda): Our Delegation continues to express its regret that the world food security situation has been deteriorating over the years and that in low-income, food-deficit countries cereal production did not keep pace with population growth in 1994-95, as shown in document CL 108/10. In fact, document CL 108/2, dealing with the current world food situation, paints a gloomy picture of food security in developing countries, particularly in Africa. Mr Chairman, let me bring out a few points which are in this document to illustrate my point.

First, food production in sub-Saharan Africa only rose by 1.2 percent, implying an almost two percent decline in per capita terms. This is shown in paragraph 2. Secondly, root crop production increased slightly by some one percent in developing countries, as shown in paragraph 5. Per caput staple food production declined in sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting stagnating food production and only a marginal increase in production of root crops. This is shown in paragraph 11. Africa is still the continent most affected by local food shortages for various reasons, including adverse weather.

Mr Chairman, what I have just said points to the need for FAO to assist Member Nations in developing appropriate policies and to encourage them to invest in agriculture so that they may ensure food security for the wellbeing of their peoples. It is for this reason that we support the measures recommended by the Committee on World Food Security, particularly with regard to the following. First, improvement of household access to food by alleviating poverty and generating employment and income opportunities. We recognize that poverty is the root cause of food insecurity and malnutrition. Second, placing emphasis on high potential areas so as to achieve rapid increases in food production in the low-income, food-deficit countries. Third, developing technologies and farming practices such as integrated pest management and integrated plant nutrition systems, water harvesting and anti-erosion measures suitable for resource-poor areas and strengthening national agricultural systems with the emphasis on improving indigenous capacities so as to develop high-yield varieties and, most important, higher-yielding technologies. Lastly, assisting Members to develop practical measures in post-harvest handling of agricultural produce, because we believe that farmers lose substantial quantities of food after harvesting.

Mr Chairman, we wish to emphasize that there is an urgent need to assist LIFDCs to boost their agricultural production, and it is for this reason that we strongly support the two special programmes of food production for food security in LIFDCs and the emergency prevention system for transboundary animal and plant pests and diseases which were launched by the Director-General last year.

Salah HAMDI (Tunisie) (Langue originale arabe): Puisque c'est la première fois que je prends la parole à cette session du Conseil, permettez-moi d'exprimer mes plus chaleureux remerciements à mes collègues et à l'ensemble des délégués pour avoir placé leur confiance en moi en m'élisant vice-président avec les deux autres vices-présidents de Cuba et des Etats-Unis.

Ce faisant, ils m'offrent l'occasion d'apporter mon humble contribution au succès des travaux de cette session sous votre sage direction et de bénéficier de votre vaste expérience et de votre sagesse dans ce domaine.

J'ai suivi avec beaucoup d'attention l'allocution du Directeur général qui a porté sur l'analyse de la situation actuelle de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation dans le monde ainsi que de la situation de l'alimentation et de la sécurité alimentaire tout en posant les grandes lignes des activités de l'Organisation lors de la prochaine période biennale. Il a mis en exergue les défis majeurs auxquels doit faire face la communauté internationale notamment en ce qui concerne l'amélioration de la situation alimentaire et la consolidation de la sécurité alimentaire notamment pour les pays qui continuent à souffrir de malnutrition, de pauvreté, voire de famine, à un moment où les données dont on dispose font état d'une disponibilité importante de produits alimentaires qui auraient dû être à même de subvenir aux besoins de l'humanité. J'ai également pris connaissance des documents CL 108/2 et CL 108/10 élaborés par le Secrétariat de la FAO. Ces documents témoignent d'une grande compétence et traitent de la situation de la sécurité alimentaire et du Sommet mondial de l'alimentation, questions inscrites au point 5 de notre ordre du jour.

Je tiens à exprimer certains motifs de préoccupation et à faire certaines remarques relatives à ces questions que je viens de mentionner. Je tiens d'abord à dire que nombre de pays amis d'Afrique du Nord et d'Afrique noire partagent le point de vue que je me propose d'exprimer.

Tout d'abord, en ce qui concerne la situation alimentaire mondiale, si les données relatives à la production alimentaire témoignent d'une amélioration appréciable à l'échelle mondiale, la situation n'en demeure pas moins préoccupante pour l'Afrique et pour le Proche-Orient en particulier, où l'on constate une diminution de la production par habitant ainsi qu'une diminution de la production des produits alimentaires de base, ce qui entraîne un déficit alimentaire pour un grand nombre de ces pays, notamment des pays africains qui sont, en termes absolus, les pays les plus touchés au début de l'année courante par cette diminution, sans parler de la situation précaire qui prévaut dans certains pays du Proche-Orient et des Balkans. C'est là un motif de préoccupation et d'inquiétude d'autant plus que de manière concomitante à la détérioration de la situation alimentaire dans ces pays pauvres les situations politiques sont caractérisées par l'instabilité. Je disais qu'en même temps on assiste à un net recul du volume d'aide alimentaire comme l'indiquent les chiffres disponibles qui révèlent une nette régression pour la période 1994-95. Le volume total de cette aide alimentaire est revenu à 9,8 millions de tonnes contre 13 millions de tonnes au cours de la période biennale précédente. Cela ne peut que générer des répercussions négatives pour l'ensemble des pays en développement dont la part de cette aide est ramenée à 7 millions de tonnes dont 5 millions sont réservés aux pays à faible revenu et à déficit vivrier. Le CSA, lors de sa dernière session - comme l'indique le rapport de cette session au document CL 108/10 - a examiné cet état de fait et a constaté que l'aggravation de la situation met en danger la sécurité alimentaire internationale. Le Comité a exprimé sa profonde inquiétude face à la régression de l'aide alimentaire qui a eu un impact négatif sur la situation d'un certain nombre de pays en développement notamment les pays à faible revenu, tel que le révèle l'indicateur de sécurité alimentaire pour les ménages. Tout en rappelant à l'assistance toutes ces données nous tenons à attirer l'attention du Conseil sur la situation préoccupante qui menace la vie même et la sécurité alimentaire dans beaucoup de pays. Nous voudrions insister sur la nécessité pour le conseil d'entériner les recommandations issues de la dernière session du CSA et de mettre au point les directives et les orientations nécessaires afin que le Secrétariat de la FAO puisse renforcer son action dans la lutte contre l'insécurité alimentaire et la malnutrition, que ce soit dans le cadre du Programme ordinaire ou dans les programmes d'action spéciale à condition bien entendu que l'Organisation trouve les ressources financières pour mener à bien une telle activité et pour venir en aide aux pays concernés de façon à mieux assurer la sécurité alimentaire dans les pays concernés.

Je voudrais en particulier mettre l'accent sur le rôle de la FAO en matière d'aide aux pays en développement dans leur effort de restructuration et leur action de développement agricole de manière à s'adapter aux dispositions de l'accord du GATT et à limiter les effets négatifs de cet accord issus des négociations de l'Uruguay Round notamment lors de la première phase de la mise en application effective de ces dispositions. Je pense notamment à la constitution de stocks de sécurité alimentaire sur le plan national, à la stabilisation des prix, à la réduction de l'impact de l'augmentation du prix des importations alimentaires notamment pour les pays importateurs de produits alimentaires notamment en Afrique et plus particulièrement en Afrique du Nord et au Proche-Orient.

Jalal RASSOOLOF (Iran, Islamic Republic of): First, let me once again congratulate you on chairing this august meeting. My delegation wishes you every success in leading this session of the Council. I also congratulate the Vice-Chairman and members of the incoming Committee upon their election. Special thanks also go to the Secretariat for the preparation of high quality reports including the two documents and their considerations and especially Dr de Haen, for his excellent presentation of the reports under consideration.

Neither the current World Food situation nor the food security prospects of developing countries are promising. While the growth rate of developed countries' food production in 1994 was above the trend growth rate of the 1980s and early 1990s, in developing countries it compared unfavourably with the long-term trend. This situation is especially alarming in the Near East and North Africa where per caput food production declined in 1994 for the second consecutive year.

Total cereal production in developed countries in 1994 expanded by close to 8 percent while in developing countries it is estimated to have stagnated at 1993 levels. Adding a much higher population growth in the latter group, it is evident that both the production and consumption gap is widening between developed and developing countries which, in turn, lead to increasing related food insecurity, poverty and associated negative effects in developing countries.

Mr Chairman, consideration of statistics and figures of production and consumption at global level might be misleading in the sense that these global figures would cover the real existing difficulties of some regions, sub-regions and countries. For example, according to paragraph 8 of the document CL 108/2, the per capita staple food production increased from 377 kilograms in 1993 to 382 kilograms in 1994. More detailed data shows that in developing countries overall per caput staple food production in the same period was stagnant and even declined in North Africa and the Near East. In other words, this increase was limited to only two regions and mainly to one developed country.

Therefore, in order to have a more concise picture of the world food situation in the future, my delegation asks the Secretariat to prepare their reports in a more detailed fashion. In order to prevent unnecessary cost increases this practice can be limited to regions or countries which are facing food difficulties and need special consultation.

Mr Chairman, as far as food security is concerned, in addition to production decline, total food aid in cereals committed for 1994/1995 was estimated to be 20 percent below the previous period which is below the 1974 Food Conference minimum annual target for developing countries and the lowest level in almost two decades.

In addition, on the one hand, various reports of the CFS clearly shows that even in developed countries the rise and fall of output of food crops are mostly related to unfavourable or adverse weather conditions. On the other hand, the FAO's World Food Model shows that a 5 percent decline in production in trend for all cereals would cause a price rise of 30 to 73 percent, despite heavy drawdown on stocks. This would in effect result in a rise of at least 40 percent in the import bill of the developing countries. These facts, together with the existence of over 800 million hungry and malnourished people in the world, show that; firstly, food insecurity cases would remain high for the foreseeable future. Secondly, food aid is a risky source to depend on so far as combating the long-term security problem is concerned. Thirdly, due to the increase in international prices of major cereals and ever-increasing income deficit in low income households, more aid is needed to sustain their minimum level of food security. This is not an easy task.

It is not an easy task especially in face of domestic currency devaluations resulting from structural adjustment programmes. Therefore, as far as the supply side is concerned, one concludes that the most realistic solution to the food insecurity is increasing food production to offset the food deficit in developing countries. This in turn needs well organized location, specific research and training aimed at development of new appropriate low cost and environmently friendly technology.

On the demand side, poverty elimination and social equality are two major problems demanding high priority and attention.

Mr Chairman, it is estimated implementation of the Uruguay Round Agreement would add a yearly additional income of US$213 billion to the world economy. My delegation congratulates those countries which shared this gain and hope that it brings them peace, posterity and development. But, there is another group of countries which are the losers, at least in the short run. My delegation's comments would be limited to this group.

There is much doubt that the Uruguay Round could lead to a greater international market price stability. The developing food importing countries could experience negative effects in terms of availability of adequate supplies of basic foodstuffs from external sources on reasonable terms and conditions.

According to the report submitted to the Intergovernmental Group on Grain, although the aggregate impact of the Uruguay Round on the global production of all grains combined is expected to be a negligible, shifts in production between commodities and regions is significant. This would certainly create huge difficulties for some developing countries. Aggregate utilization of wheat at the global level is expected to shrink by about 2 million tons. This reduction, despite production gain, is mainly due to widespread rise in consumer prices, the negative impact of which would certainly fall on the low-income population of the developing countries.

The FAO projection results suggest that the assumed income gain due to the Uruguay Round would be insufficient to offset the price induced reductions in the demand for wheat.

In addition, the general move by governments to disengage from supply management will cause a decline in government stockholding, which could in turn result in lower world stock levels and an increase in price, volatility and risk.

Mr Chairman, as for developing food countries on consent they either have to explain their meagre foreign exchange to pay for this increased cost and, therefore, postpone their technology imports and development or to decrease their grain imports and consumption and suffer its negative impact on the food security and health.

Mr Chairman, in light of these facts my delegation fully and strongly supports the conclusion and recommendation of intergovernmental group on grains - COAG, CFS, CCP and Council - on the issues under consideration; that is, first, assigning higher priority to the programme of food production in support of food security in net food importing countries and especially in LIFD countries. Second, in strengthening the national agricultural research system should receive increased attention and resources. Third, more attention should be paid to the role of women in food production and improve their situation. Fourth, FAO should provide technical assistance to net food importing in less developed countries in all aspects of the Uruguay Round agreement on agriculture, especially in the implementation of the Uruguay Round decision on measures concerning the possible negative effect of the reformed programmes on least developed and net food importing developing countries. Fifth, the monitoring of global stock levels in relation to their impacts on world market prices should continue to receive high priority. Sixth, FAO should respond to the continued need of its developing Member States in monitoring of their national grains policies in the course of time.

Mr Chairman, finally, I would like to very briefly touch upon policies of my country on the area of food security. The major and broad macro-level food security policy of the government is assuming highest priority to the development of agriculture in the national development plans. Other policy measures are creating employment opportunities, especially low-potential area, encouraging food production through appropriate price policies and investment incentives, and land-reform policies in favour of small landholders. These policies are complemented by a strong social welfare programme including distribution of low-cost staple food and heavy susidization bread.

Application of these measures caused the average daily calorie and protein intake of the population to increase to a level of above average standards of developing countries, that is, 3 217 kilo calories and 85.6 grams of protein. During our First Five Year Development Plan (1989-93), we have successfully implemented a pivotal plan of wheat improvement which contributed greatly to our food security objectives by increasing wheat production from 7 to 11 million tons, an average yearly growth of 11 percent. This means that in spite of a population increase of 6 million during the First Five-Year Development Plan, the self-sufficiency coefficient in wheat production increased from 56 percent to 82 percent. The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to share the gained experiences from this plan and other achievements in agriculture with all other countries which may find it successful.

Alvaro GURGEL DE ALENCAR (Brazil): Mr Chairman, we are quite satisfied with the report we have before us. Of course, this being the Council, my delegation for one feels free to comment on it. However, since we have had the opportunity of speaking at length on these issues at the 20th session of the Committee I would restrict myself to highlighting some aspects which seem the most important to us. These are paragraph 11, paragraph 13, and the very first phrase of paragraph 24; but we are quite satisfied, as we said, with the report as a whole and we are prepared to adopt it.

A. Alim FAUZI (Indonesia): Mr Chairman and distinguished delegates, first of all the Indonesian delegation would like to express its appreciation to the FAO Secretariat which has prepared very good and comprehensive documents concerning the world food security, especially on the present situation.

Mr Chairman, we are aware that up to now food remains the primary issue for some of the world's population, especially those living in the developing countries. Government leaders and experts have done their best to raise food production to meet the people's demand. However, this effort has not produced encouraging results. We are aware that the developed and developing countries share to a similar extent in the increased food production in 1994, with food production increasing by 2.3 percent in the developed countries

and by 2.6 percent in the developing countries. But in fact, that, while the expansion in the developed countries food production was above the trend growth rate of the 80s and early 90s, that in developing countries compared unfavourably with the long term trends.

There are still many developing countries where food production is insufficient to meet the minimum requirement for the people. Hunger quite often still affects the majority of these countries concerned.

Mr Chairman, regarding the situations above, we agree in principle, on the FAO programmes to assist the LIFDCs in promoting agriculture production. For the first step, due to the FAO's budget constraints and also due to the limited donor countries grant and aid, we support that these programmes be started in 14 LIFDCs, of which nine countries in African region, two countries in Latin American/Caribbean region, and three countries in Asia and Pacific regions, that is, China, Nepal and Papua New Guinea. We do hope that in the long run these programmes will cover all the other LIFDCs.

Mr Chairman we realize that based on the FAO analysis of the impacts of Uruguay Round results on the agriculture sector, which might influence a rise in the international export and import prices of food and agricultural products, we are very much concerned whether such an influence in the short run will cause a decrease in the agricultural production. Therefore, we believe that a programme devoted to increase food and agriculture production which, related to the increasing of farmer's income generating programmes in the LIFDCs, must be carried out as early as possible.

Mr Chairman, with regard to the reports of the 20th session of the Committee on World Food Security held in Rome 25 to 28 April this year, the Indonesian delegation would like to join other Members of the Council in adopting the report with suggestion to follow up consequently and consistently all the approved and agreed decisions and recommendations.

Dato' Ahmad Zabri IBRAHIM (Malaysia): Thank you very much, Mr Chairman, for giving me the floor. My delegation, firstly, would like to commend FAO for providing Member Nations with valuable information on a regular basis on the world food situation and food crops and shortages through its global information and early warning system on food and agriculture.

Touching, firstly, on the current world food situation, my delegation notes with concern at FAO forecasts for global cereal stocks at the close of the country's crop years ending in 1995 to a drop for a second consecutive year. The carryover of stocks at the end of 1994-95 crop years are anticipated to fall to 304 million tons i.e., 4.5 percent below the level of 1993-94 and significantly lower than the level of 1992-93. This is in spite of the recovery in productions in many regions of the world.

Malaysia's own production of cereal and Thaily rice is projected at 2.1 million tonnes. This represents about 65 percent of our consumption. The rest is to be met from import. Our immediate plan is to increase productivity to increasing crop production per hectare while attempts are being made to increase productivity to increasing hectarage per unit of labour. As a net importer of most of its major food commodities to meet its basic food needs and related agro-base industries, my delegation would be very happy if the FAO monitoring of the world food situation eventually covers other food items of importance in greater detail, namely meat and milk. The importance of milk in infant nutrition, thus underscoring food security consideration, cannot be overemphasized, especially for countries in the tropics with lower capacity to produce such food.

As regards the reports of local food shortages, Africa continues to be the continent most severely affected. Currently 15 African countries are facing shortages in food supplies, thus requiring emergency food assistance. The food supply situation remains serious in certain parts of the Near East and Far East. Meanwhile, the food situation is also deteriorating in the regions of Bosnia and Herzogovnia as a result of the difficulties of delivering food aid.

Mr Chairman, with the cooperation of emergency assistance requirements, my delegation would like to suggest that priorities be given based on actual humanitarian consideration. We make this suggestion in view of the impending decreases in availabilities of food aid for emergency and relief purposes by donor countries. Mr Chairman, my delegation notes with interest the report of the World Food Security Committee's 20th

session, which recognized that developing countries should make efforts to invest in agriculture to increase food production while at the same time food insecurity and malnutrition were not only supply problems but also demand problems requiring ultimately poverty elevation and social equity.

Relating my country's experience in these two aspects, my delegation would favour a balanced approach in increasing food security from the supply and demand sides. My country was predominantly an agriculture country three decades ago. The incidence of poverty was highest in the small holders' sector specializing in food or non-food crops.

As a country industrializes a greater proportion of the smallholders find access to higher incomes, some permanently leaving the farms while others treat farming as a part-time occupation.

While the problem of eradicating poverty and social equity has been redressed through this process, thus reducing food insecurity and malnutrition at the household level, it cannot be said to have solved the problems of national food security. The newly acquired incomes are being spent to buy imported food. My country's yearly food import bill has reached nearly US$3 billion. The investment for food through the smallholders' sector has become more difficult than before, without government support. An alternative to balance the situation will be that involving private sector investment. Thus, based on our experience, it would be necessary to maintain a balance between investing in the supply side with that on the demand side.

With regard to the World Food Security Committee's findings on the effect of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations recently concluded, my country subscribes to the idea that it would stimulate all economic activity leading to increased demand for exports of the developing countries. This could be made possible through a reduction in protectionism and smaller distortion to the world markets. In theory, an increase in the price of food commodities as a result would stimulate production in developing countries, but this does not seem to happen. Instead, we are witnessing gains that are made in this country already with clear comparative advantage. Indeed if this shall be the outcome, food commodities shall no longer be entirely governed by the role of supply and demand on the open market but rather on the few suppliers/many buyers situation. In this respect, my country shares the concern of many net food importing countries that its food import bills cannot be too high as to put its other development programmes at risk.

Mr Chairman, with these comments, my delegation is happy to endorse the report of the Twentieth World Food Security Committee and commends FAO for its report on the current world food situation.

Juraj SOLCANY (Slovakia): Mr Chairman, the Government of the Slovak Republic has characterized its efforts to solve the food security as "the basic strategic goal", taking into account the international consequences of implications on the "Concept of the Agrarian Policy of the Slovak Republic" approved by the Slovak Parliament in July 1993. In this document there is a visible awareness of the danger from the relatively opened market, and indicated are some negative impacts resulting from the process of implementation of conclusions arising from the adoption of the GATT Uruguay Round.

Currently, in relation to the food situation, the sub-region countries, including the Slovak Republic, have to pay permanent attention to the implications of the integration into the European Union. The important document for solving the food situation of the population of the Slovak Republic is the strategic "Concept of Food Security of Slovakia" approved by the Government of the Slovak Republic in May 1995. The implementation of the conceptual and adopted conclusions will require multinational cooperation and FAO excellent expert authority and assistance. The solving of problems linked with the process of transition of the economy of the Slovak Republic and the follow-up issues arising from the agri-food sector and the securing of food safety will require analysis and recommendations interconnected with the social and economic questions. The increase of the real income of population consequently increased purchasing power and searched for possibilities to decrease the consumption of the basic food commodities, mostly of animal origin, with an intention to achieve the recommended nutritional allowances.

In spite of the fact that the Slovak Republic has to pay enhanced attention to the problems of its food and agriculture, we are able to secure the nutrition of the population within the range of health recommendations and consumer requirements by the market opened by 10% for the import of temperate zone plant and animal commodities.

Stabilization of the situation and improving the nutrition of the population is the cause for our support of the FAO Technical Committee's conclusions. We see as very topical the FAO technical assistance to the Member Nations, requiring FAO assistance to implement their national programmes of food safety and food sufficiency.

We suppose that the FAO Member Nations, including the Slovak Republic, would very much appreciate the activities of FAO in working out the policy analysis and strategic studies for the period of years 2000 and 2010, linked to implications of the GATT Uruguay Round for the export and distribution of their commodities and for the mutual trade exchange of the agricultural and food products in the world trade. We appreciate the engagement of FAO in cooperation with the World Trade Organization.

We suppose that there is a need for development of the idea of wider range elaboration of consequences of food security on the sustainable agriculture environment, activation of human resources, involvement of women in the rural issues, solving the social infrastructure and exploring the relations and restrictions of ecological and technical factors, and we have the interest to be actively involved.

As for the fate of the nations suffering from hunger and malnutrition, we are not indifferent and we are taking the liberty to express our admiration and appreciation for the effort of the Director-General of FAO to solve this situation with the specific programme for enhancing the food and agricultural production and productivity in the low-income food- deficient countries.

I would like to stress that the issue of food security is not only a quantitative problem. In the case of Central and Eastern European countries, except for these quantitative problems, the food issue has particularly qualitative aspects. Therefore, the Slovak Republic would appreciate it if our sub-region would represent one reasonable part for action.

Kevin O'BRIEN (Australia): Mr Chairman, may we join with other delegations in offering our congratulations and best wishes to you in chairing this Council session.

Australia was pleased to be able to participate in the work of this Committee when it met in April. Once again the debate was highly informed and very constructive. We believe the report is an accurate record of the meeting and we are happy to support its adoption. In doing so, we believe that there are a number of matters that are of interest to this Council which are covered in the report, and we would like to draw attention to four particular matters.

The report itself and indeed the Director-General's comments this morning have expressed concern at the low level of global cereal stocks, a point that is also reflected in the current world food situation document. Although world cereal stocks have fallen, Australia believes that a stocks-to-consumption ratio in the order of 15 to 17 percent remains within comfortable and manageable levels. Indeed the extent to which stocks have fallen is one-twentieth of the current level of world consumption, so that we would have sufficient stocks for around twenty years to cover the current level of shortfall in production should that continue, but we think that there is a more fundamental point.

We believe that the world grain trade has amply demonstrated the capacity to move food around the globe in order to meet shortfalls in individual countries. This capacity should be facilitated as restrictions in trade, in investment, and in services are progressively liberalized. There is no longer the need to maintain high national or international stock levels to ensure that world food security considerations are met. This is not to say that stock levels are not important; it means that we have to continue to update our thinking about the way in which we approach these issues. We welcome the request from the Committee to the Secretariat to re-study the question of what are minimum safe levels for stocks.

Too frequently perhaps we tend to look at questions in aggregate. We tend to look at total production levels, we tend to look at overall world cereal prices, we tend to look at global stocks, but do these considerations take account of the need to look at world food security issues not just globally but at a household, sub-national, national and regional level? We believe that there is also a tendency to concentrate predominantly on

the supply side of the equation. We think that the report importantly notes that food security and malnutrition are not just food supply problems, but are also demand problems requiring ultimate addressing of poverty and social equity considerations.

We would note that world cereal production in 1994 is estimated to be some 3.6 percent above 1993 levels. In our own case, our production and export availability had fallen substantially that year, but we are happy to note that Australia expects to see production return to more normal levels in 1995-96 after the drought-affected period of the last 18 months. Our grains marketing boards are committed to remaining reliable suppliers of grain and are in close contact with their long-term customers.

Secondly, Mr Chairman, we would like to applaud the comprehensive and very honest approach taken by the Committee to identify the root causes of the continuing presence of food insecurity throughout the world, and in particular the debilitating effects of political and social instability. We would note that various forms of civil unrest occur in more than 50 of the countries that are identified in the low-income food deficit group. This greatly accentuates the difficulties that they face in trying to improve their food security situation.

We are also greatly concerned that the number of countries requiring emergency or exceptional assistance in 1995 remains at a high level. In this context we can understand the concerns of some delegates at the declining levels of food aid and the recent substantial reduction in the minimum commitments under the Food Aid Convention. We note that these are minimum contributions and that donor countries may continue their previous practice of providing well in excess of these amounts. For our part, Australia will be pleased to maintain its minimum food aid commitment at 300 000 tonnes per annum of wheat or grain equivalent products, and we may be able to ship more than that.

Thirdly, Mr Chairman, if I could turn to the discussion in the report on the possible impact of the Uruguay Round, Australia believes that the repon in this respect presents a balanced account of the views expressed by Member Nations.

We welcome the agreement that the Secretariat should undertake further analyses to assist the impact of implementing the Round outcomes on least-developed and net food-importing countries including the European countries in transition. We fully endorse the statement in the Report where the Committee expressed the potential of the Round to stimulate world economic activity leading to increased demand for the exports of developing countries. We are firmly of the view that trade liberalization and the strengthening of the GATT rules to incorporate agriculture will contribute to enhance the food security situation and will have long-term benefits for the trading prospects of all agricultural producers, especially in the emergent developing country nations. We believe FAO has an important role to play in ensuring that the policies adopted by low-income countries are able to adjust to improve their production potential and to develop sustainable agricultural activity within their nations to improve the food security concerns at a sub-national and household level.

Mr Chairman, Australia strongly agrees with the sentiment contained in various parts of the Report that food security is not to be equated with narrow self-sufficiency considerations in food production but rather should embrace the whole concept of self-reliance. We are pleased that this is a concept that is gaining greater recognition and appreciation because it is only in this way we can attempt to address this very crucial issue in a comprehensive and constructive manner. We would encourage the various Committees of the Organization to apply this concept in a consistent and constructive fashion.

We believe that food security can be helped by many factors, other than those which relate directly to increasing agricultural production. These factors include but are not limited to appropriate economic policies, targeted development assistance, the ability to trade freely, access to adequate educational facilities, acknowledging the very important and fundamental role of women in the development process and enabling people participation in decisions that affect their livelihood, the provision of safe drinking water and adequate post-harvest storage facilities and appropriate infrastructure development.

Mr Chairman, we also have some comments on some other aspects of the Report but we are happy to take those up as you suggested in the context of discussions on the World Food Summit and will leave our points on those until then.

Sra. Ileana Maritza LOPEZ TURCIOS (Honduras): Me uno, Sr. Presidente, a las expresiones de felicitación ya dichas por mis colegas por presidir usted este período de sesiones.

Consideramos conveniente manifestarle nuestra inquietud y preocupación por la constante disminución de los niveles de ayuda alimentaria y por la sustancial reducción que se registra en la asignación mínima en el marco del convenio sobre ayuda alimentaria.

Mi delegación, Sr. Presidente, desea además llamar la atención sobre los esfuerzos que vienen realizando nuestros países en relación con la inversión en la agricultura y en la opción de políticas apropiadas. Estos aspectos, a nuestro juicio, tienen una importancia fundamental para el aumento de la producción de alimentos y, en consecuencia, para la inseguridad alimentaria.

Estimo oportuno resaltar al respecto, sin embargo, que la inseguridad alimentaria y la malnutrición son problemas íntimamente asociados, además que son el suministro de alimentos también, con la demanda de estos y la mitigación de la pobreza y la equidad social.

Estamos convencidos de que el tema de la inseguridad alimentaria debe abordarse, sobre todo, mediante la mejora del acceso de los hogares a los alimentos, compartiendo la pobreza y generando empleos y oportunidades de ingreso. A este respecto los países del Istmo Centroamericano están seriamente comprometidos con la promoción del adelanto social y económico de la mujer rural en el marco de los planes de desarrollo humano.

Los países del Istmo centroamericano reiteran su interés por la puesta en marcha del programa especial sobre la producción de alimentos en apoyo de la seguridad alimentaria, y expresar su pleno apoyo a este Programa.

En cuanto al informe del 20° período de sesiones del Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria recogido en el documento CL 108/10, mi delegación lo aprueba. Permítame, también, referirme al Proyecto de Declaración de Política y Plan de Acción para la Cumbre Mundial sobre la Alimentación y expresarle que opinamos, en forma general, que el documento CFS:95/4, discutido durante el 108° período de sesiones del Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria, constituye una buena base, ya que estimamos que son puntos de partida válidos.

Supote DECHATES (Thailand): Once again, my delegation is very pleased to see you chairing this Council. My congratulations also extend to the officers in the bureau. Following your instruction on this agenda item, I will not comment on a World Food Summit but at the later stage.

The Report of the 20th Session of the Committee on World Food Security is generally endorsed by my delegation, and while we share the view as indicated in paragraph 16 of the document CL 108/10, due to the impact of the Uruguay Round, there are projected short-term negative effects of the net food-importing developing countries, particularly the higher world food prices and the increased food import bills. However, we feel that several countries could adjust their food policy by focusing more on increasing food production in order to avoid the increase of food import bills.

With regard to the current world food situation, my delegation is absolutely in agreement with paragraph 4 of document CL 108/2. As indicated in that paragraph, Thailand is one of the major cereal-producing countries especially for rice. May I report to you that paddy production in Thailand for the year 1994-95 is forecasted at 20 million metric tonnes or 2 million metric tonnes higher than the previous year. We also anticipate that in 1995 we could increase our export of rice from 4.2 million metric tonnes to 4.5 million metric tonnes. We hope this availability of rice in the world market could secure the demand of rice importing countries.

Joseph K. MHELLA (Tanzania): Thank you Mr Chairman for giving my delegation the floor. We are happy to see you once again in the Chair and we are impressed by the manner by which you are guiding the deliberations of this Council.

Mr Chairman, my delegation participated in the 20th Session of the Committee on World Food Security last April and we are fully supportive of the Report. We, however, have to emphasize one point in regard to sustainable agriculture and food security in connection with the launching of the Special Programme on Food

Production for Security in Low-Income Food-Security Countries. This is in reference to paragraph 27 of the Report. My delegation supports the stand for equal attention to be given to both low potential or poor resource areas and high potential areas. This is shared by many African countries, including Kenya and Ethiopia to mention just a few. It is through giving attention to both areas that we can better improve world food security.

Regarding the food situation in Tanzania, Mr Chairman, I would like to inform the Council that Tanzania expects to get much better harvest this year than last year. The country has had good rains except in a few areas where either much of the rain came a little bit late or excessive rain in some areas destroyed the crop. On average, however, the country will harvest enough for local consumption.

The food security situation, however, in the areas surrounding the Rwanda/Burundi refugee camps is still causing concern to Tanzania. In these areas there is a lucrative trade in food between refugees and the local population. Because of the high prices there is danger for the local population selling much of their food harvests unless refugees continue to be supplied with adequate food supplies by the international community. Through this Council, Mr Chairman, Tanzania requests the international community to continue making available adequate food supplies to the refugees numbering more than 600 000 people.

Ms Lynnett M. WAGNER (United States of America): The United States finds the Committee on World Security Reports to be well-balanced in its portrayal of the world food situation; particularly we appreciate the Report's recommendations, the FAO monitor and the impact of the Uruguay Round Agreement on low-impact countries. We must remember that all major studies of the potential impact of the Uruguay Round point to gains in income for developing countries as a whole. As far as food aid is concerned the United States has also provided food at levels far higher than our pledges under the Food Aid Conventions, especially with regard to emergency. The Clinton Administration request for 1996 will allow the United States to significantly exceed our pledge again next year. The United States will also focus a higher percentage of its food aid on food deficit countries and that has supported efforts by the World Food Programme to do the same. We note that civil unrest is a major cause of food insecurity that must be taken into account in any FAO formulation. We suggest continuing FAO attention, increasing food output in high potential areas, for the present programme emphasis may yield the best results on the grounds of equity, environment and economics. The United States will urge programme attention to resource poor areas on the grounds of equity and because these areas are that way in part due to previous neglect.

Given the Director-General's statement this morning anticipating a ten percent drop in cereal stocks, we would urge all member countries to review their own policies and programmes in this area. We agree with the note of caution about the current world food situation and urge FAO to monitor developments closely, as the United States will. We urge adoption of the Committee on World Food Security report, Council document CL 108/10.

Adel M. ABOUL-NAGA (Egypt) (Original language Arabic): At the outset, I would like to stress that my country endorses the conclusions of the last session of the Committee on Food Security. We consider its report one of the most important reports ever adopted since it is balanced and focuses on the most salient points. We thank His Excellency Mr Jacques Laureau for the efforts he has made which have led to such impressive results. In my intervention I will focus on an extremely important point for my country and for many developing countries, in particular in Africa and in the Near East. Paragraphs 16 to 22 of the report are vitally important for them regarding the projected short-term negative effects of the agreement on agriculture in the Uruguay Round on the net food importing developing countries and the least-developed countries. I would like to mention in particular the difficulties that these countries will face in the short term in funding their normal imports of staple food. The Committee has agreed to identify ways and means of implementing this decision with a view to setting up a transparent regime to avoid such an effect before the countries of those two groups face extreme difficulties in financing their food imports whose bills will increase because of the Uruguay Round.

The role of FAO was stressed in the implementation of such a decision in coordination with the Agricultural Committee of WTO. It was also stressed that the Organization should continue to provide financial assistance to its Member in this field. The Committee has requested that the Organization provide assistance in

identifying the net food importing countries which would be eligible to receive assistance and aid with a view to reducing the effects of the Uruguay Round. It was also stressed that the Secretariat should carry out further analysis to assess the impact of the Uruguay Round on the least-developed countries as well as the net food importer developing countries and the European countries suffering from the transitional period.

My Delegation requests that the Council's Report clearly endorse those recommendations which are of extreme importance to members of the Council and of the Organization as a whole.

Fernando GERBASI (Venezuela): Gracias señor Presidente. Hemos analizado con atención el Informe de la FAO sobre la situación mundial de la agricultura y la alimentación, el cual queremos agradecer de manera muy especial. Al respecto nos complace constatar que el aumento en la producción mundial de alimentos superó el crecimiento demográfico mundial. En consecuencia, la disponibilidad per cápita de alimentos ha aumentado en términos globales y seguirá manteniendo esta tendencia. Pero a pesar de esto, en los países en desarrollo persisten significativos problemas de desnutrición y hambre, y, en la región de América Latina y El Caribe, la pobreza se ha incrementado hasta alcanzar niveles realmente insostenibles.

Sin embargo, señor Presidente, nos alienta el pequeño aumento en la producción de alimentos que se registró en nuestra región y el aporte de este aumento a la producción mundial, aun cuando el aumento de alimentos básicos por habitante fue marginal. Vale la pena subrayar que los países en desarrollo continúan enfrentando dificultades para colocar la producción en los mercados internacionales, y que, como consecuencia del aumento de los precios internacionales, se han encarecido los alimentos que importamos, afectando o dificultando la posibilidad de adquisición por parte de un amplio margen de la población.

Mi Delegación considera que tanto el volumen de la producción como la distribución de alimentos de base, deben mejorarse para satisfacer las necesidades de la población y para evitar que el crecimiento supere la producción de alimentos.

Quiero enfatizar, que en la actual coyuntura, la región de América Latina y el Caribe necesita de especial atención por parte de la FAO en lo que a cooperación y asesoramiento técnico se refiere.

Quiero simplemente señalar ahora algunas medidas que ha adoptado mi Gobierno en materia agrícola y que hemos incluido en el 9° Plan de la Nación, que acabamos de poner en práctica, y cuyo objetivo, entre otros, es el logro de la seguridad alimentaria, el cual contempla el aprovechamiento racional de los recursos para atender de manera prioritaria las necesidades alimentarias de la población venezolana. Estamos adelantando también, con la ayuda y la colaboración de la FAO, la Ley Orgánica de Desarrollo Agrícola y Seguridad Alimentaria, la cual coadyuvará al logro de tal objetivo.

Para mi país es urgente alcanzar niveles adecuados de seguridad alimentaria, a fin de disminuir los déficits nutricionales de los sectores más pobres de la población. Y, por ello, en el 9° Plan de la Nación se expone que, la distribución y abastecimiento de alimentos requieren de un conjunto de programas aptos para mejorar la comercialización a nivel urbano y rural, por lo que se hace indispensable la modernización del comercio detallista, la reorganización y creación de mercados mayoristas y un plan de ordenación espacial de los puntos de venta relacionados con la distribución de alimentos.

Estamos promoviendo también, cadenas agroalimentarias, apoyando preferentemente a la pequeña y mediana industria agroalimentaria y de procesamiento de productos agrícolas y pesqueros, mediante la acción concertada del estado para el financiamiento de las deudas, la recuperación y mantenimiento de equipos y las mejoras de los factores de competitividad. Igualmente se busca establecer y consolidar el sistema de formación de precios que hagan rentables la producción primaria y reduzcan los niveles de incertidumbre que sobre los precios de los productos agrícolas tengan los precios internacionales. Ello se alcanzará mediante la concertación entre productores e industriales, la adopción del sistema andino de franjas de precios, y el funcionamiento de la bolsa de productos agrícolas.

Estamos plenamente convencidos, señor Presidente, de que la FAO debe desempeñar un papel fundamental al apoyar y colaborar con las políticas y proyectos que estamos adelantando, destinados a la optimización del sector agropecuario, mediante estrategias productivas que nos permitirán satisfacer la seguridad alimentaria y

alcanzar una agricultura sustentable. Pero es necesario también, dar prioridad y apoyo al papel de la FAO como organismo asesor sobre políticas y facilitador de cooperación técnica.

La FAO tiene un importante mandato para promocionar el desarrollo del sector agrícola; por ello, debe continuar con la preparación de programas de información sobre la economía, la realización de asesorías sobre planificación, y la asistencia técnica y, dentro de éstos, dar mayor impulso a los programas de cooperación técnica entre países en desarrollo, pues serán una ayuda importante para lograr tales objetivos.

Señor Presidente, para finalizar, y refiriéndome al informe del Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria, que recogen los planteamientos y los elementos que deberán estar incluidos tanto en la Declaración como en el Plan de Acción, expreso la aprobación y conformidad de mi Delegación con dicho Informe. Sin embargo, al tratar el Tema 4, volveremos a detenernos en los elementos presentes en el Informe y, comentaremos con mayor detalle los aspectos de contenido, de políticas y de organización de la Cumbre Mundial sobre la Alimentación. Muchísimas gracias señor Presidente.

Pedro MEDRANO ROJAS (Chile): Gracias señor Presidente. Deseo hacer unos breves comentarios sobre los documentos 108/2 y 108/10 que tenemos para decisión y que se refieren al informe de la 20a Sesión del Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria Mundial y a la situación actual de la alimentación en el mundo.

En las reuniones respectivas del referido Comité, tuvimos la oportunidad de hacer referencia específica respecto de los análisis presentados por la Secretaría, de manera que no lo repetiremos en esta oportunidad, ya que se encuentran plenamente reflejados en el Informe.

En términos generales quisiéramos, sin embargo, destacar algunos hechos que merecen una atención especial.

En primer lugar, resulta alentador que las estimaciones de la producción de alimentos para 1994, muestren un nuevo crecimiento a nivel mundial de 2,5 por ciento y que éste sea superior al crecimiento demográfico mundial. He de resaltar, asimismo, la contribución que han hecho, casi en términos similares, tanto los países desarrollados como en vías de desarrollo, a pesar de las variaciones que registran las diferentes regiones. En lo que respecta a América Latina y el Caribe el aumento de un 4,7 por ciento de aumento en la producción de alimentos, es ciertamente una contribución importante de la región en la producción mundial.

Desde el punto de vista de la producción por habitante de alimentos básicos, es igualmente importante el aumento registrado en 1994, a 382 Kg. (equivalente en gramos, de acuerdo con lo que señala el Informe), a pesar de que es inferior al alcanzado en la década anterior, comienzos de los noventa. En el contexto de los países en vías de desarrollo nos preocupa la situación de los países de Africa que corresponde apenas a la mitad del nivel medio en las regiones de los países en desarrollo. Es más preocupación aún por la grave escasez de alimentos en muchos de estos países, por el aumento de las situaciones de emergencia que afectan a la población civil como consecuencia de condiciones climáticas adversas y de conflictos sociales.

Es por ello Sr. Presidente, que nos permitimos insistir en la necesidad de concentrar los esfuerzos en la recuperación de la capacidad productiva de los países de bajos ingresos con déficit de alimentos a fin de poder garantizar la seguridad alimentaria. En tal sentido consideramos muy importante el Programa Especial sobre Producción de Alimentos en Apoyo de la Seguridad Alimentaria en estos países, que el Sr. Director General ha puesto en ejecución y esperamos que en la próxima reunión del Comité podamos otorgarle la debida atención a este importante programa de la FAO.

Un segundo aspecto que quisiéramos comentar es la estrecha relación entre la pobreza, la seguridad alimentaria y la sostenibilidad del medio ambiente.

Es un aspecto que ha sido ampliamente comentado y que se refleja tanto en las intervenciones de los distinguidos representantes como en el Informe del Comité, razón por la cual no haré mayor referencia a ello.

Un tercer elemento que quisiera destacar es el impacto que tendrán los acuerdos alcanzados en la Ronda Uruguay, tanto en la producción como en el comercio agrícola. Al respecto compartimos plenamente lo señalado en el Informe en cuanto a los resultados positivos que tendrían en la estimulación de la actividad económica mundial. Nuestro país es de la opinión de que las disposiciones del acuerdo de la Ronda Uruguay,

del GATT, deben ser finalmente aplicadas, incluyendo la decisión de la Ronda Uruguay sobre medidas relativas a los posibles efectos negativos del Programa de Reforma en los países menos adelantados y en los países en desarrollo, importadores de alimentos. La existencia técnica que pueda proporcionar la FAO a estos países para enfrentar debidamente las exigencias de este nuevo orden comercial, la consideramos de la mayor pertinencia. Asimismo, estimamos muy necesario que la Secretaría evalúe en forma regular los efectos de la aplicación de la Ronda Uruguay en los países menos adelantados y en los países en desarrollo importadores netos de alimentos, tal como se señala en el párrafo 22 del documento CL 08/10.

Quiero aprovechar la oportunidad para señalar que mi país considera que la apertura del sector agrícola al comercio internacional constituye un eje central del proceso de transformación y modernización, tanto de la propia agricultura como de la economía del país en su conjunto. Pensamos, eso sí, que el mayor daño que se puede causar a la producción doméstica es aceptar que ingresen al mercado local productos agrícolas con precios artificiales y/o transitoriamente deprimidos, como consecuencia de la distorsión de los mercados internacionales y/o de los subsidios encubiertos arancelarios.

En relación a los productos sensibles o estratégicos nos hemos propuesto una transición gradual utilizando los mecanismos previstos en los acuerdos internacionales, cautelando los intereses de los medianos y pequeños productores.

Por otra parte, a nivel nacional, hemos tomado una serie de medidas para mejorar las condiciones de acceso de los productores nacionales a los insumos y a los bienes de capital necesarios para la producción. En esta política, nuestro compromiso es apoyar todas las medidas de modernización y de apertura de nuevos mercados que el sector privado esté dispuesto a desarrollar en el antiguo rol que le compete en este ámbito.

Una particular atención otorgamos a la política fiscal, monetaria, cambiaria y de comercio exterior, y si bien no en todas ellas podemos disponer de los mismos instrumentos, no podemos negar los efectos directos que tienen en la producción nacional. Por ejemplo, no siempre es posible compensar con aumentos de productividad una baja de los precios de la competencia o de los costos de producción de los productos sustituibles. Una revaluación o devaluación de nuestra moneda tiene incidencia directa en la producción local, cuando ésta está abierta a la competencia del comercio internacional, con mercados cada vez más abiertos y competitivos.

Pensamos que para la seguridad alimentaria mundial y de cada país, estos aspectos son altamente relevantes.

Por último, Sr. Presidente, junto con expresar nuestro acuerdo a los informes que se nos presentan, deseo apoyar la propuesta de agenda que se presenta para la próxima reunión del Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria Mundial, en el entendido de que el próximo Comité deberá destinar una parte importante de su tiempo a los preparativos de la próxima Cumbre Mundial de la Alimentación. Gracias Sr. Presidente.

Juan NUIRY SANCHEZ (Cuba): Entendemos por necesario, Sr. Presidente, se nos permita profundizar en aspectos que, dentro del amplio abanico de temas, están contemplados de una forma u otra dentro del ámbito de la seguridad alimentaria mundial, como tarea priorizada y promotora de nuestra Organización, precisando que por la calidad del informe y el rico debate dentro de las sesiones del Comité, nuestra delegación manifiesta su conformidad y apoyo a este informe.

Transcurre, Sr. Presidente, este 108° período de sesiones del Consejo de la FAO precisamente en mitad de 1995, y el año de 1995 es un año de grandes conmemoraciones dentro del sistema de las Naciones Unidas y su más alta instancia, la ONU, y particularmente nuestra Organización FAO. Bajo las cenizas del holocausto de la II Guerra Mundial, surgió la idea de la creación de la FAO, bajo la concepción de la cooperación internacional en la búsqueda de soluciones para contrarrestar el lacerante flagelo del hambre. Cuántos recuerdos, dentro de otras y esta misma sala de reuniones, testigo de tantos debates y búsqueda de soluciones con la participación de todos los países de las más recónditas regiones del mundo, bajo la égida de la FAO. Sería interesante preguntarse, al igual que nosotros hemos examinado aquellos acontecimientos de hace 50 años con ojos escrutadores y analíticos, cómo contemplarán 50 años después nuestras actuaciones las futuras generaciones.

Aquí surge otra interrogante. En 1945 existió una voluntad política ante una realidad incuestionable para la creación de la FAO. Con relación a su seguridad alimentaria, en 1995 la situación del mundo no ha cambiado; por el contrario, se ha agravado. Sólo un ejemplo para no remitirnos a las propias cifras de la FAO. El mundo ha crecido y sigue creciendo. ¿Qué se ha hecho de esa voluntad política?

Antes de otras consideraciones, Sr. Presidente, permítame algunas reflexiones nacidas, naturalmente, de nuestra procedencia. Somos por condición e identidad, producto de un mundo en desarrollo, latinoamericano y del Caribe, razón por la que el actual estado de pobreza y alimentación de nuestra región la situamos en el centro de nuestras preocupaciones. Además de esa primordial realidad, como estado fundador nos unen a la FAO lazos de plena identidad y cooperación que se han ido fortaleciendo en pleno reconocimiento de sus funciones, además de nuestro convencimiento de la necesidad de los organismos internacionales.

Dentro de un mundo controvertido y hegemónico que ha roto su equilibrio, la política multilateral representa el ejercicio adecuado, dentro de su representatividad y amplio debate democrático y el ámbito apropiado para el análisis reposado y transparente de la problemática del mundo. De todo lo anterior expresado, Sr. Presidente, se desprende, como piedra angular del problema, que su índole es política, y, sobre todo, constituye un problema de voluntad política.

Sr. Presidente, planteamos y abogamos por el fortalecimiento de la FAO y de su actual dirección, por estar convencidos de la necesidad de la cooperación internacional, y por ser la FAO el órgano necesario e insustituible para llevar a cabo la ayuda a los países en vías de desarrollo, para mitigar el hambre y la pobreza en nuestros pueblos. Bajo esta realidad, los países en desarrollo tratan de buscar soluciones a su problemática las cuales no son efectivas sin la decidida cooperación internacional. ¿Quién puede, responsablemente, impedir este reclamo?

La historia de nuestra situación es tan vieja como conocida, por eso no vamos a remitirnos a sus orígenes coloniales, raíces de estas desproporciones; vamos a situarnos en esta hora, en este momento, a las puertas de un nuevo siglo. ¿Pueden los pueblos en desarrollo sacudirse el polvo de su pobreza e iniciar un camino de recuperación hacia un legítimo desarrollo sin elevar su nivel científico-técnico, sin el incremento de su producción y productividad, sin contar con el intercambio tecnológico sin la capacidad y la igualdad y sin la capacitación en igualdad de condiciones de la mujer? ¿Pueden pretender los pueblos que tratan de elevar sus niveles de desarrollo, lograr sus objetivos sin la cooperación internacional y sin la ayuda multilateral? A esta necesaria cooperación dentro de la política multilateral se le suman a nuestros pueblos tener que sostener sobre sus hombros la carga de un sistema de intercambio desigual, el proteccionismo y una abultada deuda externa, reiterando en casos específicos como el de nuestro país, la utilización de los alimentos como arma política, que además de señalarla la denunciamos una vez más como utilización impropia, injusta e inhumana.

No se puede condenar a un pueblo al hambre por el único delito de no pensar igual que aquellos que nos bloquean, recrudeciendo medidas que han sido condenadas internacionalmente.

Finalmente, Sr. Presidente, entendemos que si antes existió una década perdida, a ésta del 90 le puede corresponder el calificativo de la década crítica.

Noah M. NKAMBULE (Swaziland): I wish to thank you for giving me the floor. My delegation is particularly appreciative of this opportunity to comment because, in spite of full membership of the Committee on World Food Security, we were not able to attend the 20th Session in April 1995. For this reason I wish to commend the Secretariat in preparing a very informative document which has been very enlightening indeed on the subject under discussion.

Mr Chairman, my delegation wishes to fully agree with the analysis contained in paragraph 13 on document CL 108/2 and CL 108/10, both of which confirm the serious localized drought in Southern Africa, including my own country of Swaziland.

To this end, Mr Chairman, I wish to thank both FAO and the WFP for fielding a joint mission earlier this year to assess the magnitude of the drought in my country. It is my delegation's hope that friendly countries as well as the WFP will donate generously food aid items to my country where currently approximately 90 000 people are facing severe water shortages in addition to food shortages.

My delegation wishes further to submit that some parts of sub-Saharan Africa are not only facing food shortages but water shortages because of high recurrence of drought. This situation threatens the very foundation of agriculture in developing countries which largely depend on natural rainfall.

My delegation wishes to commend the FAO for continuing to assist member countries to develop policies and programmes that will help transform agriculture through intensive technologies such as those relevant to small-scale irrigation development.

Lastly, Mr Chairman, my delegation wishes to endorse the report contained in document CL 108/10. I thank you.

Nahi SHIBANI (Syria) (Original language Arabic): Thank you, Mr Chairman, my delegation wishes to applaud the efforts made in preparing the documents at present before us: CL 108/10 and CL 108/2. I think we've had a very rich debate which has expanded the information available in these documents. However, I would like to stress one aspect which I believe has not been fully or sufficiently covered in these two documents. I refer to the need to strengthen the amount of food being made available by cutting down the losses which occur during production, transport, and prior to consumption - post-harvest losses, for example. We all realize what an important thing this is because the amount of these losses could represent 20 percent of the total production level in some countries, especially in developing countries.

Now, Mr Chairman, it is clear that the measures that have been taken to cut down these losses are of clear economic advantage. We believe that it is necessary to stipulate explicitly in the report that there is this need to further reduce these losses in food commodities. We believe that FAO should assist developing countries and enable them to prepare their own specific strategies which would help reduce these losses. This would mean that it would be, thus, possible to increase the amount of food available in the world at large. Thank you Mr Chairman.

CONGMENG LIU (China) (Original language Chinese): Mr Chairman, the Chinese Delegation has carefully gone through the documents CL 108/2 and CL 108/10. Now I would like to share some of our views on this item on the current world food situation.

Mr Chairman, first of all, the world food production in 1994 showed an increase by 2.5 percent, which was above the level. The Chinese Delegation is of the view that, in general, the world food and agriculture situation in 1994 was developing along the direction all of us had been wishing for with agriculture growth higher than population growth. Per capita grain production was much high as compared with 1993. It is our hope that this trend will continue.

On the other hand, we don't think we should be too optimistic about the current world food situation since the

agricultural growth of 1994 was to a large extent related to global economic recovery and favourable weather conditions. World grain production has been suffering continuous decline since the 1991 record of 2 145 billion tons, and the production of 1994 was merely a recovery during the overall trend of decline. In terms of per capita grain production, the 382 kilograms of 1994 was still 23 kilograms less than the 405 kilograms of 1990. Therefore, the world food security in 1994 was deteriorating and the level of global cereal stocks versus consumption had come to the minimum level necessary to ensure world food security.

Mr Chairman, secondly we believe that there still exist many problems in the area of world food and agriculture which are of concern. Firstly, the development in different regions was imbalanced, agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa was well below the world average; the former Soviet Union and Eastern European countries experienced a negative growth.

Secondly, 5 percent decrease in wheat production and strong demand of import by developing countries had led to high price of wheat as well as of rice and corn. The net grain importing developing countries have to pay more foreign currencies to buy grain, which consequently affected their food security situation. Estimates showed that in 1994 over 30 countries faced the problem of food shortages. Besides, food aid was also on the decrease. Food aid in 1994 was 9.8 million tonnes, far below the level of 13.3 million tonnes in 1993.

Therefore, we appeal to all governments and the international community to work together and put the issue of food security and grain production increase at the top of their agenda in their national economic development. Concrete measures meanwhile should be taken to increase grain production. We also wish that developed countries and the international community would take active measures to assist low-income and food-deficit countries by offering more food aid.

Mr Chairman, please allow me to take this opportunity to brief the Council on China's agricultural production in 1994.

Despite serious natural calamities, China's grain and cotton production in 1994 achieved good harvests together with a rising production of meat, fish, poultry and vegetables. Township enterprises continued to expand rapidly and farmers' income gained steady increases.

Total production of grain in 1994 reached 444.5 million tonnes; that of cotton, 4.25 million tonnes; of oil-bearing crops, 19.84 million tonnes; of meat, 43 million tonnes; and of aquatic products, 20.98 million tonnes.

Sales revenue of township enterprises reached 3 500 billion Chinese yuan, increasing by 35 percent. Farmers' per capita income reached 1 220 yuans, an increase of 5 percent taking into consideration the factor of inflation.

The development of rural economy has supported the growth of our national economy as a whole and we have basically met the needs in national economic development and people's livelihood. In 1995, the Chinese Government has taken a series of measures aimed at enhancing agricultural development. We are striving to obtain a grain production of 454.5 million tonnes, strike a balance between grain supply and demand, and achieve grain self-sufficiency so that China will be able to feed its own population.

We endorse the work done by the Secretariat and also the analysis on the food situation in the world.

Toivo PALM (Estonia): Thank you, Mr Chairman. I would like to make a rather short remark about the situation in Estonia. Estonia is presently in the midst of a process to restructure and reform the agricultural sector and the economy in society at large. The collapse of the Soviet Union dramatically altered our production structure and initiated a rapid decollectivization and the privatization of farms. The agricultural sector is adjusting to these fundamental changes, and currently two generations of farmers are learning their new principles and skills of market economy and free enterprise.

Developments in the agricultural sector are closely linked to overall national and rural development. Rural unemployment is a growing concern with bleak future prospects in agriculture, and the younger generation does not find agricultural jobs attractive and seeks employment in the urban areas. Due to this, land reform has highest priority; the reform agenda in Estonia will be made transparent and reform programme and meet there very good communication with farmers.

In spite of this, we are a rather high percentage of rural inhabitants which have stayed unemployed but potentially are able to produce agricultural production, traditionally dairy production and meat. That's why we are very happy if FAO will find a possibility to discuss some programmes of marketing and, maybe, discussing programmes about devising new marketing systems. It will maybe ease to some extent of food insecurity, and also it will ease the situation with rural development in transition countries, not only in Estonia but rather big numbers of post-socialistic countries where will be also expected some food insecurity if we don't find the new markets for our production.

SECRETARY-GENERAL: The Secretariat has received the following statement with request for insertion in the verbatim records under item 5 of the agenda.

John NASASIRA (Uganda): Uganda is pleased to participate in the 108th Session of the Council and contribute to the review of problems associated with the Global Food Situation and related matters.

As you are aware, Mr Chairman, man's struggle for existence has led to the exploitation of the environment for food and agricultural production; increased agricultural production associated with use of agro-chemical and mineral fertilizers is likely to exacerbate the already severe global environment problems. Yet the world is faced with a challenge of feeding its ever increasing population where about 94 percent of the total increment in population will be in developing countries.

This phenomenon has far reaching implications. FAO projects that by 2010 as many as 730 million people in developing countries will suffer from undernutrition against 800 million today. In sub-Saharan Africa 300 million people will be affected.

Mr Chairman, this situation needs a concerted effort and will be alleviated fully by doubling food production to 4 percent and halving population growth by 1.5 percent. The capacity of the world, especially the developing countries to meet its food requirements will depend on both endogenous and exogenous factors to the agricultural sector. These include peace and security, conducive governance, gender household participation in decision-making, infrastructure, improved research and technology, increased market access, rural financing, appropriate policies and implementation capacities.

There is wide spread evidence of environment degradation in the tropics and sub-tropics in general. This is also true with developing countries. So it is especially important for countries in these regions to lay strategies and policies that will ensure effective environment conservation e.g. afforestation, soil erosion control, judicious use of swamps, etc. because lack of action on their part will affect global food supply in the long run. Dumping of toxic wastes, especially to some sub-Saharan African countries, poses yet another threat to environment. Effects of such action have repercussions to our effort to develop sustainable food security.

Mr Chairman, the role of women and youths in the agricultural economy as key players is well known. Unfortunately these groups of producers have been overburdened and marginalized in terms of resources and market benefits of their own sweat to the detriment of fostering agricultural production. This is more so in the developing countries. It is therefore imperative for these countries to put in place policies designed to empower the women and youths through income-generating activities and to ensure accessibility to land, credit, education and extension services since they are the primary producers of food.

Improved terms of trade between nations and the Uruguay Round Agreement which was meant to stimulate. trade should also play a major role in food security and agricultural trade. The Agreement should be effectively implemented in favour of developing countries.

Mr Chairman, in the whole world 260 million hectares of land are irrigated. For developing countries as a whole, rainfed land with crop potential is estimated at 2 570 million hectares compared to 750 million hectares presently cultivated. In Uganda only 3 percent of the land in irrigated. There is therefore considerable potential to expand agricultural production by exploiting irrigation. However, the costs involved are prohibitive for most developing countries. Concerted effort to devise cheaper means of utilizing this technology could then be implemented in developing countries as packages.

Mr Chairman, if food crop production has to be increased, both the area under crops, yield and level of mechanization should be raised. This is especially so in the developing countries. But due to the high costs involved, the use of drought animals (cattle, donkeys, etc.) as a source of power presents itself as an appropriate affordable and sustainable technology. This would also go a long way in reducing farm drudgery on a wide range of farm operations especially for women.

Post-harvest losses contribute a substantial threat to food security since they account for about 10 percent -40 percent, in most developing countries. This is due to storage pests e.g. the larger grain borer, etc. Therefore adequate measures should be taken to reduce these losses by grading, packaging and fumigation. Transportation across countries should be well coordinated so as to control or avoid introduction of pest through food grain.

Mr Chairman, in the case of Uganda, agriculture is and will for sometime remain the mainstay of the Ugandan economy as it accounts for 51 percent of GDP, 91 percent of exports and employs over 80 percent of the employed household population and also provides for agrobased industry and processing.

Fortunately, the agricultural sector has been growing at an average rate of 4.4 percent per annum (1991-93), the food crop sector accounting for much of this growth.

This has been, due to the overall policy of the Government, which is to marshal political and social forces towards economic development at grassroots level by pursuing a policy to build an independent, integrated and self-sustaining national economy through diversification of agricultural production, import substitution and industry and agriculture, modernization of the agricultural sector, construction of basic industries and the development of appropriate technology for Uganda. Priority is also given to the maximum development of Human resources.

Within this framework Mr Chairman, the general sectoral objectives of the Government are to guarantee national security, increase food production for self sufficiency, ensure food security and adequate nutrition. Agricultural exports will be liberalized, diversified and increased.

The Government of Uganda has also set up a reform policy conducive to investment in agricultural food and agrobased industries. A dynamic private sector has emerged as a result of deregulation of the economy.

This, coupled with decentralization of administrative planning and decision-making functions at the grassroots level, will stimulate food production for the population in the longrun.

Mr Chairman, despite the abundant resources for food production Uganda is endowed with the attainability of food security is not without challenges and these are:

Over reliance on rainfed agriculture;

Necessity for new and appropriate technology;

Low investment in the agricultural sector by both public and private;

Ensuring security and peace in the country and the region as a whole;

Problems associated with marketing, e.g. low value and highly perishable products;

Capacity building to manage population growth, food production and environmental, issues;

Aquatic resource management;

Biodiversity management and conservation issues;

Land tenure systems;

Desertification;

Health - AIDS affects the most productive sectors of the population; Overuse of Pesticides and Fertilizers; Gender-related issues; Rural poverty;

Land degradation due to soil erosion, deforestation, etc; The need for irrigation and drainage; Post-harvest losses.

To address all these issues, Mr Chairman, adequate approaches have been adopted by government to ensure that food security is maintained in the short and long run.

These are:

Enhancement of early warning systems;

Nutritional surveillance to improve the nutritional status of all people; Deregulation of food markets to ensure equatable distribution and access to food; Improvement of infrastructure; Improvement of human resources; Ensure food security at household level;

Provide political will and commitment to facilitate the translation of the food policy into action programmes;

Intensification of adaptive research;

Empowering producers with appropriate technology;

Ensure peace and security;

Arresting desertification by encouraging agro-forestry and designing energy saving stores; Intensification of food and health strategies, e.g. control of HIV/AIDS nationwide; Land tenure strategies to access land to the disadvantaged groups, e.g. women; Measures to address rural poverty. This entails empowering people to generate income; Conserving and management of biodiversity.

Ms Lynnett M. WAGNER (United States of America): The US embargo referred to by the delegate from Cuba is not the blockade that the Cuban Government describes it to be. In fact, embargo regulations apply only to persons or entities who are subject to US jurisdiction.

The United States does not seek to interfere with the free market term trade relations of third countries. The regime's claim that US policy is depriving the Cuban people of food and medicine is unfounded and politically motivated.

The real issue, the one that the Cuban Government does not want to face, is that Cuba's economic systems and policies have stunted individual initiatives and economic growth.

EL PRESIDENTE: No deseo abrir el debate sobre este tema. Me ha solicitado la palabra el delegado de Cuba y espero que sea la última intervención al respecto.

Juan NUIRY SANCHEZ (Cuba): Precisamente, Sr. Presidente, yo no menté países, pero se sienten aludidos. Yo solamente quiero preguntar, no para remitirme a hechos oficiales sino éticos, y no haciendo referencia a las anteriores, sino tan sólo a la última reunión de la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas, donde en una votación histórica sólo con dos votos en contra, se condenó el hecho de un bloqueo que dura más de 30 años a un pequeño país que no está en guerra, que es miembro de este Consejo y fundador de la Organización. Sr. Presidente es la lucha de Goliat contra David.

Las ideas no se matan por hambre y las diferencias se analizan en una mesa de negociaciones, en igualdad de condiciones. Lógicamente, Sr. Presidente, no entran en juego los principios.

EL PRESIDENTE: El Consejo ha tomado nota de la posición de ambas delegaciones.

Como no veo a ningún miembro del Consejo que desea hacer uso de la palabra, me voy a permitir dársela a algunos observadores.

Gilbert DOH-DJANHOUNDY (Observateur de la Côte d'Ivoire): Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Directeur général, Excellence, Mesdames, Messieurs,

Prenant la parole pour la première fois je voudrais, au nom de la délégation de la Côte d'Ivoire, joindre ma voix à celle des orateurs qui m'ont précédé pour féliciter les nouveaux membres du Conseil de la FAO pour leur brillante élection. C'est avec un grand plaisir que nous vous retrouvons, Monsieur López Portillo, Président du Conseil indépendant. Vous avez toujours su diriger nos travaux avec compétence, brio, efficacité et diplomatie. La délégation de la Côte d'Ivoire vous assure, comme par le passé, de sa sincère collaboration et de son ferme soutien.

Nous saisissons cette opportunité pour remercier et exprimer nos vives félicitations à Mr. Jacques Diouf, Directeur général de la FAO, pour son importante déclaration aussi bien sur les activités que sur le rôle primordial que ne cesse de jouer l'Organisation pour s'acquitter de sa mission, qui est de mettre un terme au triple fléau de la faim, de la misère et de la malnutrition et assurer la nourriture à tous les hommes et à toutes les femmes du monde entier. Cette déclaration a identifié et mis en exergue les domaines prioritaires dans

lesquels la communauté internationale doit prendre des mesures énergiques pour faire avancer la noble mission de notre Organisation.

Aussi ma délégation voudrait-elle s'associer à celles qui l'ont précédée pour appuyer la proposition selon laquelle cette déclaration doit être considérée comme un document de travail de notre Organisation et de notre Conseil.

La délégation ivoirienne reconnaît, avec les délégations qui l'ont précédée, que la FAO reste à l'avant-garde du combat que les Nations Unies mènent contre la faim et la misère et qu'elle s'acquitte de cette mission avec efficacité.

Ma délégation se félicite de la qualité des documents élaborés par le Secrétariat général de la FAO, notamment les documents CL 108/2 et CL 108/10 relatifs à la situation mondiale de l'alimentation d'une part et au rapport du Comité de la sécurité mondiale alimentaire d'autre part. Ces documents font une analyse claire et objective de la situation mondiale alimentaire, tout en exposant les difficultés rencontrées et les grandes orientations de l'action de la FAO dans ce domaine prioritaire. En effet, la situation mondiale de l'alimentation décrite dans ce document nous donne un tableau synoptique en trois parties:

l'expansion de la production vivrière dans tous les secteurs reste supérieure à la croissance démographique dans les pays de l'OCDE;

la contraction de la production alimentaire dans les autres régions développées, notamment dans les pays de l'ex-URSS et dans les pays en transition de l'Europe de l'Est;

la baisse de la production vivrière dans les pays en développement où la croissance démographique est nettement supérieure. Dans cette partie du monde la situation de l'Afrique reste particulièrement préoccupante.

L'Afrique est le continent le plus gravement touché par la pénurie alimentaire locale"

La FAO, dont nous fêterons le 50ème anniversaire en octobre prochain, et avec elle le PAM et le FIDA, a beaucoup fait pour le continent africain tant en temps normal que dans les situations de crise. Les pays développés sans distinction n'ont jamais ménagé leurs efforts pour soutenir le continent africain dans sa lutte contre la pauvreté et le sous-développement. Nous saisissons cette occasion pour remercier tous les partenaires du continent africain.

Mais lorsqu'une personne est malade, tant qu'elle n'est pas encore guérie, elle demande toujours plus à son médecin, et malheureusement, c'est le cas de l'Afrique.

Aussi pour mettre un terme à ces tristes fléaux de la faim, de la misère et de la malnutrition, l'Afrique doit-elle faire l'objet d'une attention particulière de la part de la communauté internationale.

Tout en marquant notre accord avec les analyses et les solutions décrites et proposées dans les documents précités, la délégation de la Côte d'Ivoire voudrait insister sur certaines idées importantes comme contribution à ce débat.

Premièrement, la maîtrise du développement agricole passe par la maîtrise de l'eau. Or le continent africain est la partie du monde où l'avancée du désert est la plus préoccupante. En effet, tous les efforts déployés pour la mise en exploitation du potentiel agricole seront vains, tant en Afrique que partout ailleurs dans le monde, si l'on ne maîtrise pas l'eau.

Deuxièmement le choix des techniques et de la technologie est très important, surtout dans le domaine de la production vivrière.

Comme nous l'avons vu dans le film projeté lors de la journée de la FAO pour l'Afrique la semaine dernière, aucun paysan africain ne peut acquérir un tracteur pour défricher son champ tant le coût est exorbitant. Or il y a des techniques et des technologies simples qui ont fait leurs preuves dans certaines régions du monde pour parvenir au développement agricole durable, en particulier en Asie où malgré l'existence de nombreuses

populations, la faim a notablement reculé. A propos de ces techniques simples, nous pensons à ces buffles qui labourent dans les mangroves pour produire le riz parfumé, à la retenue des eaux de pluie, aux larges fossés qui entourent les champs empêchant les rongeurs, et j'en passe.

Troisièmement, enfin, la combinaison de ces deux premiers éléments, à savoir la maîtrise de l'eau et le choix des techniques agricoles, aura une conséquence positive sur l'environnement en général et sur les ressources humaines en particulier. D'abord, on passera de l'agriculture extensive sur brûlis à l'agriculture intensive avec l'utilisation des engrais. Les forêts seront conservées. La pénibilité du travail agricole serait atténuée.

Comme vous le savez, l'exode rural dans les pays en développement serait freiné car les jeunes gens, pour la plupart déscolarisés, fuient les zones rurales à cause des conditions difficiles du travail de la terre.

Nous pensons aussi qu'il serait nécessaire d'envisager la création d'une banque internationale de données des techniques et des technologies du développement agricole au sein de la FAO pour permettre aux pays en développement qui le désirent de choisir les procédés les plus appropriés à leur agriculture.

Etant donné l'importance de la maîtrise de l'eau et des techniques appropriées du développement durable de l'agriculture, ma délégation voudrait faire une remarque sur l'expérience de la Côte d'Ivoire dans ce domaine. En effet, même en zone forestière humide comme la Côte d'Ivoire où les pluies sont très abondantes, les agriculteurs connaissent parfois et paradoxalement de graves problèmes d'eau pour leur agriculture parce qu'il n'y a pas de techniques efficaces pour le stockage, la conservation et la répartition de ces eaux qui finalement se perdent dans les fleuves et les océans. Or avec l'utilisation rationnelle des eaux pluviales intégrée aux ouvrages d'irrigation, nos pays pourraient assurer la mise en valeur des vallées libérées de l'onchocercose dans les vastes zones de savane humide. Cela permettrait non seulement de stabiliser l'agriculture pour assurer un développement durable mais aussi et surtout de protéger l'environnement en sauvegardant la biodiversité.

L'utilisation d'engrais dans ces zones irriguées donnerait des résultats spectaculaires sans aucun risque de pollution. Actuellement en Afrique on utilise 11 kg d'engrais par ha contre 100 kg en Inde et en Chine et une tonne dans les pays développés de l'OCDE.

Ma délégation voudrait profiter de cette occasion pour réitérer les remerciements du Gouvernement ivoirien à la FAO qui a réalisé un travail remarquable en Côte d'Ivoire sur le riz avec l'aide très appréciable des agriculteurs de l'Indonésie. Nous rendons hommage au Gouvernement indonésien pour cette coopération entre nos deux pays.

Au paragraphe 25 du document CL 108/10 le rapport du Comité de la sécurité alimentaire mondiale décrit les obstacles qui entravent l'exploitation des potentiels existants dans les pays en développement et parmi ceux-là l'instabilité politique et sociale. Paraphrasant les sociologues nous disons que: "seule la misère est révolutionnaire". "Ventre affamé n'a point d'oreilles" dit un adage.

En effet, tant que la misère, la faim et la pauvreté seront le lot de la grande majorité des populations dans les pays en développement, aucun système politique et social de ces Etats ne résistera aux crises qui aboutissent aux troubles civils et aux conflits armés.

Pour terminer, la délégation ivoirienne, en accord avec les conclusions du document CL 108/10 au paragraphe 44 sait gré au Directeur général Jacques Diouf de l'ensemble du train de mesures qu'il a entreprises pour répondre à l'un des défis majeurs du troisième millénaire, à savoir réussir la sécurité alimentaire mondiale. Pour ce faire, la FAO doit privilégier les activités de terrain dans ce domaine car c'est là que s'opère le véritable changement pour une "nouvelle révolution verte".

Mohamed Said Mohamed ALI HARBI (Observer for Sudan): Mr Chairman, I would like to congratulate you and the Vice-Chairmen for the personal confidence bestowed on you by the Members of the Council. I will be brief since we are approaching the end of this meeting.

Mr Chairman during the 20th Session of the Committee on World Food Security held in Rome from 25 to 28 April 1995, I remember that some countries have expressed their views saying that, among the effects and impact of the Agricultural Agreement of the Uruguay Round on Food Security is that the developing countries

would find themselves obliged to export food when the world prices are high at the expense of local food security. It became clear that these countries can invoke Article XII of the Agricultural Agreement which deals with the implementation of prohibition of exports, but these countries would have to do that in conformity with the provisions of the Agreement taking into account the status of food security in the importing countries, members of the World Trade Organization.

At the same meeting, Mr Chairman, the Committee agreed that the Secretariat should contact the World Trade Organization in order to find an interpretation for this Article. A Report, in this connection, will be submitted to the Committee on Food Security during the next session. My question as an observer is what is the role of the Council regarding this Article? Does the Council sympathize with the developing countries which are likely to be negatively affected by the Uruguay Round and the dark future awaiting them from this newly established World Trade Organization? The WTO as reflected in its philosophy is an organization that serves the interests of rich countries at the expense of the helpless countries, and I hope that in the future WTO will not be a sugar-coated poison for the developing countries. Mr Chairman, my question is not meant to belittle the importance of the role of the Committee on Food Security because it is played fully under the chairmanship of Mr Laureau, the Ambassador of France. The Committee has played its role effectively, I hope I am going to get an answer to my question and also hope that the Committee will ask this question at its next session. As an observer I hope to get an answer during this Session of the Council.

Mr Chairman, I would like to comment on what has been said by the Ambassador of Cuba on the embargo. I am not talking about direct embargo and I am not naming any country, but how can we help the food-deficit countries get out of that situation if we do not help them. Mr Chairman, we will be holding meeting after meeting and of course we will be attending the 50th Anniversary of this Organization and I will be glad because we will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary, we will be dancing with the developed countries and we will be attending the World Food Summit. The Heads of State of the developing countries will deliver statements, they will refer to the scarce financial resources they have available, and I hope the rich countries will promise to give them more assistance in order to break this critical psychological barrier and we hope to banish the term food insecurity forever. These are some of the questions I hope will be answered. In conclusion I do support the report prepared by the Committee on food security under the chairmanship of Mr Laureau, the Ambassador of France.

Anton KOHLER (Observer for Switzerland): Thank you, Mr Chairman. I hope that the status as an observer allows us to make not only an observation but put forward the recommendation regarding document CL 108/2, paragraph 30, on regular features of the future CFS sessions and paragraph 44, arrangements for the next CFS sessions. Our delegation actively participated in debating paper CFS 1995/3. This paper was meant to present the balanced strategy for better food security including high-potential and low-potential fragile areas. Many constructive suggestions were made regarding the better integration of low-potential areas. As mentioned today by the distinguished delegations of Tanzania and the United States, many delegations reinforced each other in this regard.

Let me mention, maybe, one main reason for this. More than 300 million - I repeat - more than 300 million poor and hungry people live in the low-potential areas of the semi-arid tropics of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It was, therefore, suggested in CFS 1995 to include these highly justified recommendations in a revised version of paper CFS 1995/3. Our delegation was backed by many other delegations regarding this point.

I conclude briefly with the following, namely: 1, to include under paragraph 44 the following regular feature as a separate point for, I quote, "sustainable agriculture and food security towards a balanced strategy between high-potential and low-potential areas," unquote; 2, to present in the light of the CFS 1995 debate a revised version of paper CFS 1995/3 to the 21st or, if time doesn't allow, the 22nd Session of CFS. Thank you, Mr Chairman.

EL PRESIDENTE: Muchas gracias distinguido observador de Suiza. El Consejo ha tomado nota de su propuesta y desde luego el Comité de Redacción podría considerarlas y luego el Consejo adoptarlas si éste lo estima conveniente. Tiene la palabra el distinguido observador de Etiopía.

Gebrehiwot REDAI (Observer for Ethiopia): Thank you Mr Chairman. My delegation is deeply happy to see you chairing this important Session once again. I am inspired to make this small intervention in support of countries like Tanzania, the United States and Switzerland with whom we share their views on the issue of the Special Programme on Food Production for Food Security in LIFDC.

EL PRESIDENTE: Muchas gracias señor observador. Se ha tomado nota también de su apoyo a la propuesta.

Tiene la palabra el observador de Guinea. Espero que sea también breve.

Souhaib Deen BANGOURA (Observateur de la Guinée): Ma délégation voudrait tout d'abord vous féliciter. Elle est toujours heureuse de vous voir diriger les travaux du Conseil. Elle saisit cette même occasion pour remercier le Secrétariat de sa documentation exhaustive. Ce document sur la situation de la sécurité alimentaire s'avère important. Ce document témoigne de la capacité de l'Organisation à présenter les forces d'une part, et les faiblesses de la production et des échanges agricoles et agro-alimentaires d'autre part. Il y a là inquiétude et espoir à la fois.

La situation de la sécurité alimentaire en 1994-95 s'est généralement détériorée par rapport à l'année précédente. On note avec préoccupation les points suivants: le rapport entre les stocks céréaliers mondiaux et la consommation se situe au niveau inférieur de la fourchette que le Secrétariat juge nécessaire pour garantir la sécurité alimentaire. La production des céréales dans les pays à faible revenu et à déficit vivrier a augmenté sans suivre le rythme démographique. Les prix des céréales ont bien sûr augmenté ce qui alourdira à coup sûr le coût des importations. D'après les estimations, l'aide alimentaire en céréales descendra pour une fois au-dessous des dix millions de tonnes. C'est là un motif d'inquiétude. Il est également préoccupant de voir persister une série de crises alimentaires et une grave insécurité alimentaire dué, aux troubles civils, aux catastrophes naturelles. Les estimations préliminaires laissent présager une augmentation massive des besoins d'importations céréalières notamment dans les pays subsahariens en 1995-96. Certains pays comme le nôtre ont de graves problèmes tels que l'afflux massif de réfugiés. Nous exprimons notre reconnaissance au PAM pour les secours fournis. La tendance de l'évolution démographique à long terme dans les pays d'Afrique et d'Asie notamment entraînera sans doute une forte augmentation des besoins d'importations céréalières. La production mondiale devrait atteindre 555 millions de tonnes en 1995, soit 50 pour cent de plus que la récolte inférieure à la normale de l'année dernière alors que la production de céréales secondaires devrait baisser de quatre pour cent.

Les stocks mondiaux de cérérales pour 1995-96 pourraient encore baisser au-dessous des seuils mondiaux de sécurité. Pour atteindre Γ autosuffisance alimentaire, il faut que les producteurs agricoles des pays en développement, qui sont les moins protégés du monde, bénéficient de conditions stables de production et de commercialisation de leurs produits. Il convient donc d'accorder une priorité à l'assistance et à la politique agricole. Il faut que les nations soient armées pour lutter contre la faim.

Ma délégation appuie le document qui lui a été présenté, ce matin, par le Secrétariat.

EL PRESIDENTE: Distinguidos Miembros del Consejo y Observadores, con esto concluye nuestra lista de oradores; si no hay alguien más que desee hacer uso de la palabra, le voy a pedir al Dr. de Haen que responda a algunas de las cuestiones aquí planteadas.

H. de HAEN (Assistant Director-General, Economic and Social Policy Department): Thank you very much, Mr Chairman. There have not been that many questions and we take that as an expression of the Council's appreciation for the Committee's report and the depth of the arguments presented in this report. There were, however, one or two questions, to which I will refer in a moment. We noted the very profound and concrete guidance by the Council on the work of the Secretariat, in particular with regard to three or four main issues, which I would just like to repeat. One is, of course, the close monitoring of the global, regional and national food security situation, on which we had issued a word of caution which many of the delegations have taken up and endorsed. This monitoring will be not only in regard to the cereal situation but also to the

situation on the other markets for main commodities, depending on the production systems in the respective countries where particularly tense food security situations are observed. Therefore, of course, roots and tubers, pulses, milk, meat and other livestock products will also be included in this constant monitoring. Secondly, we have noted that the Council wishes us to continue the review of a wider set of indicators of the food security situation, including a review of the minium safe stock levels for cereals which we had offered to conduct. Thirdly, monitoring of the impact of the Uruguay Round was mentioned by many and, if the Council so decides, we will continue to do this in collaboration with other organizations and report regularly through the next year to members. Finally, assistance to countries in the implementation of the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture, as suggested by many, is obviously a request by Council to the Secretariat.

There were two questions which I would like to respond to. The first was from the distinguished Delegate of Sudan with regard to paragraph 19 of the CFS report dealing with Article 12 of the Uruguay Round Agreement on export prohibitions and the conditions which would have to be satisfied before export bans were introduced. It is, of course, for the WTO Committee on Agriculture to decide what is necessary and how the Article should be implemented, both generally and when cases arise. It is no doubt for this reason that the CFS has not taken a position but rather has requested the Secretariat to contact the WTO at an appropriate time, which will, of course, be done.

In reply to the question of the distinguished Delegate of Switzerland with regard to the Agenda of the next Sessions of the CFS, I would like to say that we have noted the request by the Committee to continue the revision of the document dealing with sustainable agriculture and food security and the approaches as to how to assess potential at all levels: high, low, resource-poor or resource-rich areas. Whatever the definition is, you come to a different classification of countries. We note this request and, if not at the next CFS - for obvious reasons, because then you will devote considerable time to the documents for the World Food Summit - it will be at the following CFS that the Director-General will certainly consider the proposal to present an update of that document on sustainable agriculture and food security.

I think I have covered the most important points.

EL PRESIDENTE: Muchas gracias, Dr. de Haen, por sus respuestas y comentarios. Si no hubiere ninguna observación a estas alturas, me voy a permitir rápidamente sintetizar, resumir, nuestros debates. En primer lugar, el Consejo felicitó al Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria por la riqueza de sus debates y las conclusiones alcanzadas, que contribuyeron de manera importante a los trabajos de este Consejo. El Consejo también decidió endosar el informe del vigésimo período de sesiones del Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria y con ello confirmó las principales conclusiones alcanzadas allí. Se pidió que las recomendaciones hechas se lleven a cabo, por tanto, a la brevedad posible. El Consejo también expresó preocupación por el deterioro general de la situación alimentaria en el mundo y por la persistencia de un gran número de situaciones de emergencia alimentaria, sobre todo en el continente africano, así como en el Cercano Oriente.

Muchos delegados destacaron su preocupación, en particular, por la disminución de los niveles de ayuda alimentaria, a la vista de necesidades crecientes. Varios países reafirmaron al respecto su intención de mantener la ayuda alimentaria en el futuro. Muchos delegados se hicieron eco de la preocupación por la contracción de las reservas internacionales y nacionales de cereales y por el estrechamiento adicional de los mercados de cereales, especialmente en las últimas semanas. Se coincidió con el Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria en que la Secretaría de la FAO debía reconsiderar los óptimos nacionales de reservas y los niveles mínimos de salvaguarda de cereales. Algunas delegaciones consideraron que la relación de existencias/consumo era adecuada y fácil de administrar y que las tendencias no eran necesariamente preocupantes, en particular esperaban que los efectos de la liberalización comercial y la recuperación de la producción cerealera evitara un empeoramiento de esas tendencias.

Se destacó el papel importante que debe jugar la FAO en estos sentidos de esclarecer el panorama y de contribuir a ayudar a los países en situación de dificultad; se hizo referencia en particular a otorgarle apoyo a ciertos países específicos en condiciones difíciles de seguridad alimentaria. En el marco de este tema, el Consejo también examinó las principales repercusiones sobre la seguridad alimentaria derivada de las negociaciones de la Ronda Uruguay. Se subrayó la probabilidad de que el efecto de estas negociaciones seguramente estimulará la actividad económica mundial y nacional por lo menos en muchos países y que llevaría a una menor distorsión de los mercados y a una estabilización de los precios. No obstante, muchos

países destacaron los efectos negativos previsibles, sobre todo a corto plazo, para países en desarrollo importadores de alimentos. El Consejo reconoció que estos países podrían experimentar efectos negativos en cuanto a la disponibilidad de suministros suficientes de alimentos básicos, incluidas dificultades a corto plazo para financiar los niveles normales de importación de esos países. Por consiguiente se destacó la importancia de la decisión de la Ronda Uruguay en lo que se refiere a las medidas para hacer frente a estos problemas, y varios delegados insistieron en que la FAO continúe proporcionando la asistencia técnica a los países miembros para mitigar cualesquiera efectos negativos y para emprender también otros análisis en cooperación con otras organizaciones internacionales, si fuera necesario.

Se destacó también el caso de los países europeos vulnerables que se hallan en fase de transición, y la posible pérdida de su seguridad alimentaria. El Consejo examinó las posibilidades de aumentar la producción y la productividad de alimentos básicos para conseguir la seguridad alimentaria en países de bajos ingresos, con déficit de alimentos. Se destacó la importancia de los esfuerzos para promover el desarrollo del potencial agrícola.

El Consejo subrayó también que la inseguridad alimentaria debía abordarse, ante todo, mediante la mejora del acceso de los hogares a los alimentos; la importancia de la mitigación de la pobreza; aumentar las oportunidades de ingresos; también la importancia de mitigar las pérdidas por las cosechas. Se reconoció que tenía que atenderse a las diversas condiciones agro-ecológicas, económicas, sociales e institucionales, a fin de conseguir los niveles óptimos de producción de alimentos mediante la adopción de tecnología adecuada en esos países. Se destacó la importancia del manejo integrado de planes y del programa EMPRES, como muchos indicaron, y la puesta en marcha del nuevo programa especial sobre producción de alimentos en apoyo de la seguridad alimentaria, que fue lanzado por el Director General y recibió un fuerte apoyo, con el propósito de promover una mayor producción y productividad. Al mismo tiempo se le dio atención a un enfoque balanceado en las zonas de alto potencial y escasos recursos y que se enfocara el lado de la demanda a través de programas de alivio a la pobreza.

Quizás el informe del Consejo, distinguidos delegados, podría ser muy operativo, muy ejecutivo en cuanto a indicar de los debates aquellos aspectos que sean recomendaciones específicas y que se han destacado aquí como prioridades para que la Secretaría las atienda.

Hasta aquí mi resumen de los debates; si no hubiera ninguna otra cuestión levantaría la sesión. Les pido que nos reunamos mañana a las 9 y media en punto, para comenzar el tratamiento del Tema 4 sobre la Cumbre Mundial de la Alimentación. Muchas gracias, distinguidos delegados. Se levanta la sesión.

The meeting rose at 17.45 hours.
La séance est levée à 17 h 45.
Se levanta la sesión a las 17.45 horas.


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