- STATEMENTS BY HEADS OF DELEGATIONS (continued)
- DECLARATIONS IBS CHEFS DE DELEGATION (suite)
- MANIFESTACIONES IE LOS JEFES DE LAS DELEGACI ONES (continuación)
A, QABALAN (Syria): (interpretation from Arabic): In the name of the Lord Almighty and Merciful, Mr President, Distinguished Heads of Delegations and Members of Delegations, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great honour for me to address this Conference on behalf of the delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic, which is attending this important Conference to which we attach special importance at this place in which we find that the world food problem is increasing in acuity as well as a threat of hunger which faces millions of men.
It is a great pleasure for me to bring the warm felicitations and congratulations of the President of the Republic ASSAD as well as that of the Secretary-General of the Baath Arab Syrian Party. I also carry with me their warmest wishes for success at this important Conference. I would also like to forward my warm congratulations to the Minister of Agriculture from Spain on his election as President of this Conference. I would like to congratulate him on the trust you have placed in him. This has been a well-founded trust, as it has expressed a firm desire for this Conference to conclude its work with excellent results. I would also like to extend a warm welcome and congratulate the new Members who have just joined this Organization. I would like to wish that they will be able to participate effectively in the work of this Organization. It is a very welcome occasion for me to express my appreciation to you, Mr. President, and to express my pleasure in our meeting here at this Conference which acquires with other conferences organized by the FAO a special importance. This Conference is a complementary one to previous ones as far as results are concerned and as far as evaluating its various achievements, and the interest expressed in this Conference is due to the fact that most of the agricultural ministers of the world are meeting here where they may exchange views and ideas on agrarian reform and rural development.
We also meet here with a specific target in mind; that is to say to identify the common problems that face us to seek possible solutions. We shall also endeavour to coordinate these problems and to eliminate the negative aspects which have impaired our work. We shall also seek to consolidate achievements we have made as a result of our long endeavours in this field. I therefore consider this Conference as an economic summit for a world seeking to solve the food problems its faces today. Our world today has a number of positive incentives which are represented in a variety of organized forms of international cooperation. This cooperation increases our faith and confidence that we shall be able to further improve our efforts to overcome the food problem of this world.
The solving of this problem has now become the responsibility of all the nations of the world. It requires us to pit all our efforts together in order to avoid the threats of impeding famine. This problem has become the community's main concern, and can no longer be considered in relation to other problems, be they in the industrial or technological field. The food system has itself acquired a technical dimension which requires us to resort to technological methods in agriculture and animal breeding in order to develop a sounder nutrition for the world.
We find that we, the countries of the developing world, consider that the establishment of an international cooperation in the field of nourishment is an important step in this field of cooperation, but this field lacks the objetive aims which will enable it to rise above the aims of certain countries in the developed world. An international cooperation must seek to introduce and develop the liberation of weaker countries from economic and social backwardness. We must also seek to achieve equality, to make a response to the needs of the developed and the developing countries.
The main target of the international cooperation is to achieve the production of food, which should be covered by an internationally concluded agreement which would cover the provision of financial investments and technical aid, and reinforcement of aid in training.
We should also seek to eliminate all aspects which are impeding the country, developed or developing, in overcoming the future hazards, that is to say, hunger, lack of productivity, population increase. The peace of the world is based on an internationally founded food security system. Despite this, the fact is that this conference is a meeting ground, and we cannot neglect the importance given to certain items by the agenda. The items on this agenda require us to adopt important resolutions on, for example, the international strategy of the economy by the year 2000, commodity and trade problems impede the movement of food between the countries of the world, The items on the agenda also seek to find a better balance between agriculture and the main problems of forestry and fertilizers, also the problem of the development of fisheries and their management in the economic zone. I suppose we also have to give an account of the follow-up actions of the Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, as well as the programmes of action adopted by that conference, which seek to remove the economic and
sociological problems of the population of the world. The agenda also requires us to set down the methodology that should enable us to achieve overall economic and social development in developing countries.
We will not refer to the various items on the agenda, but nevertheless we would like to stress the importance of various items, and would like the right to express our views on the various points when they are discussed in the different committees of this conference.
However, we would like to make a brief statement on the following items. First of all, our delegation listened with great interest and Careful attention to the opening statement made by the Director-General, Dr. Edouard Saourma. In this statement, he reviewed the situation in the world. He reviewed the guidelines which he considered are essential to overcome the problems of the world. We would like to congratulate him on this clear and concise statement in which he placed before us our responsibilities towards the nations of the world, where hundreds of millions are suffering from hunger and malnutrition. We share his concern and pity as the current food situation in the world is still a source of great concern, despite the achievements of the last few years. The figures are clear, and require the establishment of a new food strategy, one which is necessary to establish a new economic order which is needed by all.
We endorse the continuous efforts undertaken by the Director-General to alleviate this suffering and to close the increasing gap between the industrialised and developing countries. He is seeking to do so through the various policies and strategies of the action taken in the field. We can only commend the extreme priority he has granted to these elements, mainly through increasing investments in agricultural and food projets.
We consider that world food security is a main element for the establishment of a new international economic order. We also consider the establishment of a long term food security system depends on establishing systems in developing countries, as it is these which have the most adequate involvement towards increasing the amount of food, especially as they have been deprived of doing so for a very long time.
We support the appeal of the Director-General to the countries with adequate technology and resources to provide voluntary aid which has been estimated at one billion dollars to be provided to the World Food Programme. We would also like to express our appreciation for the Technical Cooperation Programme, which has proved it is an adequate mechanism for the developing countries to achieve an agricultural target. However, the increase proposed for this programme is rather limited, and we consider we should allocate further sums to meet the urgent needs of a number of nations.
We also think the stepping up of the animal breeding programme will help the member countries to improve their animal resources which have suffered a great reduction in numbers as a result of endemic diseases in a number of countries.
We also hope we can establish a new programme for the development of fisheries, to which 35 million dollars were allocated for the establishment of a new international order.
The key phase of our work requires us to give extreme priority to the question of forestry and combating desertification, as this helps to increase food production, although we fully appreciate the impediments the Director-General has referred to, but we nevertheless find that the budget amounts stated do not meet the requirements of the member states, and do not enable this organisation to undertake the task allotted to it in an adequate manner. It is our opinion we should consider increasing the budgetary allocations in order to enable the organisation to undertake its responsibilities adequately, and to participate in the establishment of the new economic order.
We now find we also have to transfer the Regional Office of the Hear East as the result of the circumstances which had in the past affected its activity. It has also rendered it unable to achieve the services to the countries of the region which have boycotted the country which hosts this regional office. We therefore urge the member countries attending this office to appreciate and understand the circumstances which have led us to submit such a request, and that they should not consider such a request as undermining or diminishing their status. We consider they should be able to see our own point of view, that member countries of a region should be free to determine their own rights or policies in this area. This should enable the office to undertake the policy for which it has been established.
We also request the conference to grant the Director-General the proper authority to transfer this Regional Office, in accordance with the agreement achieved with the members of the area.
Distinguished delegates, we have made great efforts to improve the level of our citizens. Our citizene have continued a great deal of these efforts. However, the Israeli occupation, and the continued
threat of that occupation to Arab lands continues to impede our efforts and prevent our citizens from benefiting from the efforts and the possibilities we have at hand.
Our Syrian nation under the leadership of President Hassad, should on every occasion and within the framework of international legality, participate fully and positively towards the achievement and establishment of a just peace on a sound basis, which is established on Israeli withdrawal from all Arab occupied territories, as well as the recognition of the legitimate rights of the Arab-Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination and the establishment of a nation on its own lines.
However, all these efforts are still encountering the obstacles laid down by Israel, which have been impediments to all efforts in this area. As you may all know, this matter has laid further burdens on our nation. They are economic and sociological in nature, and have affected in one way or another the economic development of our country, but despite this impediment my country has granted a special priority to the development of the agricultural sector. This has special importance in our national economy, as agriculture accounts for 21 percent of our net national product and 27 percent of our total export. In order to improve our exportation of our limited agricultural resources of the Arab Syrian Republic, our country has adopted an overall agricultural-planning policy. It has also allocated a fair amount of our budgetary resources to the investment in our five-year economic and social development plans.
I would also like to speak further on other achievements in the agricultural sector in my country. However, the time factor prevents me from doing so, and therefore I shall leave this subject aside and move to the end of my statement, which I hope will be distributed amongst the delegates.
The food security of my country goes into vast dimensions, and has great importance in our economy in general. It is of special importance, as it helps us to provide adequate foodstuffs to our citizens.
I have said earlier on that agricultural production is a main foundation of our economy. It also depends on the annual rainfall, be that on a regional basis or according to the seasonal systems of cropping in my country. We fully appreciate the efforts undertaken by the Food and Agriculture Organization through its cooperative efforts in our country. This cooperation has been clearly evident in the constructive participation of our organization in the achievement of development targets in our country. This has been undertaken through the implementation of projects either, through UNDP or WFP. This has been implemented on a national or a regional level.
We believe that the policy adopted by the Director-General, which is based on the efforts of regional organizations, has had an excellent impact on eliminating obstacles which have impeded cooperation with the organization.
Finally, I would like to express my thanks to all delegates for their kind attention, and this is also referring to Dr. Edouard Saouma and all his assistance as well as the assistance of the staff in this organization and for the efforts that they have undertaken to prepare this conference which undoubtedly will be of great help towards the success of this organization. I would like to wish this conference all success in continuing its aims.
EL PRESIDENTE: Muchas gracias al Sr. Ministro de Agricultura y Reforma Agraria de Siria. Antes de continuar con el orden del día quisiera hacer una pequeña observación.
Habrán podido comprobar que en el Diario de la Conferencia se incluyen como puntos primeros del orden del día de la mañana de hoy el Segundo Informe del Comité General y el Segundo Informe del Comité de Credenciales.
Quisiera manifestar que ha habido un error material, ya que dichos temas corresponden a puntos del orden del día de la reunion del Comité General que ha tenido lugar previamente a las 8 y media.
Eh este momento se están elaborando los documentos aprobados por el Comité General, y por tanto el debate de estos dos puntos tendrá lugar a lo largo del día de hoy. Ya les indicaré en su momento la hora del debate tan pronto como dispongamos de la documentación que se está elaborando como consecuencia de la reunión de las 8 y media de la majiana del Comité General.
Nada más. Me interesaba precisar esa circunstancia porque quizá pudiera haber habido alguna confusion en relación con el particular.
Continuamos, pues, con el debate general. Tiene la palabra el Sr. Ministro de Agricultura y Defensa Nacional del Líbano.
J. ISKAFF (Liban) (interpretation from Arabic): Je suis heureux, Monsieur le Président, de vous adresser mes chaleureuses félicitations au nom de la délégation du Liban à l'occasion de votre élection en tant que Président de cette Conférence au cours de sa vingtième session. Nous connaissons votre foi, vos qualités personnelles, votre sagesse et votre grande expérience en tant que Ministre de l'agriculture de l'Espagne. Si l'on ajoute à cela la bonne volonté des Etats Membres et la coopération qui existe entre vous et vos Vice-Présidents, nous sommes sûrs que cette Conférence aboutira à des résultats fructueux.
Je suis également heureux de participer, au nom de mon pays, à cette Conférence générale en raison de l'importance de ses résultats et de ses résolutions, car les espoirs et les aspirations des Etats en voie de développement ont atteint un niveau qui ne permet pas des atermoiements et des hésitations. Nous devons faire face à nos responsabilités pour lutter contre la faim et la malnutrition et construire un monde meilleur pour les peuples que nous représentons.
Le discours qui a été fait par Sa Sainteté Jean Paul II et le discours prononcé également par Son Excellence le Président Kaunda,ont une répercussion toute spéciale sur nous car ce qu'ils ont dit contenait des idées humanitaires d'une grande élévation, qui nous ont entraîné vers un niveau très haut de sérieux et ont donné au débat de cette Conférence un halo qui n'aurait pas existé autrement. La visite toute spéciale qu'ont bien voulu nous faire Sa Sainteté et Son Excellence dans une enceinte aussi importante nous ont rappelé les souffrances que vivent les malheureux sur cette terre. L'homme ne peut être sauvé qu'en s'aidant lui-même et avec l'aide de Dieu également. Il faut que l'homme se développe dans tous ses aspects et on ne peut se débarrasser de la faim et de la pauvreté que par la coopération, l'amour et la justice. Il ne peut y avoir de vraie paix sur cette terre si la famine continue à exister, et la faim de certains est en fin de compte la faim de tous.
Je profite de cette occasion pour souhaiter aux nouveaux Membres, les délégations de Samoa et de Dominique, le plein succès dans leur collaboration aux travaux de cette Organisation internationale.
Messieurs, je vous prie de m'excuser si je prenais un peu de temps pour brosser le tableau sombre que vit mon pays. Les derniers événements que nous avons vécus depuis 1975 sont caractérisés par la violence et la destruction. De nombreux fils du Liban ont été tués alors qu'ils étaient pour la plupart innocents. Beaucoup ont été dispersés. Les structures d'existence ont été détruites et ces Libanais sont devenus des réfugiés dans leur propre pays. Le Liban est la victime des conflits internationaux et régionaux, la victime du non-respect des principes des Nations Unies et du jeu de l'équilibre au Moyen-Orient, la victime de la politique d'agression qui est impitoyable. Le Liban autrefois était confiant. Il croyait dans la liberté, avait adopté comme Constitution la Charte des droits de l'homme. Il ne souhaitait aux autres que ce que les autres pouvaient souhaiter. Le Liban est le pays de l'amour et de la coexistence pacifique. C'est le pays des grands idéaux et de la coexistence entre toutes les religions et toutes les sectes. Ce pays qui est le seuil de l'Orient a été touché par la main froide de la mort qui l'a détruit sans aucune pitié et sans aucune justification. Il a failli être complètement ravagé. Ce petit pays a exporté dans le monde la civilisation et l'alphabet. On lui a donné en échange la fausse civilisation et les moyens du mal et de la destruction. Il est resté blessé et il a essayé de panser ses blessures pour se remettre sur pied. Le Libanais continue à résister à tous les complots qui sont faits pour détruire son pays. Il est conscient de son patriotisme et de son authenticité et il pourra reconstruire son pays beaucoup mieux qu'auparavant. Il mettra fin à cette longue nuit que a tant duré chez nous. Nous espérons que la conscience internationale s'éveillera et se mettra à côté de ce peuple qui lutte, qui refuse d'être la victime des complots, et qui espère recevoir une aide morale et économique, si cela est possible.
Voilà l'appel que nous vous lançons à vous, délégations du monde entier.
Avant ce drame, et au cours des cinq années qui ont précédé les événements du Liban, la plupart des secteurs de l'économie libanaise était en développement, et surtout le secteur agricole dans ses deux sections: la section des plantes et la section animale. Nous étions arrivés à une augmentation annuelle de 6 pour cent de la production agricole et le Liban était devenu exportateur de légumes, de fruits et également de production animale. Dans le cadre de la Communauté arabe, il était cité en exemple pour le développement rural et agricole. Les événements qu'il a vécus ont abattu les structures économiques et également les réalisations qui avaient été construites par ses enfants et par les initiatives personnelles des citoyens libanais.
Je saisis cette occasion pour remercier la plupart des pays frères et amis et également les Organisations internationales qui ont senti nos souffrances et nous ont offert leur aide. Je voudrais tout particulièrement citer la FAO, le PAM et également le PIDA pour la rapidité de leur réponse et leur aide au Liban. Au nom du gouvernement de mon pays, je voudrais leur exprimer tous nos remerciements pour les efforts déployés dans le passé et qu'ils déploieront dans l'avenir.
Je voudrais en outre remercier la FAO du geste humanitaire qu'elle accomplit lorsqu'elle apporte rapidement son aide à toutes les parties du monde qui subissent des inondations, des sécheresses, des tremblements de terre ou des séismes. Le Liban est heureux de se considérer comme la patrie de tout homme sur cette terre, et nous sommes heureux également que le rôle du Liban soit renforcé.
Nous voulons en outre remercier tous les pays qui nous ont accordé leur aide et qui ont aidé le Directeur général à établir certains programmes, comme le programme de lutte contre le criquet pèlerin qui menace tout le Proche-Orient dont le Liban fait partie. Nous voulons tout particulièrement parler de l'aide accordée par notre frère, le Royaume de l'Arabie Saoudite, et le Fonds spécial des pays exportateurs de pétrole. Je voudrais à ce propos citer un mot d'un sage arabe qui concerne ceux qui donnent généreusement. Il a dit que Dieu demande aux riches de donner aux pauvres et que le pauvre n'a faim que par le manque de générosité du riche.
Permettez-moi maintenant de vous présenter quelques observations sur le discours du Directeur général et le programme de travail et de budget pour 1980-1981.
Le discours fait par Monsieur le Directeur général Edouard Saouma a exposé des sujets qui visent tous au bien-être de l'humanité. Il a indiqué le niveau minimum du bien-être pour tous les peuples du monde. Il a montré les efforts déployés pour aboutir à plus de justice et pour faire face aux problèmes de la famine et de l'ignorance.
Nous sommes surtout préoccupés par la réduction de l'aide financière du PNUD au secteur de l'agriculture et du développement rural alors qu'on a augnenté les participations financières par le truchement des comptes du secrétariat et des autres programmes de la FAO. Nous voyons que la participation du PNUD a été très réduite en tenant compte du fait que l'inflation monétaire a atteint un niveau auquel elle n'était jamais arrivée auparavant.
Malgré ces obstacles financiers, nous enregistrons avec satisfaction les efforts déployés par la FAO pour l'exécution des projets techniques et agricoles. Il faut donc particulièrement apprécier ces travaux qui sont faits dans des conditions difficiles. Nous notons la réalisation importante obtenue par l'Organisation en établissant des cadres et des programmes de travail pour le développement rural et la réforme agraire dans le monde. Vous savez tous que les pays en voie de développement ont besoin de nouvelles méthodes de développement, car à côté du développement agricole dans son sens le plus étroit les régions rurales et les populations rurales ont besoin d'irrigation, d'eau potable, de vêtements, de routes, d'écoles et d'habitations, et l'agriculture seule ne peut pas offrir tout cela. Nous devons trouver d'autres revenus et nous ne pouvons arriver à un meilleur niveau de vie si nous ne pouvons pas augmenter le pouvoir d'achat des populations rurales. Voilà pourquoi nous devons féliciter la FAO, car elle a réussi, par l'intermédiaire de la Conférence mondiale sur le développement rural et la réforme agraire, à établir des principes et des programmes dans ces domaines. Noue pouvons dire que la déclaration de principe exprime une philosophie spéoiale du développement rural qui vise à augmenter le niveau de vie des populations rurales.
La déclaration de principe a pris aussi en considération les droits des populations rurales, ce qui n'avait jamais été fait. Je suis heureux que ce point ait été mis à l'ordre du jour de la FAO. Je note en outre que les nombreux programmes qui ont été établis par le Directeur général et que la Conférence a adoptés, comme le Programme de la coopération technique et le Programme des pertes après récoltes, doivent être un point de rencontre des programmes sur le terrain et des programmes au siège.
Nous sommes-heureux de voir que l'alimentation a une place toute spéciale dans le budget et les programmes de l'Organisation, mais vous admettrez avec moi que l'alimentation ne sera qu'un mot vide s'il ne se traduit pas en programmes et en projets que nous pouvons réaliser au niveau des Etats pour que la plus grande partie des populations puisse en profiter.
Enfin, nous considérons que le programme de la sécurité alimentaire mondiale est un des programmes les plus importants réalisés au sein de la Communauté internationale. Nous enregistrons avec satisfaction la réponse favorable donnée par tous les Etats et l'appui qui est accordé au programme présenté par le Directeur général.
Nous appuyons pleinement le plan en cinq points et les autres programmes qui nous ont été présentés dernièrement par le Directeur général, à savoir la lutte contre la trypanosomiase et les programmes d'exploitation des pêcheries dans les eaux territoriales. Nous espérons que les pays pourront participer à ces programmes et financer ces projets dans le cadre du programme extra-budgétaire de 1 Organisation.
Je ne peux que remercier totalement et rendre hommage à la FAO qui a été la première, dans le cadre des Organisations des Nations Unies, à réaliser l'étude "Agriculture: Horizon 2000". Cette étude a éclairci notre vision de l'avenir et établi les bases de la lutte contre la faim et d'un nouvel ordre économique international. Cette étude a également montré les principaux problèmes que nous aurons à
résoudre dans l'anvenir, à savoir la surpopulation et la dégradation de l'environnement, ainsi que le déficit alimentaire qui va augmenter au cours des années à venir. A cet égard, je remercie encore l'Organisation qui a répondu à notre appel en envoyant des experts au Liban pour nous aider à établir une stratégie pour le développement agricole jusqu'à l'an 2000.
En ce qui concerne le point 25 de l'ordre du jour qui contient une étude globale établie par le Directeur général sur la possibilité de transporter le bureau régional dans un autre endroit, suivant les directives que m'a données mon gouvernement qui s'est engagé à respecter les résolutions de la Conférence de Baghdad, après les échecs obtenus par ce bureau ces derniers mois, ma délégation propose, pour appuyer le développement du secteur agricole au Proche-Orient, que la Conférence demande au Directeur général de trouver le lieu où sera transféré ce bureau régional pour qu'il puisse avoir toutes possibilités d'action et pour qu'il puisse mettre son efficacité au service des pays du Proche-Orient.
Avant de conclure mon discours, je voudrais, du haut de cette tribune, enregistrer avec fierté et satisfaction que l'Organisation déploie ses efforts sous la direction d'un homme dont nous sommes fiers parce qu'il est Libanais et qu'il a toute notre confiance et notre appui. Nous lui souhaitons un plein succès dans ses travaux et nous souhaitons à l'Organisation qu'il dirige le plein succès dans ses politiques et ses programmes. Qu'il continue dans la voie qu'il s'est tracée et cela sans aucun doute servira les pays Membres.
L. C. J. MARTIN (United Kingdom): I have to inform the Conference of the fact that the Minister who was to come and lead my delegation at the very last moment yesterday evening had to decide that because of other important business in London he would not be able to come here and he has asked me to give his speech for him.
First, Mr. Chairman, we want to offer you our warm congratulation for the election as the Chairman of the Conference. We know very well, especially by now, how much you are fitted to help through our work in the next few weeks and, on a more personal note, may we say how much we look forward to receiving you in our country quite soon after the Conference. I am sure that again we shall have mutually profitable discussions.
We would also like to extend a very warm welcome to the delegations of Western Samoa and Dominica as the newest members of our organization. We in Britain have close ties with both of these countries.
Now I continue exactly as the Minister would have continued had he been here. Until a short time ago my colleague, the Minister for Overseas Development publicly affirmed at the World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development the continued support of my Government for FAO and I can repeat this again today. The contribution of FAO to the work of the international community in the fields of natural resources and rural development will continue to be of the greatest significance and so we are concerned to help FAO to continue along the right lines. But I will not conceal from the Conference that like some other countries we have problems with the programme and budget. When we came into office in May of this year we inherited an economy which needed urgently to be revitalized. Real growth had fallen away almost to nothing. Much needed investment was lacking. Inflation, was and still is, far too high. Faced with all this we had to decide that creating a healthy economy in our own country must take the highest priority over any other policy aim, however desirable. We think that this decision was right, not only for ourselves but also for the part that we can play in the whole economy. A country in a poor state of health cannot play as full a part as a healthy one. And so, if for a time we have to do a little less than we have been able to do before, it is so that we shall have the strength to do more in the future.
To a large extent our problems arose from having to finance big and growing public expenditure programmes. This has meant taking too much money, too much from the taxpayer through higher rates of taxation and borrowing top much to finance the deficit that still remained. High taxes destroy incentives. High government borrowing fuels inflation. All of this must be reversed and we must check the outward march of public expenditure.
A short time ago we announced our plans for reductions in public expenditure in the current financial year and at the beginning of this month we published a White Paper with plans for next year. We are reducing the spending programmes from what the previous administration had had in mind. I must be frank and say that we have not been able to exempt our aid programme from this process. But I want to be clear. We are not cutting back below the real levels of the past. On the constant price basis on which we work there will be virtually no difference in public expenditure on aid to the developing countries between what we spent last year and what we hope to spend by the end of this year and during next year. Our gross aid programme this year will come to more than 840 million and will be similar next year. This is still a substantial and worthwhile programme. But the fact that we have had to forego growth obviously limits our ability to expand growth in the constituent parts of the programme.
We have had to look hard at all our aid expenditures and amongst them is our contribution to FAO. If there is a limit to what we can spend we must use what is at our disposal in the most effective way.
We approach the proposed programme of work and budget of FAO for 1980-81 in this way. It is more than a question of ensuring that the programme is in line with the basic strategy and priorities on which most of us are agreed. It is also a matter of ensuring that increases in the budget should be clearly justified by need and that the whole of the programme should be administered with the utmost efficiency.
For our part we welcome and appreciate the practical and immediate relevance of programmes of FAO which are intended to help the poorest countries. We see particular value in the special action programmes such as the programme for the prevention of food losses and the technical cooperation programme.
As my colleague the Minister for Overseas Development told the House of Commons in London on 30 October, an aid strategy which emphasizes the needs of the poorest is a principle which the present Government accepts as the basis for developmental criteria. It is accepted by most aid donors, and the United Kingdom has gone a great way towards implementing it. However, neither we nor any other donor government is likely to devote the whole of its aid to the poorest countries. A whole range of considerations requires aid to be provided to countries which do not count among the least developed, or the poorest, or any of the accepted criteria, and this must always be the case. Nevertheless, we should continue to give due emphasis to aid to the poorest. I am glad to think that in this direction there is no contradiction between what we are trying to do and what FAO itself is also trying to do. We all know that channelling aid in this way can create problems, but those problems must be faced and overcome and we shall support FAO's efforts in that spirit.
We were very glad to participate last July in the World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development under the auspices of our organization here. We were able to give our general support to the Programme of Action adopted by the Conference. We can offer investment resources and skills for a variety of purposes. But it is clear that the major initiatives for putting the Programme of Action into effect must lie with the governments of developing countries. They alone can decide whether to allocate more resources to the rural sector and to pursue schemes of land reform. It is increasingly recognized that many constraints faced by rural people in their agricultural activities are more susceptible to changes in internal government policy-for example, in the areas of prices, import controls, tariffs, export levies and so on-than to investment programmes as such. It is for governments themselves to decide what steps to take to improve incentives and generally to make the economic environment more rewarding so as to encourage farmers to plough back their own resources in a determined effort to attempt to increase food production in areas of greatest need.
Another major concern of my Government, which we share with FAO and practically all countries in the world, is the difficult question of world food security. Rural development, while desirable in itself, will mean little if people still go hungry. And far too many people, especially in the poorer countries, still do go hungry. Eradication of hunger from the world must remain a major preoccupation of FAO.
Our view, which we made clear in the World Food Council last September, is that the first need is to increase food production in those among the developing countries which cannot meet their own food needs. As the leader of our delegation said in Ottawa: 'It is better to enable a man to feed himself than to send him food aid'. Much has been achieved. The picture in some other developing countries is much less good; food deficits are increasing rather than decreasing. We believe that it must be a high priority to help such countries to increase their production. This must depend first of all on the efforts of their own governments and peoples. But they will need help from outside, and the United Kingdom will be ready to play its part in providing such help within the limits of its resources.
Having said this, Mr. Chairman, and without wishing in any way to under-rate the problem of hunger in the world I think we also have to say that while the food situation remains very uncertain, it does seem better than it was a few years ago. We fully accept, of course, especially in the light of the slightly disappointing harvest figures for the current year, that this comparative prosperity may not last and that if we are to avoid a repetition of the terrible conditions of the earlier part of this decade we must devise new methods of food trade and the stocking of food which enable international trade to be effectively run and financed, and food aid to continue at an acceptable level.
This is why the United Kingdom continues to support the idea of a new International Grains Agreement and is working hard, along with our partners in the European Community to achieve a satisfactory and successful Agreement. Our objective is to arrive at a workable Agreement which will make a real contribution to World Food Security through the stabilization of wheat prices in the world market, but no agreement can be regarded as meeting these objectives unless it attracts the support of a significant number of developing countries, since these countries account for over 50 percent of world trade in wheat.
Equally any new Agreement must recognize the legitimate demands of efficient exporters in seeking to ensure that prices on the world market are sufficient to cover production costs as otherwise there can be no certainty that supplies will continue to be available to the market. It must be recognized, however, that prospects for a successful negotiation do not, at the moment look good, and recent developments on the world market have not made the task any easier. Against the background of increasing production costs the price range favoured by the developing countries would, in our opinion, militate against any immediate accumulation of stocks. In view of this such a price range must be considered to be quite unrealistic, but we continue to have an open mind on the solution to the problems facing the negotiators in this difficult and complex field and we listen carefully to any proposals voiced. But there is, as yet, no indication that our friends in the developing countries are prepared to reconsider their position and it must, therefore, be apparent that there is little hope of progress in the near future.
In the absence of a new Agreement we have supported the adoption of the interim plan for World Food Security proposed by our Director-General and accepted by the Council of FAO at its 75th Session last June. We continue to hope that a new Agreement will be forthcoming and in the meantime we trust that the interim measures will help to avoid the worst of the problems faced in previous difficult years.
I have talked so far about FAO itself and its central role in dealing with the world situation in food and agriculture both as an aid agency and as a body of great technical competence in dealing with specific problems facing agriculturists at all levels. We are always pleased to take part along with others in FAO's major technical committees, namely the Committees on Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. We also hope that we play a fruitful and constructive part in the other technical meetings which experts attend from all parts of the world and which deal with such long standing problems as locusts and trypanosomiasis. These gatherings of experts focus on problems of real and deadly relevance to the poor farmer throughout the world.
We regard the Committee on Agriculture as of particular importance because it provides a forum for the exchange of views between agriculturists the world over. FAO is well placed to organize such discussions and it is carrying out a valuable role. We are grateful to the Director-General for placing before the Committee so many major issues on which it can bring its technical competence to bear. We wonder, however, if some further thought needs to be given to the timing of meetings of this important Committee so that the results are more readily available at the right time in the biennium than they have sometimes been.
The point I have just made about the proximity of Committee meetings to the date of the Conference applies also to the Committee on Commodity Problems which concluded its last meeting only shortly before the opening of the Conference. We consider this Committee also to be an important forum, but we are becoming increasingly concerned about its lack of application towards the international commodity problems affecting production, trade, distribution, consumption, and related economic matters. It would seem that, irrespective of the agreed Agenda, this Committee is becoming a forum for repetitive debate on well-known general issues and it is our view that it would be more constructive if all participants worked together to find solutions to the problems facing world commodity markets.
While we continue to attach high importance to the activities and technical expertise of FAO, we sometimes feel that not enough account is taken in many international fora of the availability throughout the world of other sources of expertise. This is particularly true in respect of agriculture. On the one hand, there is the question of the technical information that is available and the means of disseminating this in a direct and practical way to the farmers of the Third World-especially the poorer farmers. On the other hand, there are scientific units or university departments in most developed countries. The vital need is to bring this range of expertise to bear on the problems, essentially that of feeding the hungry in the less developed countries.
This is therefore a problem of pooling the available resources to see that these are used to the best possible practical effect. This is perhaps one of the most important of FAO's roles in dealing with the world situation in regard to food and agriculture.
At this point, Mr. Chairman, I would like to refer to the wide-ranging report Agriculture: Towards 2000. This takes a global view of the development of all natural resources during the next 20 years and it is to be commended for its comprehensive coverage of the different aspects of agriculture. However, I hope that such an important document will be assessed by the major technical committees and that governments will have ample opportunity to consider and evaluate it, before the proposed policies and technological changes come to be implemented. We must not hurry needlessly.
One obstacle to more rapid progress is the shortage of trained personnel in developing countries. FAO itself is very much aware of this and I know that a good deal of its work in particular countries consists in one way or another of training. I would just make one general comment. If there is to
be real progress in the future, training must now be concentrated more than in the past on middle management training. Here is one important key to success because the people in middle management are those who are really in a position to make things happen on the ground. So often they will have reached their present positions on the basis of the practical experience which they have gained but they lack the specific training which would make them more effective.
I would like to make one last point, which is essentially the point that I began with. I would like to emphasize the concern of the United Kingdom for all the problems with which FAO has to deal and to assure the Conference and the Director-General of our continuing support for the Organization.
J. FOUCHIER (France): Je tiens à féliciter notre Président pour son élection à la tête de cette Conférence générale: je me réjouis personnellement que nos travaux soient conduits par une personnalité aussi dynamique que M. de Lamo de Espinosa, qui oriente avec efficacité l'agriculture de son pays.
Je tiens également à remercier le Directeur général, M. Saouma, pour l'excellent discours qu'il a prononcé au début de nos travaux et pour la qualité des documents qu'il nous a présentés, je cite en particulier:
- son rapport sur l'application du plan d'action pour la sécurité alimentaire mondiale,
- le programme de travail de la FAO pour 1980 et 1981,
- et l'étude approfondie sur les perspectives de l'agriculture mondiale à l'horizon 2000;
tous ces documents constituent des instruments de travail précieux tant par la valeur des études techniques sur lesquelles ils sont fondés que par la clarté de leurs orientations.
L'analyse de la situation alimentaire mondiale et de ses perspectives qui nous est présentée par le Directeur général est, certes,pessimiste, en effet, l'objectif d'augmentation de la production agricole de 4 pour cent par an est loin d'être atteint et le nombre de victimes de la faim et de la malnutrition s'est encore accru. Ce pessimisme est malheureusement réaliste. Il est même à craindre que certaines hypothèses formulées par le rapport sur "l'agriculture: horizon 2000" soient au contraire trop optimistes: au moins pour les prochaines années, les taux de croissance économique envisagés paraissent plus élevés que les hausses successives du coût de l'énergie ne le permettront.
Dans l'ensemble du monde, et plus spécialement dans les pays en voie de développement non producteurs de pétrole, l'augmentation incessante des prix de l'énergie est un facteur de perturbation profonde; comme l'a rappelé le Premier Ministre français, M. Raymond Barre: "Si tous les pays-pays producteurs et pays consommateurs-ne manifestent pas dans les circonstances actuelles un exceptionnel esprit de responsabilité, le monde peut s'acheminer vers le désastre".
Dans le remarquable discours qu'il a prononcé au début de nos travaux, le Président Kaunda a, lui aussi, souligné la gravité de ce problème:
I- LES PROGRAMMES D'ACTION DE LA FAO CONSTITUENT UNE REPONSE APPROPRIEE A LA SITUATION ALIMENTAIRE MONDIALE, et c'est ce que je voudrais développer maintenant.
Pour répondre au défi que représente la situation alimentaire mondiale, le Directeur général de la FAO a pris ses responsabilités en lançant des programmes d'action dont la France apprécie le réalisme.
Plusieurs de ces initiatives méritent une attention particulière. Ainsi, le programme d'action pour la prévention des pertes de produits alimentaires correspond à une nécessité dans de très nombreux pays puisque 32 projets ont été retenus à ce titre. La France a une grande expérience des problèmes de conservation des récoltes, acquise aussi bien en métropole que dans les pays tropicaux avec lesquels elle coopère: elle est prête à coopérer avec la FAO, notamment pour la formation des personnels qualifiés dans ce domaine, où de nombreux services français sont susceptibles de former des spécialistes, soit en France soit dans les pays bénéficiaires des projets de la FAO. Elle suggère également de faire appel à l'expérience du groupe d'assistance au stockage des grains après récolte (GASGA) dont le secrétariat est assuré par le Royaume-Uni et par la France.
Le programme de lutte contre la trypanosomiase s'attaque à une autre cause du retard du développement de la production animale dans les pays en développement: la France dispose également dans ce secteur d'équipes de chercheurs et de vétérinaires spécialisés dans la lutte contre les maladies tropicales qu'elle est prête à mettre à la disposition de la FAO.
Les programmes lancés ne visent pas seulement à supprimer des freins au développement de la production alimentaire mais organisent directement aussi l'expansion des cultures.
Tel est le cas dans le secteur de la forêt où le congrès mondial de la FAO à Djakarta a retenu des orientations ambitieuses d'intensification de la production: il s'agit de produire chaque année 40 millions de mètres cubes de bois au lieu de 30 millions, pour contribuer au développement de l'emploi, dans les zones défavorisées. La France, qui cherche actuellement à mieux tirer parti de sa propre "filière-bois", attache une grande importance à cette orientation et a proposé d'organiser en 1980 une réunion à Grenoble sur ce thème.
De même, le programme global de développement et de gestion des pêches dans les zones économiques côtières a fait l'objet d'une réunion du Comité des pêches de la FAO. Il est évident que les ressources de la mer-et notamment l'aquaculture-constitueront dans les années à venir une part grandissante de l'alimentation humaine. La procédure la plus adaptée au développement de ces ressources et à la coopération entre les Etats côtiers et les Etats non côtiers, est la constitution d'organisations régionales spécialisées: mon gouvernement, qui coopère avec succès avec plusieurs Etats africains désireux de développer leurs pêcheries, est disposé à prêter son concours à de telles initiatives.
Je tiens à citer, parmi les programmes techniques de la FAO, ceux qu'elle met en oeuvre en Europe et plus particulièrement les 10 réseaux coopératifs européens de recherche agronomique: ceux-ci ont fait la preuve que la coopération entre instituts de recherche nationaux pouvait donner des résultats très fructueux à un coût moindre que la création d'instituts internationaux. La France donne son plein appui aux résolutions récemment votées à Stockholm par les centres de coordination des réseaux de recherche qui veulent accroître leurs activités.
Il serait particulièrement utile qu'un réseau coopératif de recherche soit créé pour étudier les économies d'énergie en agriculture et les nouvelles sources d'énergie d'origine agricole: le développement des potentialités de l'agriculture est un des seuls palliatifs possibles aux conséquences dommageables de la hausse des prix de l'énergie pour les économies de nombreux pays du monde. Dans ce domaine, la recherche a beaucoup progressé dans notre pays grâce notamment aux efforts déployés par l'Institut national de la recherche agronomique animé par M. Poly. Comme l'a justement fait observer le Directeur général dans le remarquable discours qu'il a prononcé au mois d'août dernier à Stockholm à l'occasion du "Symposium sur les relations mutuelles entre les ressources naturelles", d'énormes possibilités sont ouvertes par la "révolution biologique en cours, par exemple par l'utilisation de la variabilité génétique naturelle ou induite, par l'amélioration des souches de bactéries fixatrices d'azote, par la possibilité de trouver des souches qui s'adaptent aux céréales, en économisant ainsi les engrais azotés-c'est-à-dire l'énergie-, la possibilité, enfin, d'améliorer le rendement de l'assimilation chlorophyllienne qui ne représente pour le moment que un pour cent de l'énergie reçue".
J'ai été heureux de voir que cette idée a déjà été reprise dans de nombreux discours de mes collègues.
Je voudrais insister enfin sur le plan d'action du Directeur général pour la sécurité alimentaire mondiale. La France partage sa volonté d'accroître le stockage des céréales, d'augmenter le volume de l'aide alimentaire, d'améliorer les conditions d'acheminement de cette aide et de régulariser les flux d'aide alimentaire qui ont subi trop d'à-coups ces dernières années.
La Communauté économique européenne est très bien armée pour jouer un róle à la mesure de la capacité de production, dans ce domaine: les mécanismes rigoureux de la Politique agricole commune permettent en effet de constituer aisément des stocks et de les mobiliser en cas de besoin. La CEE qui, chaque année, décide de financer un programme d'aide, serait prête à augmenter sa contribution annuelle au niveau de 1 650 000 tonnes de céréales. La France pour sa part est favorable à une augmentation du stock communautaire de céréales qui permet à la fois de faire face aux besoins urgents qui apparaissent dans le monde, de mieux maîtriser ses exportations dans le cadre d'une politique ordonnée du développement des échanges internationaux, et de régulariser les cours des céréales.
En outre, mon pays vient d'accorder une aide exceptionnelle de grande ampleur aux victimes des tragiques événements du Cambodge pour contribuer à la résolution d'une des situations les plus angoissantes que notre planète ait jamais connue. Nous comptons naturellement sur le Programme alimentaire mondial, dont nous apprécions vivement l'efficacité, pour nous aider dans l'acheminement et la distribution de cette aide.
II- MAIS LA SECURITE ALIMENTAIRE MONDIALE DEPEND POUR UNE PART ESSENTIELLE DES POLITIQUES NATIONALES D'AUTOSUFFISANCE ALIMENTAIRE
Mais les programmes d'action sectoriels de la FAO, si importants soient-ils, doivent être complétés par des politiques nationales de développement de la production agricole et alimentaire: cet enseignement de la Conférence mondiale sur la réforme agraire et le développement rural me paraît fondamental: un pays ne peut réussir à faire "décoller" son agriculture que s'il a mis l'auto-suffisance alimentaire au premier rang de ses objectifs et consacre à cette politique des moyens budgétaires et humains importants. La coopération internationale permet de mieux tirer parti de ces efforts nationaux mais elle ne les remplace pas, alors que nous constatons que la population des pays développés diminue tandis que celle des pays en développement ne cesse de s'accroître.
Aussi voudrais-je souligner que la Politique agricole commune constitue un exemple réussi de politique de développement de l'agriculture et d'autosuffisance alimentaire. Je voudrais insister aujourd'hui sur le fait que cette politique ne bénéficie pas seulement aux Etats qui l'ont créée, mais qu'elle apporte une contribution positive à la sécurité alimentaire mondiale.
La Communauté économique européenne n'est pas en effet protectionniste: avec plus de 40 milliards de dollars par an d'importations de produits agricoles, dont la moitié environ provient des pays en développement, c'est au contraire le premier acheteur de produits agricoles du monde et le débouché extérieur le plus important dont disposent les pays en développement.
L'accroissement de sa production céréalière et laitière conduit à augmenter sa capacité de stockage, d'exportation et d'aide alimentaire dans les secteurs où les besoins mondiaux sont et resteront les plus intenses, comme le montre le rapport sur l'agriculture à l'"horizon 2000".
Sans les devises rapportées par ses ventes de produits agricoles, la CEE serait incapable de s'approvisionner en pétrole, en matières premières et en produits agricoles tropicaux dont la consommation augmente très rapidement, auprès des pays dont le développement est fondé en grande partie sur l'expansion de ce type d'exportation.
Le maintien de la Politique agricole commune est donc un atout pour les autres nations du monde avec lesquelles l'Europe est reliée par des liens multiples de solidarité.
Pour fonder un nouvel ordre économique international, l'objectif à atteindre ne doit donc pas être de détruire les mécanismes du Marché commun agricole, ni aucun autre système de politique agricole dans le monde occidental, au profit d'une sorte de libéralisme économique intégral qui serait tout à fait contraire aux intérêts et aux principes de la plupart des pays en développement.
Il est en revanche nécessaire de renforcer les liens de solidarité entre Etats et groupes d'Etats en passant des accords régionaux, comparables à la nouvelle convention de Lomé passée par la CEE avec les pays ACP, et en constituant de nouveaux accords internationaux de produits agricoles.
Les difficultés de l'accord international sur le sucre montrent a contrario le bien-fondé de la conception française et communautaire des accords internationaux de produits, qui doivent viser par une politique concertée de stockage à maintenir les prix mondiaux des denrées dans des fourchettes de prix raisonnables, compatibles avec les intérêts fondamentaux des consommateurs et des producteurs: la Communauté ne perd pas l'espoir de faire triompher cette conception ambitieuse mais réaliste des accords de produits, en particulier dans le domaine du sucre et des céréales. Nous sommes persuadés qu'aussi bien les pays en développement que les pays développés ne pourraient que bénéficier de telles mesures favorisant l'écoulement régulier de la production et la stabilité des prix.
Je voudrais réaffirmer en terminant mon propos, Monsieur le Président, l'importance que mon gouvernement attache aux orientations constructives tracées par le Directeur général de la FAO: pour relever le défi de la faim dans le monde. Les Nations Unies doivent conforter les politiques nationales de développement agricole et alimentaire par une série d'actions concrètes. Les programmes réalistes proposés par M. Saouma constituent une réponse bien adaptée à la situation alimentaire mondiale.
Enfin, nous devons féliciter le Directeur général de l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture, pour son excellente administration, pour la manière dont il a su, avec l'aide de collaborateurs de grande valeur, galvaniser son Organisation, la rendant chaque jour plus opérationnelle ainsi qu'en témoignent les résultats concrets déjà obtenus dans beaucoup de domaines, et dont nous voyons un symbole dans le succès du Programme de coopération technique.
Nous rendons également hommage aux efforts qu'il a faits pour développer le sens de la solidarité humaine dans le domaine de l'alimentation et de l'agriculture, dans cette lutte contre la faim qui conditionne l'avenir même de l'humanité.
C'est aussi dans le sens de cette solidarité humaine que s'inscrit la proposition faite devant l'Assemblée des Nations Unies par le Président de la République française, M. Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, de transférer une partie des énormes dépenses consacrées par tous les pays aux armements au profit du développement et de la lutte contre la pauvreté et la faim dans le monde.
J. GIBBONS (Ireland): Mr. Chairman, Ireland has the honour of exercising the Presidency of the European Communities during the current half of this year. . I shall, therefore, be addressing the Conference in two different capacities-first on behalf of the Communities and then on behalf of my own country.
I should like to begin, Mr· Chairman, by warmly congratulating you on behalf both of the Community and of Ireland on your election to the office of Chairman of the Conference and to convey to you our sincere wishes for a successful session. I should also like to extend a warm welcome to the representatives of Dominica and Western Samoa who are joining us for the first time and I look forward to their active participation in FAO.
In speaking on behalf of the Community I will confine myself to some general aspects of the problems before us and of the Community's approach to them. More detailed comments on the Community's attitude to the various items on the agenda will be furnished in the statement to be made to the Conference by Mr. Gundelach, the Commissioner for Agriculture of the European Communities.
The Community is privileged to participate in this session of the FAO Conference which, under Part 1 of its agenda, will consider several important problems within the context of its examination of major trends and policies in food and agriculture. The importance of these problems does not need to be stressed here, as they touch on matters essential to the well-being of hundreds of millions of human beings in all countries of the world.
The Community regards the world food situation as continuing to give rise to serious anxiety, particularly as far as many developing countries are concerned. World food production remains in a state of some disequilibrium and is in any case insufficient in developing countries. The Community, therefore, welcomes the Resolutions and Recommendations as adopted at the recent meeting of the World Food Council in Ottawa and hopes that the decisions taken there can be put into effect rapidly.
As you know, the Community has its own important programme of food aid, not only in cereals but also in milk products and butter oil. The quantity of aid covered by these programmes has increased constantly over the years and the Community would expect to see its contributions in this respect continuing to develop in line with the demands of needy people and countries, both within the context of its food aid policies and from a more general point of view, the Community aims to contribute to tackling the problem of the world food situation by actively supporting the development of food and agriculture production within the developing countries themselves.
For example, under the second Lomé Convention to take effect in March 1980, the provisions for agriculture have been greatly expanded in special recognition of the vital importance of this sector for ACP States. A sizeable proportion of the Community's aid is in fact devoted to the agricultural sector and to the furtherance of projects aimed at advancing integrated rural development. The Coninunity's aid, however, goes further than the special framework of the Lomé Convention. Since 1976, it has been extended to countries which are not associated with the Conmunity in any formal way, and a large proportion of this aid has been devoted to the development of food production. The Community also operates aid schemes through the intermediary of certain non-governmental Organizations as well as in the context of a multilateral approach with the participation of other international Organizations. Conmunity aid in the field of food and agriculture to developing countries totalled just under 600 million dollars in 1978-a fourfold increase within the space of only four years.
In the field of trade including commodities, the Community played a consistently active and positive role in the Meeting of UNCTAD V in Manila and in the Tokyo Round of multilateral trade negotiations, held under the auspices of GATT, which has recently been concluded. The commitment of the Community to an open system of international trade has been reaffirmed during these negotiations. The outcome of the multilateral trade negotiations represents, in the view of the Community, a decisive step forward towards the greater liberalisation of international trade, including trade in food and agriculture products. As a consequence of the multilateral trade negotiations the Community hopes that developing countries will be able to participate more fully in the GATT System. I can give you an assurance on the Community's behalf that in the period following the recent multilateral trade negotiation the Community will maintain its active participation in the dialogue with the developing countries on all aspects of trading.
Apart from its action in the specific fields of food and agriculture and of world trade, the Community is also actively taking part in a positive spirit in the preparations which are being made in New York for the special Session of the General Assembly in 1980 and for the new international Development Strategy. In the North/South Negotiations of recent years, the Community has committed itself to the goal of establishing a more just and equitable international economic order within the context of an increasingly interdependent world economy. The Community is ready to consider constructively any proposals which may be made with a view to promoting a more fruitful dialogue, and in this respect is examining the proposal made by the Group of 77 concerning global negotiations relating to international economic Co-operation for development.
Mr. Chairman, the wide-spread conditions of hunger and deprivation which still prevail among the populations of the developing countries are of serious concern and must continue to receive urgent and priority attention from the entire international community. In this particular facet of the North/South Dialogue, the FAO has a special role to play. I would like to assure you of the Community' s firm commitment to fight the dramatic problem posed by world hunger by, on the one hand, taking the necessary measures to accelerate the implementation of the Community's various food aid programmes and, on the other hand, encouraging food production in developing countries. The Community will play a positive and active role in all the discussions on which your Conference is embarked during these three weeks in Rome.
I will turn now to the position of my own country. Firstly, I need hardly say that the Irish Government endorses the attitude of the Community at large in its general approach to development and the solution of the problem of world hunger.
Because of the nature of its own specific problems and interests Ireland can view the problems of the developing countries, with a particular sympathy and understanding. Over one fifth of our work force is engaged in farming or related activities and our exports of farm products are a major factor in providing the resources to develop the other sectors of our economy. We have had long experience of the kind of problems which beset the developing countries in their efforts to increase their agricultural production and to find remunerative markets. Our struggle to emerge from what could be described as developing statue took place in a slightly earlier date in the time-scale.
One of the many other differences between then and now is to-day's much more advanced level of technology. Technology in agricultural production, as in many other fields, has developed at a formidable rate. This advance offers tremendous potential for developing countries to-day but at the same time presents serious dangers which hardly existed for us. Whether these dangers materialise in any given case depends on the present stage of development of the country, the selectivity with which improved technology is applied, and the particular producers to whose benefit it is directed. Extravagant and unplanned application of large-scale advanced technology in a country at a rudimentary stage of development and with a large but underemployed labour force can, even while boosting food production, often destroy the livelihood and thus the purchasing power, of the small producers and landless labourers. On the other hand, the prudent application of improved technology, which can be fully utilised by the small farmer, can be very beneficial. One of the most important tasks of the governments of such developing countries is to weigh carefully the precise measures which will be most helpful in the particular countries in their own circumstances.
In this connection I would like to refer briefly to Part 1 of the Agenda of this Conference which includes an item on the fertiliser situation. This refers to the Director General's appeal to donor governments to continue their co-operation and support for, and to provide further resources to, the International Fertiliser Supply Scheme. I am happy to say that, in response to that appeal, Ireland has decided to become a contributor to the Scheme and we will make our first contribution early next year. This aid is of course, additional to the existing forms of aid which we are providing both bilaterally and multi laterally in a steadily increasing volume.
At the World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development I said that ''unless a country can first develop a viable and equitable agrarian structure it will fail to achieve a balanced increase in agricultural and food production", and indeed a similar view was expressed by many others.
It is true that, in some countries where conditions are right-for instance those with a small rural population and a large impoverished urban population-the application of large-scale advanced technology may be required to overcome the food deficit. However, the whole purpose of successful food production is defeated if the food does not reach the most needy sections of the population. To ensure that it does is the responsibility of governments, which must provide the necessary communications network and resources to enable the inhabitants of remote areas to share in such prosperity as may exist in the country as a whole. Aid--giving countries and institutions are often faced with the dilemma of the "pockets of poverty" existing in otherwise relatively well-off countries. The burden of responsibility for eliminating these pockets of poverty rests in the first place on the government of the country. It is only where a government is conscientiously tackling this problem to the best of its ability that external aid should be sought.
Of course, in addition to the combination of energetic production efforts by developing countries and aid, in the form of appropriate inputs from developed countries and international organizations, there is another very important question, which I am glad to say also figures on the agenda for this
Conference. This is the question of technical and economic co-operation between developing countries themselves, a question which was recently the subject of an important consultation in Home. Progress has not been as rapid as one would have hoped due partly to lack of exportable supplies and difficulty in obtaining hard currencies. However, I was glad to see that it was agreed to set up a co-ordinating committee to deal with all aspects of economic co-operation between developing countries in food and agriculture. Governments were also urged to devote specific attention to this matter. I believe that these efforts could prove very fruitful.
The World Food Council placed particular stress on the use of national food sector strategies in the context of national development programmes, to raise food issues to the highest policy levels and to ensure a more co-ordinated approach to all aspects of food production, distribution and national food security While the establishment of such a strategy should not be a condition for external aid we generally support the recommendation. We also favour the recommendation of the World Food Council that developing countries might consider the establishment of high level food management authorities to monitor policies and prepare a food strategy.
Having spoken about production and co-operation for development I feel I should touch on the subject of food aid in the context of the World Food Programme which is also an item for discussion at the Conference. Undoubtedly the best way to help countries whose people are short of food is to help them to grow more. But where they need food now there is a good case for giving them aid in the form of food, especially if care is taken to ensure that it reaches the neediest sections of the population.
Food supplied by the World Food Programme in Food-for-Work and special feeding projects demonstrably reaches the people who need it and causes little or no disruption to agricultural production or commercial transactions. We support the pleas made at the World Food Council and other international fora that a higher proportion of food aid should go through multilateral channels, especially the World Food Programme which we consider to be an effective and impartial organization.
As regards the paper on the development and management of fisheries in exclusive economic zones, the Programme of Assistance was discussed in detail at the recent meeting of the Committee on Fisheries. As the representative of a small island nation which is still only developing in fishery terms and which adopted a 200 mile fishing limit in 1977 within the ambit of the European Economic Community, I can only support the increased positive and developmental role envisaged for FAO and its institutions in the proposed programme.
Mr. Chairman, the Agenda of this Conference ranges from matters of the most fundamental importance to humanity to smaller but none the less essential elements in our quest for the betterment of the people of our world. I have no doubt that the discussions will be interesting and fruitful. I trust that they will be animated by a spirit of true co-operation and thereby lead to lasting benefits for the millions of people who look to us for help.
G. MARCORA (Italie): Au nom du Gouvernement italien et en mon nom personnel j'ai le plaisir de donner la bienvenue la plus chaleureuse aux délégations des pays membres de la FAO, aux réprésentants des autres Organisations internationales et à tous les participants dont la présence aux travaux de cette Conférence souligne l'importance que revêt, pour l'économie de nos pays, la recherche d'un plus grand équilibre mondial.
J'exprime des félicitations à Μ· le Directeur général de la FAO pour les résultats du travail complexe et délicat accompli par l'Organisation ces dernières années sur les problèmes internationaux et notamment sur les problèmes du dévéloppement du secteur agricole et alimentaire, problèmes qui ont été récemment mis en évidence lors de la conférence mondiale sur la réforme agraire et le développement rural.
Je désire en outre me féliciter avec lui pour son rapport sur l'état de l'alimentation et de l'agriculture en 1979· A cet égard, je voudrais m' attarder sur quelques aspects que je considère comme fondamentaux pour les orientations et les mesures que la FAO devra prendre dans un proche avenir.
D'après les prévisions de la FAO, la production mondiale de céréales en 1979 subira une diminution d'environ 6% par rapport à celle de 1978; de plus, les coûts de production et de transport des denrées agro-alimentaires vont sans cesse croissant. L'augmentation du coût des facteurs de la production (semences, engrais, main-d'oeuvre, etc. ) se répercute sur les prix à la consommation; cette
augmentation, à mon sens, ne tient que partiellement au processus inflationniste en cours. D'autres facteurs, tant de nature spéculative que liés aux systèmes de distribution, concourent à l'accroissement du prix du produit fini.
Dans ce sens, une amélioration sensible de la situation des approvisionnements peut découler d'une politique prudente des réserves à mettre en oeuvre notamment dans des périodes d'abondance de certains produits, tels que les céréales et les légumineuses, qui pourraient contribuer à alléger les carences nutritives qui existent encore dans plusieurs régions du monde. Mais il ne suffit pas d'aug-menter l'importance des stocks, il faut que ces derniers soient rapidement disponibles et donc situés non seulement dans les zones de production, mais aussi dans les territoires proches des zones où on souhaite les utiliser pour qu'ils soient plus facilement accessibles en cas d'urgence. La gestion de ces denrées, qui demeureraient propriété des pays producteurs, devrait être confiée à des organisations internationales sans but lucratif, en évitant le recours à des structures commerciales privées qui pourraient déclencher des phénomènes spéculatifs; en outre, la présence des stocks à proximité des zones déficitaires permettrait leur consommation directe sans retard, sans les ooûts supplémentaires des transports et sans l'intermédiaire des grandes compagnies multinationales. Aussi, est-il indispensable que l'on aboutisse, aussi tôt que possible, à un système de coordination internationale; dans ce sens, l'Italie donne son appui au Plan d'Action sur la sécurité alimentaire mondiale.
Il s'agit là d'une thèse que nous avons soutenu au niveau de la CEE également, en proposant au Conseil des Ministres de l'Agriculture que la Communauté gère directement les aides qu'elle fournit aux pays en voie de développement; nous avons toujours lutté en faveur de l'augmentation des productions, ceci étant le seul moyen pour contribuer à la solution du problème de la famine dans le monde.
Un autre problème étroitement lié au précédent, est celui de la prévention des pertes alimentaires: dans le rapport du Directeur Général, on affirme que les pertes avant la récolte dûes aux parasites animaux et végétaux varient entre 20 et 40% de la production totale, alors que les pertes après la récolte, pour ce qui est des céréales, son imputables pour 5-10% à des causes mécaniques et pour 10% à des causes biologiques. Ces chiffres nous font réfléchir en particulier sur le fait que le problème des pertes alimentaires est loin d'être résolu et qu'il faut donc intensifier tant la lutte contre les parasites des plantes que le développement des technologies pour la préservation des denrées alimentaires. Voilà un problème que mon pays étudie depuis longtemps et nous sommes prêts à offrir notre expérience en la matière à tous ceux qui nous la demanderont.
Un dernier problème, tout aussi important, est celui de l'assistance technique aux pays en voie de développement. C'est là un secteur où les pays développés peuvent jouer un rôle fondamental, soit en favorisant les accords bilatéraux ou multilatéraux de coopération scientifique et technique, qu'en fournissant les moyens et la technologie nécessaires à l'amélioration des régions les moins nanties, en contribuant ainsi à l'aménagement agricole international que beaucoup souhaitent au bénéfice d'une collaboration plus profonde et harmonieuse entre toutes les populations de la terre.
L. B. OSMAN (Tunisie) (interprétation de l'arabe): Permettez-moi, Monsieur le Président, de joindre ma voix à celles des chefs de délégation qui ont pris la parole avant moi pour vous féliciter à l'occasion de votre élection en tant que Président de cette session de la Conférence. Nous vous souhaitons tout le succès possible dans vos travaux. Grâce à votre expérience et à votre sagesse, vous ouvrirez la voie à un échange constructif.
Je suis heureux également d'accueillir les nouveaux pays membres qui se sont joints à nous et avec lesquels existent des liens étroits. Sans aucun doute, leur adhésion à notre Organisation constitue un renforcement de l'Organisation de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation des Nations Unies. La mise en commun de tous ces efforts permettra à la Communauté internationale d'atteindre les objectifs qui sont fixés par les conférences internationales, et plus particulièrement la Conférence pour l'alimentation mondiale qui oeuvre pour éliminer la faim dans le monde, ce fantôme de la faim dont souffrent presque 500 millions de personnes.
Nos études ont montré que l'objectif qui a été fixé pour augmenter la production agricole dans les pays en développement n'a pas encore été atteint. L'augmentation annuelle qui a été enregistrée dans ces pays au cours des années 1970 n'a pas dépassé ce qui a été enregistré au cours des années 60.
Ce qui accroît la complexité de ce problème, c'est que la population de ces pays augmente, ce qui conduit à la dégradation de la situation alimentaire. Ces pays ont par conséquent recours à des importations de plus en plus massives pour résoudre leurs besoins alimentaires.
L'augmentation annuelle de ces produits atteint un taux de 6,9 pour cent alors qu'il n'était en 1971 que de 2,7 pour cent.
Cette situation nous inquiète en dépit du fait que la plupart des peuples du monde, chacun individuellement ou tous groupés dans des réunions régionales ou internationales s'efforcent d'étudier les solutions les meilleures en vue d'améliorer le niveau de vie et la meilleure façon de fournir les produits alimentaires aux peuples du monde.
A notre avis, le développement agricole dans les pays en développement requiert un effort constant, un effort national. Cet effort devrait donner la priorité au secteur agricole et lui fournir tout ce dont il a besoin en possibilités humaines et matérielles.
La Tunisie, à l'aube de son indépendance, a adopté cette politique et continue à l'appliquer lorsqu'elle établit ses plans et ses projets. Nous avons déployé tous nos efforts en vue de conserver la terre car c'est là notre patrimoine national et c'est un élément essentiel pour tout travail producteur. Et ce travail producteur aboutit à accroître la productivité.
Nous estimons également qu'il est nécessaire, compte tenu des données naturelles de notre pays et de la pluviométrie qui se caractérise par l'irrégularité, de mobiliser toutes nos réserves en eau qu'elle soit en surface ou en profondeur en vue d'alléger les répercussions de ces éléments naturels sur la production agricole.
Il faudrait remarquer également, vu le peu de possibilités en eau, que cette politique vise également à adopter des moyens techniques qui puissent augmenter la valeur de la production pour chaque mètre cube exploité.
D'un autre coté, nous avons essayé d'informer l'agriculteur et nous considérons que la formation est un des éléments essentiels au développement car elle influe non seulement sur la production, mais, également sur le comportement de l'agriculteur, sur sa façon de s'organiser et de comprendre les nouvelles méthodes, les nouvelles technologies pour la production et l'exploitation agricole.
Nous avons également adopté une politique de décentralisation pour fournir aux agriculteurs les éléments essentiels comme les engrais, les semences, les pesticides, et nous avons adopté cette même politique dans le domaine de l'accroissement de la production en vue de permettre à tous les agriculteurs de profiter des crédits, tout en sachant que les petits villages occupent une proportion très grande dans la répartition des terres.
Le Gouvernement tunisien a décidé d'abaisser au maximum au point de vue technique la superficie des villages, ce qui permet aux propriétaires d'obtenir des crédits selon des procédures administratives simplifiées, à savoir: des prêts saisonniers ne sont accordés qu'à certaines catégories d'agriculteurs par le truchement de la caisse de garantie commune des agriculteurs.
Ces efforts ne sont pas suffisants s'ils ne sont accompagnés par un financement extérieur bilatéral ou multilatéral et cela pour augmenter les ressources des pays en développement. Nous remarquons cependant que certaines sociétés de financement s'obstinent à adopter certaines normes de productivité financière bien que ces projets agricoles nécessitent une réalisation essentielle qui ne donne pas des revenus immédiats.
Cela s'applique surtout aux projets de développement rural qui sont le point essentiel et constituent la base de la Conférence mondiale sur le développement rural et la réforme agraire qui s'est tenue du 12 au 20 juillet de cette année, ici même.
L'expérience nous a montré à cet égard que de tels programmes essaient d'éliminer les différences entre les différents pays et également entre le revenu des personnes, et donc le niveau maximum des conditions de vie pour le travail agricole. Ils ouvrent de nouvelles possibilités de travail et amènent les citoyens, surtout les jeunes, à se fixer dans les régions rurales.
Nous pensons actuellement essayer d'établir des programmes de développement rural qui soient coordonnés, intégrés et qui tendent tous à réaliser un développement qui se fonde sur une exploitation contrôlée des facteurs régionaux, sur la base des études globales qui donnent à chaque région sa pleine part de développement afin qu'elle puisse participer totalement au développement économique et social du pays.
A cet égard, il faudrait étudier de tels projets d'une façon souple et avec compréhension car, à coté du rendement agricole pur, il faudrait étudier ces répercussions sur la façon de forger la mentalité du citoyen, améliorer ses conditions de vie pour que ce soit là un outil de développement et nous pensons tous que le développement ne constitue pas le seul élément à retenir.
Je pense qu'il est nécessaire à cet égard de remercier tous les pays développés et les organisations internationales qui ont collaboré au financement de ces projets et surtout le FIDA car il a déployé des efforts immenses dans le financement des projets agricoles.
Je voudrais lancer un appel à tous ces pays, à toutes ces organisations pour qu'ils investissent davantage pour que les pays en développement puissent réaliser les objectifs visés. Car la diminution du financement donne lieu au report de l'exécution de projets importants qui pourraient aboutir à la réalisation de ces objectifs que veulent atteindre tous les pays.
Je voudrais également me féliciter des efforts déployés par la FAO sous la direction de Monsieur Edouard Saouma dans le domaine de l'appui technique aux projets agricoles et du lien qui existe entre les pays en développenent et les sources de financement.
Je voudrais également évoquer les travaux qui sont exécutés par notre organisation.
le programme de travail et budget qui a été établi pour les deux années passées a montré son efficacité, et je voudrais aussi parler du programme de coopération technique et du programme de coopération entre les pays du Moyen-Orient et les programmes pour éviter les pertes de produits alimentaires; de tels programmes ont permis des réalisations importantes qui aboutissent à l'augmentation de la production.
Ces nouveaux programmes ont développé les méthodes de travail de notre Organisation, d'où une augmentation du budget. Je demande surtout aux pays développés d'appuyer ce budget et de ne pas diminuer leur participation car cela aboutirait à paralyser les efforts que déploient l'organisation et donc à abaisser son aide au secteur rural des pays en développement.
Comment pouvons-nous accepter cela quand nous travaillons tous à obtenir la sécurité alimentaire pour nos peuples? Cela ne peut se réaliser que par les efforts déployés en commun. Voilà pourquoi la République tunisienne a adopté une politique qui est conforme à la façon de travailler qui a été retenue par le Conseil de l'Organisation au cours de sa soixante-quinzième session.
Nous travaillons pour augmenter nos stocks en céréales et atteindre 850 000 tonnes alors que nos possibilités actuelles sont de 500 000 tonnes. Nous avons également un stock de céréales qui serait suffisant pour une consommation de 6 mois.
Nous appuyons ce qui ressort du rapport du Directeur général, à savoir, application du programme de la sécurité alimentaire mondiale. Nous voulons aboutir à un accord international nouveau sur les céréales; et cela en vue d'éviter la faim et la famine dans le monde. En appuyant la sécurité alimentaire mondiale nous essayons également d'aboutir à un réajustement des politiques agricoles mondiales qui a été instauré par la Conférence mondiale de l'Organisation au cours de sa dix-huitième session en 1975, et que nous évaluons au cours de cette session avant de l'étudier au sein de l'Assemblée extraordinaire des Nations Unies qui se tiendra au cours de l'année prochaine.
Je voudrais parler des efforts qui ont été déployés par l'Organisation en vue de nous fournir les documents qui nous étaient nécessaires, et je voudrais surtout parler du document: "Agriculture: horizon 2000".
D'après ces documents, vous voyez que les pays en développement n'ont pu encore réaliser qu'un progrès très minime si nous le comparons aux réalisations des pays développés. Voilà pourquoi il est du devoir de la communauté internationale d'augmenter son aide aux pays en développement, et à ces derniers de poursuivre des efforts nationaux pour pouvoir exploiter toutes les possibilités matérielles et humaines dans le domaine du développement, et surtout de s'occuper du développement de la richesse halieutique qui nous préoccupe tous et qui préoccupe également la FAO, en lui accordant une priorité.
Nous sommes prêts à déployer nos efforts dans ce domaine et l'Organisation est également disposée à augmenter ses efforts. D'après ce que nous avons vu dans les documents qui nous ont été présentés, les pays en développement doivent également renforcer leur coopération et échanger leurs connaissances et leurs expériences, échanges qui ont lieu par des campagnes d'information; les réunions de formation nous permettent de profiter des progrès technologiques réalisés dans chaque pays.
En conclusion, je souhaite que nos travaux soient couronnés de succès et surtout que tous les peuples participent aux réalisations de notre Organisation, et cela pour promouvoir l'homme, améliorer ses conditions de vie. Il est de notre devoir de répondre à ses besoins essentiels et à ses droits, à savoir: l'alimentation.
H. J. KRISTENSEN (Denmark): Mr. Chairman, Mr. Deputy Director-Cenerai, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, my Minister sincerely regrets that he could not come to Rome this week because of urgent political problems. He has asked me to give his statement.
I would also like to express my appreciation to the Director-General for his very challenging statement and for valuable work in preparing this Conference.
The present development in agricultural production and in food supplies gives rise to two main observations
The objective of an annual growth rate of 4 per cent in food production during the development decade 1970-80 has not been met. The actual result will probably be an average growth rate of closer to 3 per cent. However, considering the increased demand stemming from population growth and growth in average income, it is only fair to say that there has been an improvement, however modest, in the global supply situation.
During the two years since the last Conference the prodiction increase has been stronger than earlier on. This has come about in spite of the fact that 1979 will be marked by decreasing production of cereals, in particular wheat. The substantial part of this decrease has, however, occurred in a region which has a sufficient economic basis for covering its own needs by imports from traditional cereal exporting countries of the industrialized world. As these countries through the four previous years have been able to build up substantian stocks, they have a larger exporting capacity during 1979· Irrespective of an increasing consumption and running down of stocks, the global stocks will cover 18 to 19 per cent of global consumption, which gives a reasonable degree of security.
Secondly, it must be emphasized that the overall development in production and consumption reflects many and very different trends in individual regions and countries.
Many developing countries have during recent years obtained good results in agricultural and food production, but as a general rule this has mainly been achieved by countries that have experienced a marked economic growth and have made strong efforts also in developing their agricultural sector.
But there is still hunger and malnutrition in many parts of the world. In certain places the nutritional situation has actually aggravated.
The most important task of FAO will therefore be to aid these developing countries in their efforts to develop agricultural production and fight hunger and malnutrition. In the short run relief of the critical nutritional situation in many of these countries can only be obtained by imports from abroad or by food aid.
World trade in cereals this year and next year will see substantial supplies to a region which economically can pay its way for the increasing imports.
These imports have triggered off an increase in the general price level, which eventually implies increased financial difficulties for the poorest cereals importing countries. The cereals exporting countries have had a similar advantage of rising prices and falling stocks. In my view, therefore, these countries have special possibilities and obligations of assisting in this supply and payment problem.
Talks on a new international wheat and cereals agreement, which aims at stabilizing production and trade, have not been successful, and this is very regrettable. Furthermore, the target of the Food Aid Convention, which aims at bringing about substantially increased quantities of food aid, have not yet been met. I do hope that negotiations will soon be resumed. I want to take this opportunity to emphasize the need for finding a solution that will imply an improvement of the Food Aid Convention. And I do hope that a new Convention will enter into force very quickly.
Another activity that Denmark has attached particular importance to is the World Food Programme. The Conference must take a decision on the pledge for the period 1980-81.
I can support the proposal of increasing the target to 1 billion US dollars. There is a clear need for a larger multilateral effort. Denmark is one of the largest contributors to the WFP both in relative and in absolute terms, and the Danish Government is prepared to increase our contribution to the WFP even further. I urge other donor countries to follow. The WFP is in my view a scheme that cannot be criticized. It has over the years shown substantial results, in our opinion. Acute emergency situations will continue to arise, among other things as a result of climatic changes and political unrest and tensions. They must be relieved internationally, and I am therefore happy to note that the International Emergency Food Reserve has now been established on a permanent basis. The quantitative
target of this Reserve has unfortunately not yet been implemented, but I am pleased to inform you today that the Danish Government has taken steps to contribute to this Reserve on a permanent basis.
Looking further ahead it will continue to be a main task of FAO to strengthen the effort to increase production and consumption of food.
The course of the present development decade and the perspectives laid down in the report "Agriculture towards 2000 shows that the effort must be concentrated much more towards those countries and regions that have been marked permanently by stagnation or direct aggravation in production and consumption.
In ear view the problem boils down to creating a better world food security-not only in theory in the statistical balance sheets-but concretely as a food security for all human beings wherever they live.
Food security must thus be ensured for populations of the most remote and isolated cities and rural districts, and for the poorest and most neglected groups of people.
It is an important task of the Organization to raise levels of nutrition for these population groups and thus make them less vulnerable. It is also a difficult one. We believe that increased emphasis has to be placed on nutritional aspects of development activities. Past experience has shown that increased agricultural production does not by itself solve problems of malnutrition. Special efforts need to be made to insure that increased production benefits the poor and malnourished. It is therefore important that FAO continues and expands its efforts to evaluate the nutritional consequences of its development activities and to incorporate nutritional goals into agricultural projects.
The World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development made a considerable contribution to increasing the understanding, at the political level, of the need for reforms aimed at improving the situation of the neglected people in the rural districts.
An efficient follow-up of the action programme of the Conference will be one of FAO's most important tasks in the future. Denmark is ready to join FAO in this effort.
I should particularly like to emphasize the necessity of encouraging the rural population's and especially women's active participation in the development process. This applies especially to the organization of training of populations in rural districts. In the light of the historical development of Danish agriculture and Danish society as a whole, an intensive and locally governed training and instruction has proved to be a fundamental necessity, as pointed out in the action programme agreed upon.
The description of present activities in the programme of work, and the evaluation of these together with the trends laid down in 'Medium Term Objectives' and the long-term perspective in 'AT 2000' provide a very useful basis for an overall political evaluation. In my view we will be well advised to carry on with this procedure for future Conferences.
From a Danish point of view it continues to be of crucial importance that the organization has its 'objectives in the medium term' made clear, to guide activities of the Organization in the right direction. Commission II will have the opportunity to discuss in further detail ways and means for achieving this.
The budget proposal implies that the organization will only to a limited extent be able to increase present levels of activity. In a situation where many countries are forced to freeze or even reduce public spending, we have a remarkable situation as far as FAO is concerned. I would like to single out one particular element. With the already accomplished and future establishment of FAO's country representatives an activity has been created which in future will commit considerable and increasing resources.
Realistically I should think that either there is need for a pause or that further expansions in this activity must be compensated for by reducing other activities. Otherwise I find the budget proposal acceptable.
Activities aimed at increasing production through input of more and better means of production, as for instance fertilizers and improved seeds, better training, increased basic investments etc. must be strengthened. And we will be ready to participate in a positive spirit in this.
In acute crises-as a result of for instance serious droughts or livestock diseases-it should be pointed out that with the Technical Cooperation Programme FAO holds an instrument which can be deployed quickly and efficiently. It must, however, be pointed out that the programme activities should only start in case of emergencies and should not develop into a permanent aid programme.
Regarding FAO's "Field Programmes" it is regrettable that the part financed by UNDP seems to have been reduced in real terms, We do hope that this trend will change so that UNDP financed projects also in years to come will represent a considerable part of FAO's activities in developing countries. A close and well coordinated cooperation between FAO and UNDP at country level will secure the most efficient use of scarce resources in both organizations, and I will urgently encourage a fully coordinated and thus fruitful cooperation between these two bodies.
Finally, I would like to point out that I consider the activities of the Trust Fund Programme an important part of the Danish contribution to FAO. It gives us a possibility in areas where we have special interests and expertise, to make a contribution through the FAO, which we cannot do on our own. I would especially mention the Dairy Training Programme and the Fertilizer Programme. We have great expectations to the results of these programmes.
The more than twenty-year old Dairy Training Programme will on the basis of gained experiences be continued by, among other things, developing national training centres in countries interested in this. We want a united strength in order to obtain visible results in the development of the dairy sector in countries where such a possibility exists. That is the reason for my Government to increase our contribution in the period 1980-84 to a total of 12. 5 million US dollars. We hope for even greater efficiency in the future, and we shall continue to follow these activities very closely.
At the same time it would appear to be necessary that national development plans give greater emphasis to activities which strengthen rural development and also the rural populations's active participation in the development process. This line has now met with approval, as well in national as in international development policies.
Denmark supports this view strongly. As you will know, Denmark's official development aid has reached the 0. 7 per cent target. A large part of this aid is given to the agricultural sector and the development of the rural districts, since we attach very high priority to Less Developed Countries and the poorest populations of these countries.
Finally, I would like to wish the Directors-General and his staff all the best in their future work.
L. KONICA (POLAND) (interpretation from Polish): Mr. Chairman, May I, at first, congretulate you most sincerely on your appointment as Chairman of the twentieth Conference of our organization. I am convinced that under your chairmanship the debates of the session will run effectively, and the decisions made will be the next step in solving world food problems.
I would also like to say how glad we are that the new States Dominica and Samoa, have joined our organization. Our best wishes for fruitful cooperation with FAO and successful agricultural development to the new members.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, Elimination of hunger and malnutrition is one of the major tasks faced by the world community. At the same time, it is one of the most difficult problems, which is confirmed by the whole post-war history of world agriculture and by the food situation of many developing countries. The number of people who cannot satisfy their food needs even according to the most conservative estimates of FAO keeps growing. Simultaneously, FAO data provide clear evidence that the rate of growth of food production per capita is the lowest in countries being in the most difficult food situation. Those countries are the poorest in the world. Thus, the gap is growing between the food level in developed countries as well as some of the developing ones, and that of the poorest countries.
Distinguished Delegates. In the postwar period several programmes for elimination of hunger and malnutrition in the world have been elaborated by the international community. The recent one is the programme established in 1974 by the World Food Conference. The formulated goals of elimination of the most acute signs of hunger and malnutrition by 1985 unfortunately will not be achieved.
Another programme was discussed some months ago at the World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development. Special emphasis was put on it on the necessity of complex agrarian reforms in many countries. These reforms condition structural changes as well as elimination of unjust economic and social structures, and are a starting point for comprehensive agricultural and rural development. They also are an important factor for agricultural production growth, which, amongst others, was stressed in the statement of President Kauna, and thus, improvement of food situation. Implementation of this programme, which may serve as an example of well understood cooperation of the countries concerned looking for compromise principles, acceptable by all conference participants, should bring us much closer to the world of social justice that would be free from hunger.
Unfortunately, even the most properly elaborated and implemented programmes of agricultural development not always achieve their goals in full. That is so, because agriculture still is the field of economy, highly dependent on natural conditions. In recent years Poland also experienced effects of unfavourable natural conditions a few times. Decrease of the rate of growth of agricultural production affected the total economy of the country.
Mr. Chairman, I quoted my country to show how significant the adequate rate of agricultural development is even for a country of medium size, being on a medium level of economic development, and thus, having at its disposal a fairly big economic potential. Agriculture is of still greater importance for developing countries as, in general, it still constitutes the most important sector of economy; in many of those countries the slow-down of agricultural growth may lead to dramatic effects in the form of drastic reduction of the nutrition level.
Under the present circumstances this is one of the reasons why a system is needed which would ensure food security to the world. However, the setting up of such a system is most difficult, which is confirmed by attempts made so far, which ended, at the best, in partial success. Therefore, we appreciate the initiative of the FAO Director General who submitted a relevant programme of operation. It contains many valuable thoughts and recommendations. The rightness of some of them, such as the necessity of elaboration by developing countries of food security programmes and their implementation or close regional cooperation in this field, is obvious. The postulates concerning food aid do not arouse doubts either. On the other hand doubts arise as regards the question of national consumption reserves, the volume of which, accumulation and sale, are to be implemented according to international agreements, although stocks of buffer type may contribute to the market stabilization, and thus indirectly contribute to the world food security.
While speaking of food security I would like to emphasize that Poland deals in agricultural articles, which are vital from the angle of world nutrition and food security, in a way contributing to stabilization of the international market. The volume of our import needs are known. We aim at basing the cereal trade on long-term agreements, which is confirmed by contracts concluded with Canada and the United States. Moreover, we are trying to increase our purchases at the periods of relatively low prices, which helps stabilize the market.
All the agrarian policy of Poland, one of the basic purposes of which is to maintain a high rate of growth of agricultural production, is a contribution to consolidation of world food security. A permanent feature of planned economy in the socialist system is the aiming at ensuring of a higher living standard to our own population, and at contributing to strengthening of world food security.
Distinguished Delegates, Poland has expressed its overall support for the programme of exclusive economic zones, elaborated by FAO, during the XIII session of the Committee on Fisheries. We have also declared then our readiness for effective assistance within this programme. It could have the form of training the staff for the fishery needs of developing countries. We also can render accessible our scientific-research vessels on terms fixed through FAO mediation. In further implementation of the programme we offer our cooperation and help in fields such as construction of fishing vessels, production of fisheries and cooling equipment and carrying out of scientific experiments. We believe however, that the FAO programme should cover not only problems connected with difficulties encountered by developing countries in their management of live resources in the new system of fisheries economic zones, but also problems linked with rational utilization of the available fishing, research and processing potential in countries of limited access to live sea resources. Poland is one of the latter countries, as it is known. The role of FAO in this field should consist of skilful coordination of operations and rational utilization of live resources owned by countries with wide access to seas with technical, research and staff potential of all countries. The goal of this programme should become the ensuring of fish consumption on an adequate level in all the countries where it is lower than the average world consumption assumed for the year 2000.
Mr. Chairman, we agree with the general work outlines of the organization presented in the work programme for the next 2 years by the Director-General, Dr. Edouard Saouma. We consider it purposeful to pay ever more attention to assistance to the developing countries which are in a difficult food situation. This is, undoubtedly, the correct trend of change. Therefore, although we hink that work programmes should be financed out of voluntary funds and not from the regular budget, we approve of the general justness of the work programmes.
However, in developing this field of activity, FAO should not lose its character of a universal organization serving all member countries and promoting cooperation development among all countries. In our opinion, all countries regardless of their development stage can need help and advice, and should have the chance to obtain it from FAO.
On the other hand, the fast-increasing budget of the Organisation can give rise to concern. We realize that it is caused, primarily, by inflation and that FAO faces the alternative of limiting its activities or budget increase and chose the latter solution. Under these circumstances, the most economical and most rational management of means available should be advocated.
Mr. Chairman, The FAO programme of work as well as the plans of single countries for agricultural development and food situation improvement can be implemented only in the conditions of world peace and closer international cooperation progression disarmament, reduction of spending for armaments and increasing outlays for raising the living standard of the people. My country systematically undertakes initiatives aimed at this development trend of the world. I have in mind both the Declaration on peaceful education of societies, recently approved by the United Nations and the appeal of the Polish nation addressed to nations and parlamente of the world on the 40th anniversary of World War II outbreak.
J. ERTL (Germany, Fed. Rep. of) (interpretation from German): Mr. Chairman, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, to begin with it is ray pleasant task to congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, on behalf of my Government and myself, for having been elected Chairman of this 20th Session of the FAO Conference, and I am sure that your strong personality and your sense of humour and your adroitness will lead this Conference to success, in the same way as in your country you have been doing such excellent work in order to develop Spanish agriculture.
We are sure that in the next Conference we will be able to see a new member in the European Economic Community-that is to say, Spain. Much success in your future work.
The same is true for the Director-General and his staff-I extend to them my best wishes, and pay tribute to the manner in which they have prepared this Conference and produced papers, and this is something that will go beyond this Conference. They will give us food for thought, not only here and now, but later on when we have returned to our countries. All these documents will lead us to think about our world in 2000, and the situation that we will have with this population growth.
My special welcome also goes to the new member countries of this Organization, the Republic of Dominica and Western Samoa. I trust they will feel at home in this Organization, and will collaborate in a most constructive manner.
Ladies and Gentlemen, our main task is, and remains, to fight hunger throughout the world. We must unite our efforts to implement the fundamental right of man to food, and if at this time we draw a balance sheet of the world food situation, then we must place on the asset side the fact that the food production of developing countries as a whole has risen over this decade by an average of three per cent per annum. And this result is above all due to the unceasing effort and hard work of millions of farmers and rural workers, men and women, throughout the world. Helped by better education and advice, they have applied the knowledge acquired through agricultural research and this has benefited everyone.
Since the World Food Conference in 1974, we agree that the necessary additional food must be produced mainly where requirements are not covered and where the need will even increase as a consequence of population growth alone; in other words, this means in most developing countries. And now we have already reached the debit side of our balance sheet. The aim of increased production in developing countries set for this decade has not quite been attained; the number of the hungry and the undernourished has not dropped. Why is this so? The general economic and financial conditions throughout the world have worsened. The cost of energy has risen and is still rising, and this has particularly most seriously and directly affected the poorer developing countries or, to be more precise, those who are poor in foreign exchange earnings.
At the same time and for this same reason it is becoming increasingly difficult for the so-called wealthier countries to help the poorer countries. This has also an effect on world-wide cooperation which is the only effective instrument to fight hunger. Such cooperation, if it is to be successful, needs corresponding economic preconditions, not only in order to increase agricultural productivity, but for development overall; that is to say the economic development and the development of infrastructure. Our target must therefore be to create greater purchasing power and thus more production incentives. One can fight hunger more effectively with more purchasing power than with exclusively public means.
Furthermore, there is another barrier to the required additional production of foodstuffs and agricultural raw materials: the need to preserve the environment and to husband non-renewable resources. And then there is our duty and responsibility towards coming generations which prohibit any misuse of soil, forests and the sea.
Despite these difficulties and regardless of unsolved problems, I must nevertheless express my satisfaction on noting the following factors. The FAO has diverse tasks in agriculture including fisheries and
forestry, and has over the past years, increasingly reacted by means of action-oriented measures. The Programme of Work which is now ending and the one proposed for the next two years are proof of this.
I shall now say a few words about two of the programmes, as the Secretariat has requested.
With the aim of supporting developing countries through better utilization of fishery resources in their economic zones, the Committee on Fisheries has adopted a specific Fishery Development Programme tabled by the Director-General. The Government of my country considers this to be an important measure which will contribute towards improving the protein supply of the populations of many developing countries. We hail the fact that for this Programme considerable multilateral support has already been promised and that bilateral pledges have been made. The Federal Republic of Germany is prepared to cooperate with developing countries in the framework of joint ventures. Our bilateral technical cooperation in this sector encompasses 23 fishery projects.
As far as world food security is concerned, the work of the Food Security Assistance Programme of FAO deserves our praise. For several years now and to an increasing extent, this Programme is contributing towards allieviating the effect of variations in crop size and quality, and natural disasters in developing countries. The Government of the Federal Republic works mainly on a bilateral basis with developing countries in this important area. The Government appreciates in particular the role of this Programme which is now a worldwide information and coordination centre. Our bilateral cooperation extends in particular to the purchase and storage of basic foodstuffs in developing countries themselves for setting up emergency reserves. It also extends to the provision of food as a reward for work done within the framework of labour-intensive self-help projects in rural emergency and new settlement areas; this is what we call "food for work". I should like to mention that this might be done increasingly also with the purpose of building new infrastructures. These programmes therefore serve not only to prevent famines but also to increase agricultural production and employment in rural areas. During the years 1975 to 1978 about 106 million DM were available for this programme which were exclusively provided in the form of grants.
An important contribution towards food security is considered by my Government to be the conclusion of a new food aid convention on which there is already an. agreement of principle. The Federal Government has always made considerable contributions to food aid, through the food aid convention, through the World Food Programme and as a contribution to the International Emergency Reserve of 500 000 tons of grains which was established on the recommendation of the General Assembly of the United Nations. The Federal Republic is doing considerable work in setting up and broadening the Lomé agreement which is one of the most important agreements governing cooperation with developing countries. I think this is quite unique in the world. There are additional association measures and measures for abolishing customs duties. I believe the European Community has given an example of world-wide cooperation.
Apart from the activities of FAO in the areas of fisheries and food security, there are still other activities which have been of considerable importance recently; the successful work of the FAO Investment Centre which has worked out many projects for financing institutions over the past two years; the programme of action for the prevention of food losses which has become operational in the present biennium; the increased inclusion of questions relating to nutrition in the planning and implementation of projects; the very effective control of the desert locust, and the very important struggle for saving food in Africa from parasitic blood diseases such as trypanosomiasis. These are obviously leading Africa into a dangerous situation.
In very many developing countries, as I stated at the outset, a second major crucial problem has risen apart from the one of food; I refer to energy supply. Difficulties were already very great, but now they are worsening in developing countries that suffer from foreign currency problems. This is why we must concentrate our attention to what extent this development will necessarily lead to a drop in the increase of agricultural production together with the great danger that hunger will not decrease but, on the contrary, will increase.
I think that the prospects of "Agriculture towards 2000" will have to be reviewed. More and more demands are being made on agriculture, both in its capacity as consumer and supplier of energy, and this is equally true everywhere and not only in developing countries. The Federal Government has therefore adopted this year a special programme intended to promote collaboration with developing countries in the opening up of new and renewable sources of energy. 70 to 7 5 million DM have been earmarked for this purpose. New technological solutions may, of course, crop up everywhere in the utilization of solar energy, steady winds and extensive supply of biomasses. The opening up of such alternative sources of energy is becoming increasingly urgent in view of the diminishing supply of fuel wood.
Without dwelling on any details of our longstanding fruitful cooperation with developing countries, I would like to underline that the agricultural sector as a whole is the centre of gravity of the development policy of my country. Many countries profit from the fact that the Federal Republic of Germany is their good partner in trade. We are amongst the biggest importers of agrarian produce in the world. In 1978 we imported from developing countries 12 000 million DM worth of agrarian products. This is a considerable amount and I wish to add that the European Community as a whole is one of the major partners in trade in the agrarian sector.
Appart from the measures initiated and promoted by the State and by international organizations, the activities of private and ecclesiastical institutions are playing an increasing role in our fight against hunger. These activities have effectively alleviated hunger and poverty in many places. Spanning a bridge from one human being to another was a good incentive for people to resort to self-help.
The worldwide awareness that solving the food problem is our most important task has never been greater than today. It is a challenge to all to translate this awareness into ever greater action than heretofore.
You may rely now and in the future on the willingness of my country and its citizens to cooperate in these aims.
I would like to extend to you the best wishes for the work of the FAO and for the work of the Director-General and all of his collaborators.
I. MAHMUD (Bangladesh): Mr. Chairman. Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, may I at the outset congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, on your election to the high office. In your opening statement you have clearly outlined the issues that we are going to confront in this Conference. The issues are straightforward. While addressing the Conference, His Holiness Pope John Paul II stressed that in spite of the development decades, underdevelopment prevails; absolute poverty has increased; and hunger haunts the unfortunate many of three-quarters of humanity.
Today we are emerging out of the alternate crises and bountiful harvests of the seventies. At the threshold of the decade of the eighties, poverty still remains the way of life of the majority of the population. At the 20th Session of the FAO Conference, we must make a beginning of a committed global undertaking to eradicate poverty, eliminate hunger and usher in a period of sustained development not for the few, but for the many. Let us aspire and achieve a decent living for all men, wherever they are in the planet.
World food and population problems, poverty and hunger, malnutrition and disease, the root cause of them all is stagnation of agriculture which is being persistently wrecked by havocs from disasters. I am not an Utopian. Let us strive for the minimum: a world which could banish absolute poverty in the last two decades of the 20th century. We are, therefore, meeting at a critical time; at the brink of a precipice. What we do or do not achieve for one billion poor of the world today is going to determine whether we succeed or fail.
Foremost before the Conference is the question of World Food Security. Over the agricultural cycle, after taking into account the trough and the peak, enough is or can be produced in the world today to give unto everyone, poor or rich, his necessary daily bread. What is important now is to firm up an action plan consisting of definite commitments by donor countries of 10 million tons of food aid, regardless of the international grain price situation. This is the level of assistance envisaged in the draft Food Aid Convention and its significance has heightened with the declining food production prospects of 1979. According to FAO estimates, additional food aid of 3 million tons of cereals would be required to offset the effect of higher prices on the import bill of the MSA/LDC Countries if grain export prices should remain at mid-July (1979) levels. There has been no indication of a lessening of the upward pressure on prices. The crisis has exacerbated in spite of the famine and disasters of 1973-74 that led to the World Food Conference here in Rome, whose decisions and commitments as well as anxieties of food unfortunate and willingness of food fortunate nations are still fresh in our minds.
Food security in the light of Bangladesh experience shows that our attempts at food sector development as well as national food security build-up are being vitiated by the vagaries of nature. Lack of rain in the critical planting and flowering period, as we have recently experienced, inevitably means disaster/ National food security and reserve build-up of at least 1. 5 million tons of food grain in the Bangladesh context is, therefore, a compelling requirement for us today. The leadership of the U. S. A. , Canada, and Australia in this respect is exemplary and we seek cooperation of other food surplus and donor countries to come forward for much more meaningful international food security. There is, however, no doubt that national self-sufficiency in food production is the security that we all seek; but, in the short run, international cooperation in food aid can not be minimized. In fact, food aid is a precondition to eventual national self-sufficiency.
The Director-General of FAO has proposed a five-point: plan of action as an intermediate step for World Food Security involving international food reserves, food aid, food distribution and build-up of food security infrastructure in the recipient countries. These are the irreductible minimum. My delegation fully supports the proposal and appeals to donor countries to come forward and make World Food Security a living reality as a fruitful beginning of the decade of the eighties.
Once such a system of international food security is assured, food deficit countries are assured of a steady supply in the interim period to launch a vigorous food production programme as the long run solution to the recurrent crisis. What is urgently required will be investment in agriculture in massive proportions. My country has just emerged out of the worst drought in living memory. The crisis of 1973-74 was also induced largely by drought. Development of land and water resources should, therefore, be the major areas of investment for support by multilateral and bilateral donor agencies. Experience during the seventies clearly points to the overwhelming priority of investment in water sectors and water resources development for rapid growth in agricultural production. Presently in Bangladesh, only 10 percent of the cultivable land is irrigated. If the irrigated area could be increased to 50 percent, we can double our food production, from the current 13 million to 26 million tons of rice and wheat cereals. This means that if the irrigated area could be increased by one million acres per annum, than doubling of production could be effected within the eighties. Interestingly enough, such rapid expansion of irrigation would not require in the main, large-scale multipurpose water development projects. Simple labour-intensive and small-scale water conservation measures for low-lift pump irrigation, ground-water development through tubewells. Thousands of such micro projects, participated by local communities and backed up by supplies of equipment, pumps and engines and spares is no ambitious dream. It is within our reach which we can feel and touch. The only limiting factor is availability of capital in desired proportions.
There are 87 million people cramped in 55,000 square miles of Bangladesh. At the same time, the potential of land and water resources are simply enormous which the massive, underemployed labour force can very fruitfully develop within the decade of the eighties. It is feasible. It is possible. Let us have no doubt about it.
Food security issues tend to be overwhelmed by the immediate requirements of food stocks, price stability and food aid issues. These are important. But, such situations are, however, bound to recur unless and until definite plans and programmes with firm commitment of adequate resources are launched within a stipulated strategy for development that lays down the investment criteria, planned targets, programme size and committed management systems. This, above all controversy, should form the basis of development aid and of the partnership in development between the developed and developing countries of the world.
Food security is, therefore, not isolated from the compelling requirements of speedy as well as sustained agricultural growth with equity. This means for a substantial part of the developing world today, development of intensive irrigated agriculture which exploits to the maximum the already available land augmenting technologies.
Bangladesh has been repeatedly ravaged by natural and man-made disasters that receive wide publicity around the world. But the eventful recoveries, the resilience of people and the struggle for eking out the maximum against all odds have enabled us not only to endure, bu prevail and aspire for a better life tomorrow. Unfortunately, this has received hardly any attention in the past. Horrors only and not the glories are newsworthy.
I would like to announce, on behalf of the People and Government of Bangladesh, that in the coming decade, we are aiming at doubling our agricultural production. We are determined to stage an agrarian revolution through abundance of production. If deserts can bloom because of oil beneath the sands, our rich alluvial soil, year-round cropping opportunities and plenty of water to nourish the plants can also seal the so-called bottomless basket.
But in this grand design of development we seek World Food Security, massive development assistance for reaching water, seed and fertilizer to every farmer. We want to prevent post-harvest losses, build storage, processing and marketing infrastructure and develop fishery resources in the new found exclusive economic zone.
What we have presented before you is not promised by the State of Food and Agriculture, 1979. As pointed out by the 75th Session of the FAO Council in June this year, the current food situation remains uncertain, if not fragile in the developing countries. Production of foodgrain will decline, import requirements are consequently on the rise and export prices of wheat and coarse grains have already risen sharply. Further, availability of food aid would inevitably fall. Fertilizer prices also rose sharply in the past few months. The prevailing short-term difficulties can only stifle growth and development in the long-run. What we could achieve in the relatively favourable years are easily shattered by a single, short-lived onslaught of adversity.
The inherent instability of the complex production environment is the basic cause of international food insecurity which has been unrelenting in its expanded impact on the MSA countries in particular. Immediate short-term difficulties absorb all the efforts and resources of the developing countries. The long-run development issues as a consequence are pushed further into the background. No long-run sustained process of agricultural development can be envisaged under such a situation. Instabilities must be minimized as the first step towards a decade of sustained development in the eighties. In order to do this, the most important task is to develop an internationally coordinated system of food reserve build-up and related price stabilization measures through an internationalized system of operations. Secondly, since the impact of any food production shortfall is felt differently even among developing countries, an annual food aid target should be determined to which commitments by developed countries have to be assured. The target should be invariant to production performance which can be envisaged only in the context of an internationally coordinated system of food reserve build-uρ. Thirdly, an international investment plan needs to be firmed up in order to augment as rapidly as possible the production capacities in the food priority countries. The proposed plan must of necessity confine itself to agriculture and rural development where investment is critical in order to achieve the desired increase in agricultural production and equitable distribution. Further, since fertilizer often is the mainstay of a viable strategy for accelerated increase in output, its continuous, steady availability at prices which are stable and within the reach of the small farmers may be ensured through an action plan for fertilizer.
This is the four-point programme of action that we place before the 20th Session of the FAO Conference. It is for your consideration. It is for your judgement. World Food Security can not be defined narrowly in terms of a plan of exchange between surplus and deficit countries. The ultimate aim must be to enable each nation to produce enough or generate adequate internal capacities to import. Of course, this can come only in the long run. But sure and definite steps must be taken now, if possible today. The world has waited too long. Let us face the challenge boldly and unitedly for the next two decades, so that poverty and hunger may become two unknown words in the vocabulary of the twenty-first century.
At this point we are pleased to report that the Regional Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific-CIRDAP-has just become operational. It is located at Comilla in Bangladesh. We are grateful to the nations of the Asia-Pacific region and FAO and other donor agencies for their enthusiastic support in respect of the establishment and operation of CIRDAP. It is our hope that CIRDAP will soon establish its claim to attention as an instrument of stimulating programmes at regional and national levels in the field of agrarian changes and investment in rural areas of Asia and the Pacific.
Before I conclude, I would like to thank you once again for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts with the distinguished member nations of FAO. May I also compliment the FAO Secretariat and the Director-General for a most excellent and exhaustive documentation for the Conference. My only hope is that we do not limit ourselves to words and words only. In an age when outer space has been opened to man through a process of scientific enquiry, there can no longer be any justification for considering poverty and hunger as the inevitable destinity of a significant section of the people of the world.
EL PRESIDENT: Much-as gracias. Señores delegados con la intervencióndel Ministro de Estado de Agricultura y de Montes de Bangladesh terminan las intervenciones incluidas en el Orden del Día para la mañana de hoy. Continuaremos la sesión a las 02. 30 oras de la tarde.
The meeting rose at 12. 50 hours
La séance est levée à 12 h 50
Se levante la sesión a las 12. 50 horas
