N. Y. AGBESI (Chairman of the Credentials Committee): Mr. Chairman, distinguished colleagues, we have the pleasure of submitting this morning the second Report of the work done by our Committee. We wish to inform you and the distinguished gathering that the Credentials Committee at its second meeting in the afternoon of 7th November examined the credentials of four member nations and found them to be in order, thus bringing the total to 124 credentials. Eleven member nations have not registered to date.
The Committee would appreciate in the delegations of those fifteen countries who are present but who have not submitted credentials would do so as soon as possible.
EL PRESIDENTE: Tengo entendido que este informe va a ser distribuido más tarde hoy, y el número del documento es el C 81/LIM/8.¿Hay alguna observación por parte de los señores delegados a este informe?
Dado que no hay ninguna observación, declaro aprobado el segundo informe del Comité de Credenciales. Podemos ahora continuar con el examen del próximo tema de nuestro programa que es el nombramiento del señor Director General.
La Conferencia procederá ahora a la votación sobre el nombramiento del señor Director General. Debo recordar que esta votación se rige por lo estipulado en el Artículo VI, párrafos 1 y 2 de la Constitución y en los Artículos XXXVI y XII del Reglamento General.
El párrafo 1, inciso b) del Artículo XXXVI especifica que el señor Director General será elegido por mayoría de los sufragios emitidos. El párrafo 4, inciso a) del Artículo XII del Reglamento General dice que la frase: "votos emitidos" significará votos en favor y en contra, sin incluir las absten ciones ni las papeletas defectuosas. El párrafo 9 inciso a) del mismo Artículo XII especifica que el nombramiento del señor Director General se decidirá por votación secreta.
Ruego ahora a la Secretaría que nos explique el procedimiento que debe seguirse para la votación.
LE SECRETAIRE GENERAL: Aux fins du scrutin, les délégués recevront chacun un bulletin de vote.Ce bulletin contient trois cases:"pour", "contre" et "abstention".Il est à votre disposition dans la section de vote. Pour voter, les délégués feront une croix dans la case correspondant à leur choix.
Aux termes de l'Article XII.4 (c) du Règlement général de l'Organisation, les bulletins blancs seront comptés comme abstention.
Aux termes de l'alinéa 4. (d) du même article, les bulletins de vote ne doivent porter aucune indication et aucun signe autres que ceux par lesquels s'exprime le suffrage.
EL PRESIDENTE: De conformidad con el Artículo XII.2 a) del Reglamento General de la Organización "constituirá quorum en la Conferencia la mayoría de los Estados Miembros de la Organización". Esto significa que, por lo menos setenta y siete Estados Miembros tienen que estar representados y presentes en la Sala en este momento.
He solicitado a los funcionarios encargados de la elección que procedan al recuento de los Miembros y se me informa que, en este momento, están presentes en la Sala las delegaciones de 115 Estados Miembros, Por tanto, procederemos inmediatamente a la votación.
Me permito recordarles que, de conformidad con el párrafo 14 del Artículo XII del Reglamento General de Xa Organización, una vez que haya comenzado la votación ningún delegado ni representante podrá interrumpir esta votación, excepto para plantear una cuestión de orden relacionada con la votación.
De conformidad con el párrafo 9 c) del Artículo XII del Reglamento General de la Organización, voy a nombrar dos escrutadores de entre los delegados o representantes, o sus suplentes.
Ruego, por tanto, a los delegados de Francia y Senegal que actúen como escrutadores en esta elección y que se aproximen al lugar donde ha de efectuarse esta votación, a mi derecha.
Señores, procedamos a esta elección.
Señores delegados: los escrutadores a partir de este momento y con la ayuda de los funcionarios encargados de la elección procederán ahora al recuento de las papeletas de votación y se annunciarán los resultados de la misma después de la entrega de los premios B.R. Sen y A.H. Boerma para 1980 y 1981.
Pasamos, por lo tanto, al punto siguiente de nuestro calendario de esta sesión: entrega de los premios B.R. Sen y A.H. Boerma para 1980 y 1981.
Los premios B.R. Sen fueron establecidos por la Conferencia hace catorce años para conmemorar el inspirado mandato del Doctor Sen como Director General de la Organización, así como la causa a la que tan brillantemente sirvió. Ruego al Sr. Director General que haga entrega de estos premios.
DIRECTOR-GENERAL: Mr. Chairman. I am sure that you and all those present here will share my sense of deep satisfaction that Dr. B.R. Sen is with us today as we come to the presentation of the awards comme morating his inspiring contribution to the ideals and objectives of our Organization.
The B.R. Sen Award is an annual one. It is offered to the FAO or WFP Field Officer who has made the most outstanding contribution to the country or countries to which he was assigned. It commemorates Dr. Sen's achievements in promoting the economic and social progress of the developing world in the fight against hunger and poverty.
The B.R. Sen Award for 1980 goes to Mr. Manuel Muñoz Alaba of Chile in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of forests and forest industries in Honduras. He is singled out for recognition because of the far-reachingtechnical innovations, the institutional improvements and the research and training activities he helped to introduce through his field assignment. The Government of Honduras has acknowledged his distinguished services and endorsed his selection. The Award for 1981 goes to Mr. H.H. Brammer of the United Kingdom in recognition of his outstanding contribution in soil survey and land use planning in Bangladesh. His dedication and the improvements he has brought about in support of small farmers in their daily struggle set an outstanding example.
The Government of Bangladesh has recognized Mr. Brammer's merits by awarding him the Bangladesh Presidency Gold Medal for Services to Agriculture and endorsed his selection for the B.R. Sen Award for 1981.
In presenting them the award, Mr. Chairman, we wish to honour not only these individuals, but the countries which nurtured their capabilitiesand the countries of their assignment which gave them the opportunities of bringing their work to fruition.
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POINT D'ORDRE
PUNTO DE ORDEN
G. STUYCK (Belgique): Je demande la parole pour un point d'ordre. Je ne savais pas que le vote pour le Directeur général aurait lieu ce matin et ayant été retenu à ma Représentation, je viens seulement d'arriver. Je voudrais obtenir l'autorisation de pouvoir participer au vote.
EL PRESIDENTE: Señor delegado, su solicitud está siendo considerada por el señor Consejero Legal y una vez que él se expida nos será muy grato responder a su solicitud.
Seguimos mientras tanto con la entrega de los premios. En primer lugar, vamos a hacer entrega del premio a Manuel Muñoz Alaba, cuyos servicios como oficial de campo de la FAO han contribuido en forma sobresaliente al desarrollo de los países donde ha servido.Su trabajo en la ordenación de los bosques y el progreso de la industria forestal de Honduras honra y prestigia a esta Organización y constituye expresión fiel de sus ideales.
En testimonio de excepcionales logros y dedicación se le otorga con gratitud el presente reconocimiento.
Agradeceré que el Sr. Muñoz Alaba se acerque aquí, al estrado, para hacerle entrega del premio correspondiente. Cedo la palabra al ganador de este premio, Manuel Muñoz Alaba, rogándole, en aras del tiempo, que su intervención sea breve.
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M. MUÑOZ ALABA (del Personal de la FAO): Señor Presidente, señor Director General, deseo expresar mi sincero agradecimiento al señor Director General de la FAO por la alta distinción que me hace al otorgarme el premio B.R. Sen de tan alto significado.
En el momento en que recibo este premio tengo presente en mi mente a las instituciones y personas que han influido en mi formación profesional y personal y a aquellos que han depositado su confianza en mí, que me han dado la oportunidad de trabajar por el desarrollo forestal y las industrias forestales en Honduras, haciendo nimodesta contribución al mejoramiento de las condiciones de vida de los habitan tes de ese país, en especial de los pobladores rurales en este sentido y de manera especial deseo men cionar a la FAO y al Gobierno de Honduras, y en particular a la Corporación Hondurena de Desarrollo Forestal. La integración del personal del proyecto en el que he tenido el privilegio de trabajar, con la contraparte de esta Corporación, la capacidad y dedicación con que en conjunto se ha elaborado ha permi tido lograr importantes realizaciones. El personal nacional y el internacional ha trabajado en manera tan integrada que resulta difícil saber qué es lo que ha sido ejecutado por el personal hondureno y qué por el personal internacional del proyecto.
Nuestros proyectos han despertado interés de algunos bancos de desarrollo y de organismos de ayuda exte rior de países desarrollados, habiéndose ya otorgado a Honduras préstamos muy favorables para reforesta ción y manejo forestal de importantes áreas y para la instalación de industrias forestales; algunos de estos proyectos ya están en operación.
La acción de nuestro proyecto ha estado permanentemente orientada a la ejecución de proyectos prácticos, siguiendo la filosofía de nuestro Director General en relación a la asistencia técnica. Por otra parte, hemos contado permanentemente con el apoyo del Departamento de Montes de nuestra Organización. A ellos expreso mi reconocimiento.
El entrenamiento del personal hondureno, ya sea mediante cursos y trabajando juntos, ha sido un aspecto al que hemos dado atención preferencial.Su participación en la ejecución de los trabajos ha permitido que adquieran una mayor experiencia y contribuido a aumentar la confianza en sí mismos. Hay labores para las cuales los profesionales hondurenos no sólo no necesitan ya asistencia técnica, sino que ellos pueden darla a otros países.
La confianza que están adquiriendo en sí mismos los profesionales, está permitiendo proponer y desarrollar proyectos de su propia iniciativa. Se ha recorrido un interesante camino en el desarrollo forestal en Honduras. Habrá que continuarlo hasta convertir los bosques degradados en otros más productivos, continuar mejorando el aprovechamiento y sobre todo dentro del sistema social forestal de la Corporación Hondu rena de Desarrollo Forestal, continuar haciendo los mayores esfuerzos para incorporar al sector campesino en la participación de los beneficios del bosque. Mucho tiene que hacer el país; por ello, indudablemente a la FAO le puede corrresponder una importante acción en asesorar en el cumplimiento de esta misión.
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Et PRESIDENTE:Señores delegados: para 1981 el ganador del Premio B.R. Sen es el Sr. Herbert Brammer, cuyos servicios como funcionario de campo de FAO han aportado una importante contribución al progreso de los países en los cuales se desempeñó su tarea en relevamiento de suelos y planificación del uso de la tierra en Bangladesh. Refleja al mismo tiempo el credito y el honor que la Organización y sus miembros tienen en el campo. En reconocimiento de su dedicación excepcional y de los resultados que ha obtenido, se le ofrece esta prueba de reconocimiento y agradecimiento.
Ruego al Sr. Brammer que se acerque aquí, al estrado, para hacerle entrega de su premio. Cedo el uso de la palabra al Sr. Brammer.
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H. BRAMMER (FAO-Staff Member):I thank you for the honour you do me in bestowing the B.R. Sen Award for 1981 upon me today. I feel proud to have the important work recognized in this way.I am proud also to be the means, through this Award, of bringing recognition to the work of mv colleagues of the Land and Water Development Division particularly in the Soils Service of which I have been a member for twenty years.Soil surveyors and other basic resource surveyors usually do not receive much glory. Their work usually is carried out early in the process of project design. Perhaps their findings mav result in the project being abandoned. Even where their surveys reveal sufficient land, suitable for the intended development it may be many years before the results are visible in increased agricultural production. By that time usually the surveyors have moved on to some new development frontier.In the case of FAO surveyors that may be in some other country.If I had followed that course, the normal course, I doubt whether I should be standing here today to receive this Award. Perhaps more important, I doubt whether the surveys which I helped to carry out in the 1960s would have been followed by the development based on those surveys which have been achieved in Bangladesh in the 1970s and 805· For so I have been fortunate in being allowed to stay on after the surveys were completed to assist in implementing the findings. That has been a stimulating and professionally rewarding experience for me. It has been an experience which few of my soils colleagues have been able to enjoy.In receiving this Award today, therefore, I should likemy colleagues to feel that the importance of their professional work is also being recognised.
The second point I should like to make concerns the role of the so-called expert; that is a term I do not like.It has an "us" and "them" connotation. It implies that all the expertise is on the part of the ex-patriot and the roles of counterparts is that of passive participants.It is not like that in practice. Even in a professional field such as soil surveys there is no such clear cut distinction in expertise. In my own case I am proud to acknowledge that my knowledge of the agricultural soils of Bangladesh was learnt largely from the Bangladeshi farmers themselves; they are the experts on their own land.So it was too when I helped to set up the Soils Survey Organisation. It was not a case of "I, the expert" training "them, the counterparts", except in modern techniques. The Bangladesh environment was as new to me at that stage as it was to the trainees. The map was blank for both of us, we learnt together and eventually we filled in that map together. That shared experience was mutually beneficial and rewarding both for us and for the country.It illustrates, I believe, the real role of the so-called expert, that of a partner in development.
Therefore, in closing I should like to aknowledge my indebtedness to the Government and people of Bangladesh. The achievements which have been described are not so much my achievements. Through the
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leader of the Bangladesh delegation I wish to thank the Government and people of Bangladesh for their contribution to this partnership. They should share with me the credit for this Award.
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Director-General, I thank you for giving me the privilege of addressing the Conference.
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J.A. LARA BUESO (Honduras): Señor Presidente, Señor Director General, Señores representantes: En primer lugar deseo felicitar en nombre del Gobierno hondureno al Sr. Manuel Muñoz Alaba por habérsele otorgado merecidamente el Premio B.R. Sen 1980 como un reconocimiento dado a su notable contribución en la administración, producción y desarrollo de los bosques e industrias forestales de Honduras. Asimismo deseo expresar al Director General y a los funcionarios de esta Organización que el Gobierno hondureno se ve complacido con el otorgamiento de este galardón al Sr. Alaba, lo que constituye a la vez una confianza a los programas que, en el sector forestal, se desarrollan en mi país con la asistencia y el apoyo de la FAO.
ABUL AHSAN (Bangladesh): On behalf of the Government of Bangladesh I would like to congratulate the FAO recipients of the B.R.. Sen Award. My Government takes special pride in the Award to Hugh Brammer who has served in Bangladesh as an FAO official for the past 17 years. For much of the time Mr. Brammer has worked with me directly and I find it extremely difficult to express adequately in a few words our most sincere appreciation for his commitment and dedication to the cause of the development of the rural majority in my country. In developing the extensive data bank now existing on soils, land capability and cropping patterns Hugh Brammer has gained a possibly irreplaceable detailed knowledge of the agricultural resource base of the country. Hugh Brammer through skill in communicating clearly, in constant contact with farmers all over the country and because of his insistence in distributing widely in local language information relevant to the farmers' needs has succeeded in transferring technology to the small farmers in rural areas. My Government is in the process of introducing village level land use planning which Hugh has developed and this is in some ways a culmination of his many years in the country. Although my Government is aware of the stipulation that the FAO experts should not normally remain more than 5 years in one country, Mr. Brammer is the ex ception which justified the rule. The continuity that he has provided has been a critical factor in accelerating agricultural development in Bangladesh to the point where today we are on the threshold of self-sufficiency in food grains. Therefore, we have unhesitatingly requested that Mr. Brammer's services should continue to be made available to our Government.
We take particular pride in the recognition of Mr. Brammer because we consider him our fellow citizen. It is not surprising that in 1978 he received the President's Award for his contribution to agricultural development in our country. It gives me great pleasure and satisfaction to be here today to witness FAO's recognition of his outstanding contribution to the cause of food production and rural development.
EL PRESIDENTE: Cedo ahora la palabra al señor Consejero Legal quien va a hacer un informe sobre la solicitud formulada por el señor Delegado de Bélgica.
LEGAL COUNSEL: The distinguished delegate of Belgium asked if it would be in order for him still to participate in the secret ballot for the election of the Director-General. The General Rules of the Organization do contain provisions on the time when a vote commences;they do not contain any precise provision concerning the actual closure of a vote. Every law and every rule in this world has its gaps. One can take it for granted that once the results of a vote have been announced, then the vote is definitely closed, but until then there is, if I may say so, a grey area.
I would feel that a suitable procedure to avoid any kind of subsequent challenge of the vote might be for yourself, Mr. Chairman, to put the question to Plenary whether there are any objections on the part of any delegation to the casting of a vote by the delegate of Belgium at this stage, that is to say before the final count is completed and certified, and the result announced by yourself or the Secretary-General of the Conference.
EL PRESIDENTE:Creo que el señor Asesor Legal ha sido bien claro, y me parece que su observación es absolutamente válida. Por lo tanto, yo le pregunto a la Conferencia si acepta o no que el señor delegado de Bélgica proceda, en este mismo momento, a depositar su voto para la elección del señor Director General.
Señor delegado de Bélgica, puede usted proceder a depositar su voto, inmediatamente.
Habiendo ya depositado su voto el señor delegado de Bélgica, podemos pasar directamente a la concesión del premio A. H. Boerma 1980-81.Ruego al señor Director General que haga mención a la entrega de este premio.
DIRECTOR-GENERAL: Mr. Chairman, The 18th Session of the Conference, in recognition of the services rendered to this Organization by my predecessor, Dr. Addeke Boerma, instituted the A.H. Boerma Award as a tribute to his work.
This Award is presented biennially to one or more writers whose work is considered to have increased international public awareness of the world food problem, and support for measures leading to its solution.
The Award is not confined to the written word but may also be extended to productions in all the information media, including radio and television.
It is my great pleasure to present the Award for 1980-1981 to a citizen of the United States, whose work has received wide publicity throughout both the developed and developing worlds, Mr. Lester Brown.
Mr. Brown is President of the Worldwatch Institute in Washington, D.C.
He is the author of "World Without Borders", "By Bread Alone" and "The Twenty-ninth Day", which have been published in more than 12 languages.
He writes for scores of periodicals of high repute and is a prolific lecturer.
In his latest book "Building a Sustainable Society" he draws particular attention to the prospect of growing food insecurity.
There is no doubt that Mr. Brown's influential writings have helped to focus public attention on crucial food problems and thus have contributed in considerable measure to the work of this Organiza tion.
Mr. Brown's works go beyond reportage, raising the moral issues of hunger, and focusing on the dis parity between rich and poor, within and among nations.
It is with great pleasure, therefore, that I announce the second A.H. Boerma Award to Mr. Lester Brown.
We all regret that his professional commitments do not enable him to be with us today.
He has however asked me to convey his deep appreciation for the honour.
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El PRESIDENTE:Como Presidente de esta Conferencia, ruego quede el testimonio de nuestra sincera felicitación al Sr. Lester Brown por este premio al que se ha hecho merecedor y que, como han oído ustedes, lamentablemente no ha podido estar aquí con nosotros.
Damos con esto por terminada esta ceremonia, y ya que supongo vamos a tener pronto los resultados de la votación, esperaremos aquí mismo a que se dé esta información a la Mesa a fin de que el Secretario General lea los resultados.
Voy a conceder la palabra al Secretario a fin de que lea los resultados de la elección para el nombra miento del Sr. Director General.
Mr. EDOUARD SAOUMA
Is accordingly appointed Director-General
Est nomme Directeur géneral
Ha sido nombrado Director General
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DIRECTOR-GENERAL (original language Arabic): I am deeply honoured and moved by the decision of the Conference to re-elect me as Director-General.
This is an expression of continuing confidence by the Member Nations of this great Organization for which I am profoundly grateful.
Although there was no other candidate, the obligation under the Constitution to hold a vote is more than formality. It is a solemn affirmation of a pact between the Member Nations and the person to whom they entrust the leadership of this Organization for six years.
Moreover, a vote gives each Member Country the opportunity to express its feelings of support, opposition, or indifference.
I am very happy and grateful, therefore, because your decision was in fact virtually unanimous. I am very happy at this. This is the best encouragement you could give me for the future.
I should not fail in the emotion of this moment to express my very special thanks to my own country, the Lebanon, which amidst all the destructive tribulations so cruelly imposed upon it, and the divisions by which it is rent, nevertheless put forward my nomination and throughout has supported me to the full.
I owe a great deal to all the Arab countries, the countries of the Islamic Conference, and the members of the Organization of African Unity, who supported my re-nomination by resolutions or otherwise.
I also sincerely thank all the other countries, from whatever Group, who from an early stage clearly and officially expressed their support and have reaffirmed it today.
At this point, I would like to express my appreciation for the loyal endeavours and achievements of the staff of this Organization, in every grade and in every-category, particularly in the field, whom I have had the privilege to lead in our efforts to meet your desires and needs during the last six years.
We together are charged with the continuing mission and tasks of the Organization. We must provide the services required by Member Countries.
With this in mind, I am deeply conscious of the great responsibility and trust you have placed upon me in electing me to serve you for the next six years.
I promise you all that I will continue to the limits of my strength and the best of my ability to serve the interests of all Member Countries so long as I have the great privilege to be the Director-General of this Organization. As Montaigne said, the value of life does not lie in the length of its days but in the use made of them, and satisfaction in life depends not on mere existence but on the exercise of will.
This responsibility is very great since the Organizations in the United Nations are not unitary centres of international power but intergovernmental communities, made up of some 150 individual, autonomous Member Nations, in all their different circumstances.
The Executive Head must, therefore, at all times endeavour to represent a corporate ideal, to promote a consensus of will, to implement a collective action.His power to achieve these aims is based essentially upon his personal power of conviction, reason, argument and persuasion.
An Executive Head must never lose sight of the basic desire of humanity all over the world for progress towards greater equity in food, income, economic and social status, and peace.And he must be prepared to take initiatives, to be courageous, while always maintaining attention to and respect for the views of Member Governments.
In this context, let me say that as Director-General, I have never lost sight of the aims so simply but so expressively stated in the Preamble to our Constitution.
At this moment these words bear repeating:
"The Nations accepting this Constitution, being determined to promote the common welfare by furthering separate and collective action on their part for the purpose of:
raising levels of nutrition and standards of living of the peoples under their respective jurisdictions;
securing improvements in the efficiency of the production and distribution of all food and agricultural products;
bettering the condition of rural populations;
and thus contributing toward and expanding world economy and ensuring humanity's freedom from hunger;
hereby establish the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations".
The enourmous strides we have yet to make towards achieving these goals, and the lack of agreement on the resources necessary to achieve them, have thus been the daily preoccupation of my predecessors and myself.
Looking back over the past six years, I am at one and the same time proud and humble about what this Organization has been able to contribute.I am humble when I see how much more needs to be done. I am proud that in what we have done, we have acted with determined consistency of policies and principles.
We vould not have persisted in these policies and principles had they not received the almost unanimous support of the Council and Conference, as repeatedly expressed over the past few years. We would not have persisted in them had they not shown striking and visible results, in such fields as Investment, the Technical Cooperation Programme, FAO Country Representatives, "Agriculture: Toward 2000", the Lagos Plan of Action, and follow-up of the Programme of Action for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development.
While, however, the objectives of 1976 are as valid as ever, we must clearly be ready over the next six years to devise and implement with new ideas, initiatives, policies and programmes.
When, however, we look ahead to the future, we cannot but be deeply concerned at the daunting prospects. The present could hardly be darker.
The spirit of mankind is polluted by intolerance, aggression, and envy. The numbers of the oppressed, the refugees, the famished, the unemployed, grow whilst societies are racked with stresses and strains, exasperation and frustration. Governments have fallen and perhaps more will fall because of food shortages.
The fabric of the international community is stretched to breaking point. The United Nations System as a whole has been and may yet be increasingly criticized. It is, of course, right that in such difficult times all institutions need to be tested with a view to improvement. And let us face it, there is much room for improvements in various parts of the System.
On the other hand, let it also be admitted that often the criticism is an escape from self-criticism, that it is absurd to expect as much or more in terms of effective and economic impact from inter governmental organizations than can be expected from national authorities.
I believe it is essential to the health and success of the United Nations System and its individual Organizations that the altruistic, generous, far-seeing principles upon which we were founded should be reaffirmed and reinforced as a prerequisite for further reform.
I believe also that the best direction for reform does not lie in increasing centralization in a highly political environment, but in matching the philosophy of an increasing number of countries at the national level in favour of a pragmatic decentralization which stimulates and utilises the creative energies, technical skills, and enthusiastic energy of diverse Agencies at different levels.
In any case, I will always defend the Constitution of the Food and Agriculture Organization.It is your Constitution. As I told you when I was elected six years ago, I have always been convinced of the greatness of our Organization's mission, its work at the global level, and the continuing validity of the principles on which it was founded. Without cease now for 26 years, I have been associated in one way or another with the activities of the Organization and its evolution.
I promised you six years ago that now I was at the head of its Secretariat, I would do all that was in my power to justify and reinforce the confidence which you had placed in me and to return the Organization to its due place in the international community. This was my profound conviction.It remains so, and indeed is greater than ever now.
We, in this Organization, have a particularly onerous task. There is no greater challenge to the future of the world than that of providing sufficient and nourishing food for the gigantic world population, mainly of young people, which it is foreseen will exist by the end of the century in what is now called the Third World.
There is no greater challenge than that of creating decent living conditions and employment in the Third World, which still consists mainly of rural areas.
There is no greater challenge than that which exists in bridging the growing gulf between cancerous urban agglomerations and ravaged rural environments and bringing social justice and equity to the rural poor at present living in the darkest depths of misery.
In accepting the charge which you have again laid upon me, I will not, however, allow myself or the Organization to lapse into doom and disaster mentality.
We must know the enemy in order to fight it. But fight it we will. And we will fight with renewed vigour, determination, and success if only and always we merit and hold your confidence, your encouragement, and your support.
I am greatly heartened by the degree to which we have received these so far. I will do everything in my power to ensure that my colleagues and I, from the lowest to the highest, continue to receive this support.
Mr. Chairman, I believe in our mission and I believe in you, because you represent the aspirations of the many millions of good and humble people throughout the world. Hope, however, without an objective cannot live. Let us, therefore, strive ever harder to meet those aspirations.
We will never surrender to the disease of doubt and despair. We will always maintain our faith in the goal of a world free from hunger. One day, we will achieve that ultimate, noble, ideal. Let that be our great and abiding resolve today and onwards.
Thank you all.Applause
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El PRESIDENTE: Señor Director General: Reciba usted mi más calurosa felicitación por su nombramiento para un nuevo período como Director General de la FAO. No dudo que la Organización en sí misma y los Estados que la integran son los beneficiarios directos de este nombramiento.Simboliza el reconocimiento de todos los países desarrollados y en desarrollo por su actuación.Bajo su dirección la FAO ha conocido durante los últimos seis años un impulso renovador, un crecimiento cualitativo notable de sus actividades y, consecuentemente, el aumento de su prestigio y gravitación en la comunidad internacional. Usted supo, particularmente a través de sus iniciativas y propuestas imaginativas y oportunas, introducir una especial sensibilidad y eficiencia en la solución de los problemas más dramáticos y urgentes que afectan a los países en desarrollo en el ámbito de la agricultura y la alimentación. Asimismo, usted ha demostrado una adecuada y lucida preocupación por los objetivos a mediano y largo plazo, lo que ha consolidado a la FAO como organismo principal interlocutor obligado y protagonista fundamental de la cooperación internacional.
Hago votos, señor Director General, para que el éxito cuyos resultados positivos derivan hacia todos nosotros, siga acompañando su trayectoria al frente de nuestra Organización y en los próximos años que deberá recorrer la humanidad. Felicitaciones, señor Saouma.
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M. DERNAIKA (Liban) (langue originale arabe): Je pense, M. le Président, que ce que votre bonne volonté vise à réaliser et ce qui est difficile en fait à réaliser ne peut être réalisé que par ceux qui ont une volonté de fer.Pendant six ans, le Directeur de notre Organisation a été à la tâche de façon continue pour réaliser le meilleur. Au cours de ces six dernières années l'Organisation, à la tête de laquelle il se trouvait, a réalisé des objectifs qu'elle n'aurait pu réaliser si elle n'avait eu toutes les bonnes volontés et si elle n'avait eu la coopération étroite entre toutes ces bonnes volontés.Notre Organisation a réalisé cet objectif mais cet objectif n'est pas une fin en soi.Cet objectif doit être et doit nous permettre d'aller toujours de l'avant, d'alerter l'opinion et de repondre aux aspirations des peuples qu'elle est en train de servir.Au nom du Liban, et le Dr. Saouma est un de nos concitoyens, je voudrais remercier tous les Etats Membres qui ont participé à cette joie et qui ont participé aux résultats de ces élections.Nous sommes certains que la confiance que vous avez placée en lui va permettre de lutter davantage pour améliorer le niveau de vie des déshérités.
Toutes nos félicitations au Dr. Saouma et un grand merci pour tous les Etats Membres de cette Organisation.
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Mme E. CRESSON (France): M. le Président, les pays d'Europe occidentale ont bien voulu me faire l'honneur de me confier le soin de féliciter en leur nom le Directeur général pour sa brillante réélection.Je le fais d'autant plus volontiers que de profonds liens d'amitié unissent à la France à la fois la patrie de M. Saouma, le Liban, dont il fut autrefois le Ministre de l'agriculture et M. Saouma lui-même, puisque c'est à Montpellier qu'il a fait ses études d'ingénieur agronome. C'est là qu'il a eu la chance de rencontrer-celle qui est devenue son épouse.
M. le Directeur général, il y a six ans, un certain nombre de pays dont le mien avaient vivement soutenu votre candidature. La mesure de votre réussite on peut la constater par le fait que cette année cette candidature s'est imposée d'elle-même sans que vous ayez eu besoin d'aucune aide extérieure, à telle enseigne que vous étiez seul candidat à ce poste. Cette unanimité reflète l'adm ration que nous éprouvons tous à l'égard de la foi, de l'énergie et de l'efficacité avec lesquelles vous avez mené votre tâche.
Les pays occidentaux au nom desquels je m'exprime sont unanimes dans ce jugement et si leurs vues divergent parfois des vôtres sur certains aspects de votre action, nous sommes tous unanimes à reconnaître les progrès accomplis par l'Organisation pendant ces six dernières années.
Nous voulons aussi rendre hommage, M. le Directeur général, à l'effort que vous faites pour convaincre le monde entier de la nécessité de nourrir les hommes, de la nécessité de donner pour cela la priorité aux cultures vivrières dans un monde où la population des pays les plus pauvres ne cesse de s'accroître alors que celle des pays les plus riches a tendance à diminuer. Ainsi, en dépit de tous les efforts, les résultats de la décennie qui vient de s'écouler, marquée par une grave crise de l'énergie qui a profondément affecté les économies occidentales et les possibilités de developement des pays du Tiers Monde, peuvent nous conduire à beaucoup d'inquiétude.Nous constatons en effet que la production agricole n'arrive pas à suivre les développements de la population et, lorsque s'ajoute à cela une tendance qui se manifeste dans beaucoup de pays de déserter la campagne pour la ville, la productivité agricole se trouve encore diminuée en dépit des progrès technologiques accomplis au cours de ces dernières années.
Nous savons combien vous êtes conscient de ces problèmes et, au nom de tous les pays dont je suis le porte-parole, je voudrais vous dire que nous sommes prêts à vous aider dans la tâche que vous avez entreprise.Nous pouvons vous assurer de notre réelle volonté de coopération dans ce domaine.La lutte contre la faim peut prendre diverses formes qu'il s'agisse de l'aide au développement, de la sécurité alimentaire, d'actions d'urgence pour faire face à des situations de catastrophes provoquées par la nature et par l'homme.Elle passe aussi par un certain nombre d'accords et de priorités qui doivent être décidés par les gouvernements eux-mêmes. Dans ce domaine, votre action inlassable a déjà porté ses fruits et nous espérons beaucoup voir les résultats auxquels vous êtes déjà parvenu se développer encore davantage au cours des six prochaines années de votre mandat.
Nul ne sait, M. le Directeur général, ce que sera le monde de demain.Si nous regardons l'horizon, nous le trouvons chargé de lourds nuages et c'est à ce moment précisément qu'il est indispensable de conserver sa foi et son énergie pour accomplir sa mission.Ces qualités, M. le Directeur général, vous les possédez au plus haut point et c'est donc un hommage de confiance que nous vous adressons avec tous nos voeux pour le présent et l'avenir.
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U. MWILA (Zambia): It is my profound pleasure and privilege, on behalf of the Group of 77, to express our satisfaction at the reappointment of the Director-General, Dr. Edouard Saouma. Food and Agriculture is an issue which has assumed unprecedented importance in our time.It is an issue on which the survival of some 500 million people who are threatened the world over by death and starvation depend. It is the basis for the development of rural economies which directly affect millions of people. It is a means for achieving the goals for economies and social progress in developing countries, and for obtaining a more equitable relationship between the rich and the poor; and yet despite the obvious importance of food and agriculture, we still do not allocate enough resources to agricultural development in order to produce more food in developing countries.
The international community has mainly specialized in setting up stages for saying nice things without a commitment to implementing them. This has resulted in the passing of various resolutions and adoptions of various targets which remain unfulfilled.
World food security still eludes us, despite lengthy negotiations. The plight of the poorest fooddeficit countries continues to hang in the balance. The flow of development assistance is still far from its global target, and now even the role of material assistance is under attack.
In order to resolve some of these problems, this Organization was created. We are indeed fortunate that in these difficult times we have reappointed Dr. Edouard Saouma as Director-General of FAO. We know him to be a man of great experience and drive. His dynamism and effectiveness have given FAO a new image. We are therefore happy that we have reappointed a man who will continue to lead this Organization in the straightforward manner which we associate with him.
The Group of 77 has supported his proposals in the past, because these proposals were in the interests of developing countries, but those proposals were also in the interests of developed countries, and we hope that they, too, will support him as they did the Group of 77.
Now that we have reappointed Dr. Saouma for a second term of office as Director-General, let us forget our previous difficulties. Now let us look to the future with a unity of purpose and resolve in the fight against hunger and malnutrition.Let us support the Director-General in leading this Organization so that the interests of both developing and developed countries can be fulfilled.
The Group of 77 congratulates you, Dr. Saouma, on your reappointment to the leadership of this important Organization. We believe that you will continue to work with your usual vision, vigour, and determination to ensure this Organization meets the needs of the developing countries for which it was created.In this context you can count on the support of the Group of 77.
We believe that since this Organization is also of considerable benefit to the developed countries they too will give you their full support.
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J. TCHICAYA (Congo): Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Directeur général, Excellences, distingués délégués.
Au moment où la Conférence entière vient de renouveler sa confiance au Directeur général pour un nouveau mandat de six ans, c'est pour moi un honneur et un plaisir fort agréable de m'exprimer au nom du Groupe africain pour présenter nos très sincères et chaleureuses félicitations à M. Edouard Saouma pour sa brillante élection et pour le succès personnel qu'il vient de remporter.
Le Groupe tient, dès aujourd'hui, à l'assurer de son soutien et de sa disponibilité toujours agissante. Tout à l'heure, le Chef de la délégation du Kenya, pays assurant la présidence de l'OUA, interviendra pour exprimer l'appui du continent à l'oeuvre amorcée par le Directeur général de notre Organisation singulièrement en Afrique où, comme vous le savez, la situation alimentaire et nutritionnelle est particulièrement préoccupante dans bon nombre de pays. En conséquence, je m'abstiendrai d'en parler.
En renouvelant ainsi notre confiance à M. Edouard Saouma, nous avons opté pour la continuation de cet effort déjà amorcé pendant les six dernières années, afin de faire aboutir les objectifs de la troisième décennie de développement et d'extirper la faim et la misère qui continuent à sévir dans nos pays. Nous avons l'espoir que cette réélection renforcera les convictions de notre Directeur général qui s'est identifié à l'Organisation par un dévouement sans faille et un sens de l'équilibre indispensable à cette fonction. Le Groupe africain de Rome a toujours apprécié la promptitude avec laquelle M. Edouard Saouma a toujours répondu à l'appel des pays africains, souvent en proie aux innombrables difficultés conjoncturelles dues aux calamités naturelles ou aux catastrophes engendrées par l'homme.C'est pourquoi M. Saouma s'est attiré la sympathie de la totalité des gouvernements de notre région, en reconnaissance des actions visant à soulager la misère de nombreux pays. Monsieur le Président, malgré la volonté reconnue de notre Directeur général, cette volonté à elle seule ne peut suffire pour atteindre les objectifs de l'Organisation.C'est pourquoi je me permets de lancer un appel à la Conférence pour que celle-ci mette à la disposition du Directeur général les moyens indispensables pour lui permettre d'accomplir avec honneur la mission dont nous venons de lui renouveler le mandat.
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G. K. M'MIJJEWE (KENYA): Mr. Chairman, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to congratulate Dr. Saouma on his reelection to the post of Director-General of FAO.I speak on behalf of Africa since my country currently holds the Chairmanship of the OAU which has a long-standing interest in the affairs of FAO. The developing countries as a whole appreciate, I know, the untiring efforts and devotion with which Dr. Saouma has handled their problems but we in Africa, where food security has become a matter for urgent concern, have a special interest because of the increased resources that FAO has channelled into the region in recent years. We appreciate the manner in which he has involved organizations, regions, nations and the people in the work of FAO.Indeed, we recall with pleasure that the Secretary General of the OAU visited FAO to address the Council at its Seventy-eigth Session barely a year ago.
We fully recognize the dynamic efforts which Dr. Saouma has made since 1976 to promote the progress of African and world agriculture. We recognize particularly his special initiative in promoting and fostering a cordial working relationship with donors for the benefit of the Organization. Thus the success of Dr. Saouma is also a reflection of the confidence that he enjoys not only in Africa and the Third World but also the entire international community.It is our hope that this support, this confidence will continue to be reflected also here at this Conference by supporting the Programme of Work and the level of the Budget for the biennium L982/83.
The African Heads of State and government, fully appreciating these achievements, resolved at their summit in Sierra Leone in July 1980, to support the renewal of his mandate as Director-General for another six years because it is our belief that the continued services of Dr. Saouma as Director General will bring greater prosperity to African and world agriculture and that the spectre of large-scale hunger and malnutrition will be banished from the face of the earth.
It is therefore with joy that we witness today the successful election of Dr. Saouma. We would like to thank other regions and delegations which supported his worthy candidature, but particularly the Islamic Conference which nominated Dr. Saouma as far back as May 1979, and the entire Group of 77.
I should like now, on behalf of the OAU to congratulate you, Dr. Saouma, on your reelection.I should also like to assure you of our continued support.I should further like to wish you on behalf of Kenya as well, the best luck in your second term of office.
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ABUL AHSAN (Bangladesh): Mr. Chairman, distinguished delegates, it is an honour and a privilege for me to speak on behalf of the member countries of the Asian Region and extend through you, Mr. Chairman, our warmest felicitations to Dr. Saouma on his reelection to the Office of Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.His reelection itself testifies the thrust and copfidence of member countries in the commitment and dedication of Dr. Saouma to the cause of development of the deprived and disadvantaged majority population of the world.
During the past six years Dr. Saouma has brought to bear in FAO exemplary courage of conviction, a sensitive vision and a pragmatism that has enabled the Organization not only to consolidate its past achievements but also to gain new dimensions in the light of evolving global conditions and priorities.
On behalf of the member countries of Asia may I, Mr. Chairman, particularly commend Dr. Saouma's focus on action at the country level. The Organization's emphasis on building up, planning and implementation capability at the national, sub-regional and regional level deserves special mention as concrete steps towards achieving national and collective self-reliance. Dr. Saouma has striven particularly hard over the past six years to make the Organization field-oriented and to mobilize additional resources for programme delivery at country level.
We are confident that in the coming years Dr. Saouma will bring to the Organization the same dynamism and dedication to the cause of the disadvantaged and of the underprivileged of the world whom development has passed by, as has marked his first term of office in the FAO. For FAO and for us the member countries this may indeed prove crucial in realizing our collective pledge to eradicate hunger and malnutrition from the face of the earth within the shortest possible time, particularly in view of the stark reality that stares at us, of a widening gap in production and growing iniquity in its distribution.
In reiterating our total support to Dr. Saouma in the fulfillment of his mission, I would in conclusion wish him good health and long life in his continued services to FAO and to the disadvantaged and silent
majority who look upon FAO as their major partner in the struggle for production through collective self-reliance.
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Mme PHAN THI MINH (Viet Nam) :Monsieur le Président, la délégation du Viet Nam m'a réservé l'honneur et le privilège de parler à cette occasion solennelle de la Conférence.
Il y a six ans, je me trouvais dans la délégation du Vietnam, qui, alors nouvellement libéré, participait pour la première fois aux travaux de la dix-huitième Conférence de la FAO. On élisait un Directeur général. On se souvient de ce vote, au début assez mouvementé, qui se terminait par l'élection triomphale de l'actuel Directeur général, M. Edouard Saouma.
Aujourd'hui nous avons procédé aussi à l'élection d'un Directeur général, mais l'atmosphère, l'état d'âme et le résultat du scrutin sont tout à fait différents. Il s'agit plutôt d'une glorification, d'un couronnement et d'un hommage général rendu à M. Edouard Saouma. Durant ses six années de service, nous avons vu son travail, les preuves tangibles, solides, convaincantes de ses capacités d'organisation, son énergie à surmonter les difficultés, ses efforts inlassables pour rendre cette Organisation plus efficace, mieux au service du développement agricole et du développement en général.
Par dessus tout, domine sa position nette, ferme, en faveur de ce qui est raisonnable, juste, conforme aux objectifs et auxprincipes, de la FAO et de l'ONU. Dans le contexte international actuel, où certaines puissances tendent à restreindre l'aide au tiers monde et cherchent même à l'user comme une arme politique ou économique, nous avons besoin plus que jamais d'un tel homme à la tête de la FAO, comme de toute autre organisation au service du développement.
En adressant nos chaleureuses félicitations au Directeur général pour sa réélection particulièrement brillante, nous voudrions ajouter: Merci à M. Edouard Saouma de nous avoir procuré cette assurance sereine qui émane de ses mérites. Merci au peuple du Liban, ce pays au passé colonial douloureux, au présent encore jonché de difficultés et de souffrance, de nous avoir donné un de ses meilleurs fils pour diriger cette importante organisation internationale qu'est la FAO. Merci Monsieur le Président.
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J. L. TAMAYO'RIGAIL (Ecuador):Señor Presidente, distinguidos señores delegados:como delegado de Ecuador y como Presidente del Grupo Latinoamericano, es particularmente honroso y aun más satisfactorio para mí, expresar la más viva congratulación al Sr. Dr. Edouard Saouma por su reelección en las funciones de Director General de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación. Este hecho constituye, en primer término, una ratificación de la confianza que los países miembros depositaron hace varios años en el Dr. Saouma, quien, con auténtica vocación de servicio a los objetivos de la Organización,ha sabido conducir sus labores y orientar sus iniciativas siempre en procura de intensificar y ampliar las acciones de la FAO en beneficio de los países cuya lucha contra el hambre y la des nutrición continua aún vigente.El establecimiento del Programa de Cooperación Técnica, la creación de una red de representantes de la FAO en los países en desarrollo, la promoción de las inversiones en el sector de la agricultura, el impulso al adiestramiento, son algunas de las efectivas demostraciones del interés que el Dr. Saouma ha puesto por concretar con realizaciones tangibles, las afortunadas iniciativas surgidas en el seno de la Organización, particularmente aquéllas que comportan mayores y más duraderas ventajas para los países en desarrollo.
Creo sin ningún temor de equivocarme que todas las aspiraciones y programas que los países en desarrollo han sometido a la FAO para obtener cooperación y asistencia, han suscitado en el Director General no solamente la respuesta positiva del funcionario eficiente y serio, sino también entusiasmo y la simpatía de quien, consciente de la importancia que el papel de la FAO tiene en la batalla universal contra el hambre, ha puesto siempre a disposición de esos países, junto con todos los recursos técnicos y financieros con que cuenta la Organización sus propias capacidades y las del magnífico plantel de colaboradores de esta institución internacional, sirviendo así a la más noble de las causas:alimentos para quienes los necesitan.
La reelección del Sr. Edouard Saouma, permitídmela comparación, es también una póliza de seguro que los países miembros han deseado adquirir para garantizar la ejecución de los proyectos a cargo de la FAO, en la seguridad de que la capacidad demostrada por el Director General continuará canalizando coherentemente los recursos con fidelidad al compromiso asumido con los países en desarrollo. La FAO significa compromiso; la FAO significa justicia; la FAO significa futuro.Compromiso universal para redimir y dignificar al ser humano. Justicia para repartir equitativamente los recursos de la tierra que no son ni pueden ser exclusiva propiedad de los poderosos. Futuro para toda la humanidad cuya supervivencia no depende de la acumulación insana de armamentos sino del grano sembrado hoy para que mañana sea pan.
Sr. Dr. Edouard Saouma: El corto tiempo transcurrido desde que tuve la honra de conocerlo, ha sido no obstante suficiente para tener hoy la satisfacción de llamarlo amigo, y esta oportunidad que me ha brindado para felicitarle, me enorgullece, como representante de Ecuador, como portavoz del Grupo Latino americano y como individuo que ha podido valorar sus cualidades. Le reitero Sr. Dr. Saouma mi felicitación más calurosa y mis mejores votos por el éxito de la gran tarea a usted encomendada.
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M. A. DUDIN (Jordan) (Original language Arabic): In the name of the Arabic-speaking counties who have given me the honour of appointing me as their spokesman, I have pleasure in congratulating the Director General, Dr. Edward Saouma, upon the general trust and confidence of which he has been the subject this morning when he was re-elected once again to the head of this Organization, which is I feel the most important Organization of the United Nations family, because it is at the service of developing countries. As we express our pride that a son of our continent of the Lebanon has been re-elected unanimously, he is the living proof of the esteem which we have in him.
Mr. Director-General, during your first term of office you supplied proof that you were entitled to this trust. You have shown us by your personal confidence in guiding and directing the activities of this Organization that we were quite right to re-elect you because you have placed all your capabilities at the disposal of the Organization. Your vision, your perserverance and your wisdom have been the key elements which have provided aid to all. We renew our trust in you so that once again you may assume upon your shoulders this enormous task of aiding developing countries. Developing countries have seen the priorities which you have established. You have fought against bureaucracy. You have tried to broaden the base and you have laboured unceasingly in the field.Consequently the work done in the field, direct aid to the farmer, has been your main concern. You have also stressed investment in development projects by strengthening the Investment Centre in Rome. We are proud, therefore, Mr. Director-General, of all your achievements and also of all the activities which this Investment Centre has carried out, which has over $2 1/2 billion, more than $600 million of which has been invested in more than fifty projects, whereas the FAO budget does not come anywhere near that figure. Consequently instead of the modest resources at its disposal FAO has been able to organize more than 100 seminars which have covered all development activities.In fact, every single dollar in the budget has drawn to it more than twenty-four dollars in investment.
We would also like to draw attention to the Technical Cooperation Programme which you established by cutting down expenditure and by using the savings thus achieved to set up the Technical Cooperation Programme and this Programme has shown itself to be efficient ever since it began because it is thanks to this Technical Cooperation Programme that aid is given immediately and directly to countries that need it.
These are the tangible proofs, Mr. Director-General, of the new policy, the new guidelines that you have laid down for this Organization and it means that the name of Dr. Edouard Saouma is synonimous with fight against hunger and malnutrition throughout the world and also in favour of raising the standard of living of all humanity.
In conclusion we are proud to have you with us still and we hope that your new term of office will be the crowning of your previous term of office.
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R. LYNG (United States of America):I should like to join in expressing our congratulations to Director General Saouma on the occasion of his re-election as Head of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The past six years have been years of great change, not only in the world but also in FAO. We applaud the efforts of the Director-General over this period to lead FAO in the struggle against hunger and malnutrition. We support this goal and rededicate ourselves to the achievement of this common purpose. We wish him well. We look forward to working with him in the years ahead to achieve the objectives for which this great Organization was founded.
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T. J. KELLY (Australia): The differences in the stages of economic development and the extreme diversity of the agricultural base in the southwest Pacific region induces in all its member countries a profound concern for the work of this Organization. To us nothing is more important than food production and food distribution.It follows from that that the task of the FAO, whose resources are far from limitless, places very heavy demands on everybody within it who is concerned with programme development and evaluation. The Director-General in particular needs to combine personal perception, professional diplomatic attainment and managerial capacity in high degree. Given those prerequisites it must surely be a matter of deep personal satisfaction to Dr. Saouma that he has been elected again as Head of the Organization.
We know that the Lebanese are, rightly, a proud people but we also know from past experience that Dr. Saouma accepts the holding of this office as making him a citizen of the world.
On behalf of the member countries of the southwest Pacific region it therefore gives me great pleasure to congratulate Dr. Saouma as a person and as an official and to assure him of our total commitment to the work of the Organization for as long as he remains Director-General.
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Ζ. GROCHOWSKI (Poland): We have just elected the Director General of FAO. We have thus filled a key office and function in our Organization.All of us know the significant role which the Director General plays in the implementation of goals and objectives as outlined both in the Constitution and decisions of its inter-governmental bodies.
It is 'in such a context that the important act of re-election of the Director-General should be viewed both in the past and future perspective.
By re-electing Dr. Edouard Saouma we have expressed recognition of the work he has performed during his first term.The contributions he has made to FAO efficient operations are numerous.But I should like to emphasize in particular his concept of shifting the impact of FAO activity from the centre to the field, which concept translates the ideal of international cooperation for development into practical action, rendering concrete results for countries of all regions.
By voting for the second term for Dr. Saouma we have expressed our confidence that in the future he will discharge his responsibilities in the same rational, wise and effective manner as he has done until now.
We are deeply convinced that his exceptional personal qualities, his experience enriched by years of practice, constitute factors justifying our confidence and guaranteeing the effective functioning of FAO and the realization of its goals.
It is in such a spirit that I would like to present on behalf of the Eastern European countries expressions of warmest congratulations to Dr. Saouma on his re-election to the office of Director-General of FAO.
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L. F. LONDOÑC (Colombia): Con la venia del Jefe de la delegación de Ecuador, quien llevó la vocería de América Latina, quisiera, sencillamente, decir dos palabras, señor Presidente.
Doctor Edouard Saouma, Director General de la FAO, en nombre del pueblo colombiano y de nuestro Presidente Doctor Julio César Turbay Ayala, queremos manifestarle nuestra profunda satisfacción por su reelección como Director General de la FAO para bien de la humanidad. Su experiencia, su inteligencia, su vocación de servicio, su honestidad y su gran sensibilidad humana, garantizan el éxito de nuestra lucha contra el hambre y la desnutrición.
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EL PRESIDENTE: Señores delegados, con todas estas expresiones estamos dando término al trabajo de la sesión de esta mañana. Quiero en particular aclarar que la sesión de esta tarde empezará exactamente a las 15,15 horas, pero las puertas del Salón de la Conferencia serán cerradas exactamente a las 15,05 horas. Por lo tanto les pido encarecidamente a todos los señores delegados, que ocupen su sitio en ese Salón antes de las 15.05.
Damos por terminados nuestros trabajos de la mañana y declaro cerrada la tercera sesión.
The meeting rose at 12.05 hours
La séance est levée à 12 h 05
Se levanta la sesión a las 12.05 horas.
