S Gblorzuo TOWEH (Liberia):. I bring you greetings and warmest felicitations from the President of Liberia, Dr. Samuel K. Doe, the Government and People of Liberia on the occasion of the 25th Session of the FAO General Assembly.
Let me first of all express my gratitude to the Government and people of Italy for the warm welcome and hospitality accorded to us upon our arrival in Rome.
Our assembly at this 25th Session indicates the importance our respective governments place on food and agriculture, as well as a genuine search for a lasting solution to food security for the people of the world; for agriculture is the only medium through which a nation can feed itself, while at the same time providing the basis for a sustainable economy.
The Government of Liberia therefore, is cognizant of the fact that food and agriculture are important factors in a nation's survival. Consequently, continuous and accelerated efforts are being made to improve this sector of our economy. The approach was to enhance and sustain agricultural growth and development by launching a Green Revolution Programme in 1986, which is now in full operation.
The green revolution concept has been well supported by the Liberian people. There has been a gradual increase in the production of rice.
Correspondingly, tuber and other crops in this category are also showing gradual increases.
We are convinced that, given the enthusiasm with which the Liberian people have received the Green Revolution Programme, we will achieve our objective of food security for our people in the very near future. Accordingly, we have formulated a five-year development plan to develop 30 000 small farms in the low land. We hope to reduce the importation of rice, our stable food, by 85 percent at the end of the five years.
Also, emphasis is being placed on the establishment of agro-industries which will utilize the agricultural raw material to produce semi or finished products, thereby reducing our dependence upon imported commodities. Presently, an edible oil refinery is under construction which will produce cooking oil, margarine and other semi-finished products. Also, three cassava processing plants are being constructed for the production of starch and other products.
I am pleased to report that we have received support from friendly governments as well as Specialized Agencies of the United Nations; particularly, FAO and UNDP. We hope that after the revision of my country's green revolution action plan, which is being sponsored by FAO, friendly
governments will respond to our needs for assistance in implementing our Green Revolution Programme. My Government expresses her thanks and appreciation for your continuous support as we strive for the attainment of food security for our people.
You will understand that financial constraints among developing nations impede the efforts of these governments to implement most of their agricultural programmes. Most of the income received by these governments are tied up in servicing their debt obligations, whereas their capacity to borrow has become smaller. Therefore, the support we received to accelerate agricultural production is highly welcome and appreciated.
This body must not relent in its efforts to secure food for the world - a very difficult task indeed. The Council's report on the current world food situation, which shows a consecutive fall in the production of staple foods in terms of per capita consumption, is a concern for most countries, especially the developing nations, and Africa in particular.
Efforts must be accelerated in assisting countries that are unable to provide their people with food. We note with concern that the population growth rate in most of the developing countries continues to be far above their food production rate. To correct this trend, those countries that are affected should be encouraged and/or assisted to adopt the appropriate policy framework that takes into account population issues, as they relate to food security.
The report of the Council, indicating higher prices for cereals reflects a concern. We must cautiously consider the suggestion that cereal prices will be higher, for cereals are the staple of most of the developing countries who have less funds to acquire, and who at the same time are facing a mountain of debt burdens. From where will the extra come to direct towards this increased price of food?
It is pleasing to note in paragraph 20 of the report, however, that the Council was concerned about the situation of the rise in international cereal prices and the expected decline in food aid shipments.
We endorse the idea that food security must be achieved through the acceleration of the 4 "I's" - incentives, inputs, infrastructures and institutions. My Government like all others has the great responsibility of making food security a reality for her people.
Women contribute substantially to food production in Africa. Approximately 80% to 90% of the mark teers and local food processors are women. We wholeheartedly endorse the plan of action for the integration of women into agricultural and rural development. We would not have used the term "Integration", since women are already within the sector.
The common trend it would seem, in most Third World countries, has been to play down or ignore the role of women in agriculture, principally due to cultural practices.
This trend has affected the involvement of women in the decision-making process. Thus, though they are the majority participants in food and agricultural production, there are very few statistics on their actual production. Moreover, very little credit inputs or other facilities necessary for improvement are directly extended to them.
Therefore, we recommend that where these services are not available, a survey on womens's activities in food and agriculture be conducted through the assistance of FAO, and that they be the target group for credit, input supplies, infrastructural development and marketing outlets. Let women be involved in the decision-making process.
Fishery is an integral part of food and agriculture; for it is the major source of protein for many Member States. We join the Council in its endorsement of the Committee on Fisheries report and encourage the continuous efforts of FAO to induce the spirit of self-reliance in the fisheries management of Member States. We were privileged to participate in the first Regional Conference on Fisheries Cooperation among States bordering the Atlantic Ocean held in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco. During this meeting, discussions were focused on the following: the assessment and conservation of our fisheries resources, the development of the sector through the utilization of bilateral action and complementary resources and the extension of solidarity with our sister countries that are land-locked.
The implementation and accommodation of the Conference will further strengthen the food supply of the African Continent and the world at large. We concur with the Council agreement that FAO give priority to the fisheries programme in member countries by monitoring the prevention of environmental degradation in both inland and marine waters.
Another issue of concern is the protection of our marine life. Vessels at sea are constantly contaminating the ocean, and large factories dump their waste into many of the rivers and other waterways. It is important that research be conducted on the best method of disposing of factory waste material. The various documents on the destruction of the ozone layer are also of great concern. We must strive to preserve our world for the future generation.
The C 89/2-Sup.l shows that although overall food-supply conditions improved slightly for Africa, there are still a number of countries facing grave difficulties. While we strive to improve these unfavourable conditions, our soil has been targeted for the dumping of toxic waste.
More than ever before the African Continent needs to intensify its environmental protection strategies. We request the assistance of member countries in monitoring the industrial activities of their respective countries, including chemical plants producing toxic and other waste products, as well as their method of getting rid of the waste.
To date, my Government has enacted a law dealing with the illegal dumping of toxic waste within our territories. The violation of this law is treasonable. Also, much effort is now directed towards the education of our people on the importance of conservation of the environment. A study on the effect of agro-chemicals on the soil has just been completed through a UNDP-supported project.
Finally, we must consolidate our resources, do away with much political rhetoric and sincerely get down to finding solutions to the many problems of the world food and agriculture situation. In view of this my delegation is in full support of the Programme of Work and Budget submitted by the Council for the period 1990-1991.
My Government assures this illustrious body of its continued support for the fight against hunger and malnutrition. We must be committed to ensuring global peace and security by providing enough food to feed the world's hungry because this is a fundamental human right. Consequently, we must not relent until every malnourished child is brought back to life.
I extend to you, Mr Chairman, and members of your staff our sincere congratulations on your election to this high office. It is the wish of my Government that you will serve with dignity and honour as you direct the affairs of the Conference to a level of prominence. It is my hope that our deliberation will be characterized with peace, unity and understanding. Let us resolve to remain ever-committed to the ideals and principles of global food security for our one world.
Ernest BENJAMIN (Antigua & Barbuda): Mr Chairman, I am delighted to associate myself with previous speakers in congratulating you on your election as Chairman of the Conference. I am confident that you will guide us to a fruitful conclusion.
I wish also to express my warmest congratulations to Dr Edouard Saouma for his dedication in promoting international cooperation in the area of food and agriculture for the benefit of mankind and for his excellent management and husbandry of this Organization in a period when FAO is experiencing its most difficult financial crisis.
The current world situation poses a great challenge for FAO and for the developing countries. Since our last Conference, the number of people to be fed in the world has increased by 178 million. Of this increase, 90% has occurred in the developing countries which are most vulnerable to this increase. All these people will have to be provided with the basic necessity of food. Inasmuch as the agricultural sector will have to feed these new masses of people, FAO's missions and responsibilities will increase in providing services to its members in response to the need for agricultural development and modernization.
Another issue which has adversely impacted on agricultural development is the world economic and financial crisis. This crisis has remained unabated. We are all familiar with the heavy debt burdens (particularly in the developing world), protectionism, lack of access to market and poor prices for agricultural produce for developing countries. Amongst the effects of this financial and economic crisis for developing countries, is the huge outflow of capital to service debt with inimical consequences on agricultural development. While the industrialized countries have been able to take measures to protect and assist their farmers, these measures have posed a threat for the agricultural economies of Third World Countries.
Antigua and Barbuda views with concern that at a time when developing countries are making efforts to increase food and agricultural production, FAO is experiencing severe financial difficulties for the delivery of services to its members. While we are mindful of the circumstances which have dictated the general atmosphere in which budgetary matters are being related to the United Nations Organizations, we consider it the duty of the community of nations to reflect that the true and real concerns of FAO are matters which should now be addressed. The provision of food for mankind, the funding and implementation of programmes and projects which affect the
very survival of millions of destitute people in the world, are matters which transcend the political whims and fancies of nations on the basis of comparative global and financial power. We support the Programme of Work and Budget.
I would like to place on record Antigua and Barbuda's appreciation to the Food and Agriculture Organization for having continued to work with dedication during a period of challenge and uncertainty. Despite the severe financial problems the Director-General and the Council have exercised prudent husbandry and management of the resources during the 1988/1989 biennium.
Against the background of an unprecedented cashflow crisis the Director-General has presented a programme budget of some US$574 million with a programme increase which amounts to 0.45%. Antigua and Barbuda strongly supports the programme's priorities for 1990/91 and in particular the emphasis of allocating as much as possible of the work programme budget for the technical and economic programmes and Technical Cooperation Programme, which amount to some 60% of the budget. We support the programmes priorities since they can have a significant impact on Third World economies such as those in the Caribbean. We are convinced that the allocation of the resources are realistic and well focused. However, we very much regret that FAO will be constrained in delivering the level of services which its Members will be expecting.
Antigua and Barbuda supports the Programme of Work and Budget and expresses the hope that it will be approved by consensus. We are encouraged in this hope since we believe that the problem, while grave, is not a fundamental crisis involving issues of principle for support of FAO, and no irrevocable decision of non-payment of contributions. Let us therefore rise to the challenge of honouring our obligations to FAO. Antigua and Barbuda gives the assurance that it will honour its obligations.
At our last Conference the question of the reform of FAO was a controversial issue. At that time we expressed the view that, inasmuch as FAO had faithfully discharged its mandate, we did not see the need for reforms.
Antigua and Barbuda is satisfied with the conclusions of the Joint Committees and the Group of Experts that the Food and Agriculture Organization remains a solid and dynamic institution which has demonstrated innovations in its work and has been responsive to changing world events and emerging needs. Now that FAO has received a clean bill of health, we trust that the Conference will embrace the opportunity of approving the recommendations and provide the Organization with the additional $26 million to implement the very useful recommendations so that FAO can become a vibrant institution with the capability of tackling the problems of agricultural development in the future.
We are getting signals that some members would like to link the question of review to approval of the 1990/1991 Programme of Work and Budget: this Delegation is opposed to this arrangement. We believe that they are two separate and distinct issues. Time is not on our side to continue this process of inward examination. We believe that all the relevant facts are now available to facilitate a positive decision on the issue of the reform of FAO. I am sure that this Conference will rise to the challenge and arrive at a favourable decision in the true spirit of multilateralism and the principle of equality and sovereignty of nations.
Antigua and Barbuda would like to place on record its sincere appreciation for the timely and invaluable assistance which FAO rendered to our farmers in the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo. As many of you might know, the agriculture sector of the islands of the eastern Caribbean was severely damaged by one of the most disastrous hurricanes in this century. The estimated damage to the agricultural sector was in the order of US$90 million. This hurricane has severely disrupted the life and welfare of farmers in the eastern Caribbean, and will require significant resources for eventual rehabilitation of the agricultural sector. We are encouraged by the assistance of FAO in carrying out an assessment of the losses, providing emergency assistance and the Director-General's efforts in mounting a campaign to mobilize assistance from the international community to assist in the rehabilitation of the agricultural sector in the eastern Caribbean.
In light of the vulnerability of the island states in the Caribbean, to natural disasters such as hurricanes, which in recent times have been occurring in greater frequency and intensity, we propose that FAO devises a programme which would enable the island to provide to its farmers emergency assistance and assistance for rehabilitation in the aftermath of hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Antigua and Barbuda is very pleased that the Technical Cooperation Programme has received a programme increase of 2.8% in the budget for the upcoming biennium. As a country that has benefited from the TCP Programme, we strongly support its continuation with increased allocation.
We note the thinking in some quarters that the TCP should operate on the basis of pre-planning and should be managed and monitored by a Committee. Antigua and Barbuda finds this proposal unacceptable. Since the Programme is designed to respond to requests for emergency assistance, there must be the utmost flexibility in its operations. In this connection this delegation wishes to express its strong support for the continuation of this Programme, and hopes that in the next biennium the funds made available will be substantially increased.
I would like to associate myself with the delegation of Dominica in expressing appreciation for the excellent programme of cooperation between FAO and the Caribbean community in the pursuit of agricultural development.
Finally, Antigua and Barbuda would like to place on record its faith and confidence in FAO, which has rendered invaluable assistance in our efforts at agricultural development.
I express the hope that this Conference will be challenged by a genuine vision of international cooperation and solidarity in demonstrating its care and concern for FAO so as to increase its solidity and dynamism to discharge its mandate of assisting in freeing mankind from hunger and malnutrition.
CHAIRMAN: The words of Mr Benjamin are a very appropriate introduction for me to make an intervention. This will be my last day at the Conference. It has been a great privilege to have been here for the last week or so, and I would like to make a few fatherly comments.
I met with the General Committee this morning, and I have just had lunch with the Vice-Chairmen and the Chairpersons of the three Commissions. I would like to say to you that I believe this Conference is in very good hands, and that my own Australian delegation will keep me in touch as events unfold in this Conference.
Obviously, I cannot sum up the whole Conference at this time, but I have been busily scribbling away recording what has been said so far. Being the Chairman, I should not take any particular Australian point of view, but I would like to make some observations in four areas reflecting what has been said.
The four areas are: why FAO, what is FAO?; secondly, the role of ministerial or high-level biennial conferences; thirdly, the issues in this Conference put against the background of the general themes that we have all been echoing; and, fourthly, ways and means, direction, regarding the Review, the budget and the work programme.
On the first point, FAO is the Specialized United Nations Agency with a clear agricultural function. As is clear in the Preamble, agriculture equals agriculture, fisheries and forest. Development assistance is part of FAO's mandate, but basically FAO, firstly, collects, analyzes, interprets, and disseminates information on nutrition, food and agriculture; secondly, it provides technical assistance; thirdly, it provides a wide range of policy advice as set out in Article I, Section 2 of our Basic Document. Only one speaker at this Conference wanted to give less emphasis to any of these three main tasks.
It is important to realize that FAO is one of the many agencies involved in development assistance and aid. For example, in this city there are also the headquarters of the World Food Programme, the World Food Council and IFAD.
Development assistance is broader than just agricultural development assistance, but agricultural development work is the most fundamental. The professional aid debate has been a long one and many observations have been made by Ministers and heads of delegations at this Conference reflecting on inadequacies seen in the provision of technical advice and direct assistance. We have not got it right yet and we are all still aware of the problems of coordinating the response to a sudden famine or natural disaster.
Aid delivery and training have been mentioned by many delegations reflecting on deficiencies in the system programmes. I would suggest that had this Conference been just one of aid professionals, it would have been much more narrow in scope, more focused, but not of as much interest in identifying requirements and directions, which leads me to my second point.
While having Ministers and representatives of countries delivering statements with the detailed work being carried out in the three Commissions and various committees may lead to repetition, the Conference provides unique opportunity for virtually the world's agricultural Ministers dealing day to day with many policy problems to be able to exchange experience with Ministers of countries having like challenges.
To gain the perspective of the President of Chad, and to understand his recent experience in his country was a privilege, as was the analysis of the Pope. It is agriculture that unites us. It is heartening that there are Ministers here whose countries were at war with their neighbours only a year
ago. There are Ministers whose countries still are experiencing internal disorder. Yet we are all here together looking at what we can do for our farmers and fishermen. There are countries here as vast as China and India and as small as the Caribbean and South Pacific islands. I am not so naive as to think that there are no political tensions among us or that we will not form groupings on some issues, but many of us are using far different words to what we used only two years ago.
We all know that peace is the biggest issue. It is to be hoped that because the words have changed in some instances, aid flows continue to go where the need is greatest.
I put it to you as Ministers and Heads of Delegations that we should really value what we have in this Conference and understand that, as tedious as some aspects of a three-week session may be, there is no better way to have such a broad constructive perspective on world agriculture. The themes and issues that have emerged at this Conference are very clear. So many people have mentioned drought, desertification, sustainable development, the GATT Round, the price of inputs compared to the price of commodities, and it is clear also that the developed countries have different priorities than some developing countries.
The role of women in agriculture and sustainable development do not quite have the same importance when the rains do not come, there are people who are starving, or you have to farm with a gun at your side. But both concepts, women in agriculture and sustainable development, are of profound importance to us all.
Many countries have raised the question of animal health, for example, the screw-worm fly, the desert locust, and particular commodity problems such as the price of coffee and discrimination against coconut oil. Obviously, there is great concern by coastal states about the activities of distant-water fishing nations and the practice of driftnetting. There is general concern about the destruction of tropical forests, desertification, land degradation and the atmosphere.
To many, the immediate need for mere food makes these questions academic in the near term. Several Ministers have raised their concern about how world grain stocks have declined and how recent increases in the price of grains have occurred and the impact of this on poor, food-deficit nations. This is an issue that has to be honestly faced if we can move to the benefit of all agricultural nations for freer world agricultural trade. Quite apart from the fact that grain prices are poised to fall, there will be translation costs, but as the massive subsidization and protection by the rich nations is diminished, more will be able to be done for our poorest neighbours. I remind you again of the words of the Director-General: US$ 290 000 million worth of agricultural subsidization world-wide compared with an effective negative aid flow now of US$44 million due to massive international debt in the developing nations.
Individual countries have sensibly used the opportunity to take up specific issues with the Director-General and his staff, and there is no doubt that our three weeks will leave the professional people in this building under no illusions as to how vast and varied the challenges are. The General Committee received reports this morning from the Chairpersons of Commissions I and II, and it is pleasing to report that after long debates, good progress is being made on the key issues for resolution by this Conference. Commission I is making good progress on technical matters, international
agricultural adjustment and the state of food and agriculture. Commission II has before it the review of programmes, the Programme of Work and Budget and the review of the FAO. Ministers and representatives in the Plenary have made it clear there is an overwhelming majority of support for the Programme of Work and Budget. Delegates speaking to me give me the reading that there is a hope and a possibility of consensus of the key issues on which we will be taking decisions. I, too, hope that a consensus could be reached and that we do not have to have winners and losers. The review of FAO also seems to have been widely accepted. Some delegations want FAO to be continously reviewed externally. While review will always continue- and it is a key task for us at these biennial conferences - there needs to be more thought given to how this can be practically achieved. Additional ideas have come forward from the Nordics, the Swisss, the British, the Australians and several other delegations. I believe these ideas and the functioning of the Council can be addressed by the provison of papers and the registering of agenda items for the next Conference. The practice of public administration, wherever we are, demands accountability, transparency and maximum information exchange.
We have all commented on the financial crisis facing the FAO, so we all have the task of promoting and improving FAO so that governments, for whatever reason, understand the importance of FAO's work. It gives none of us pleasure to ask an organization to perform tasks knowing full well that it does not have the funds. Zero real growth is one thing; negative zero real growth is another.
I finally wish to express on your behalf our thanks, not only to the Director-General, the Secretary-General and the more visible officials of the FAO, but all the people in the building, in the field, the people that service this Conference. I thank them for the work they are doing. I thank you.
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Gonzalo BULA HOYOS (Colombia): Sr. Presidente, seguramente sus cordiales e interesantes palabras de despedida han sorprendido a muchos miembros de la Conferencia y, por ello, como observamos que nadie pide hacer uso de la palabra, los representantes de Colombia trataremos de interpretar los sentimientos de todos nuestros colegas y amigos, al expresar a usted nuestra gratitud y reconocimiento profundos y sinceros por la forma inteligente, seria y dinámica como usted ha ejercido sus funciones de Presidente.
Entendemos su ausencia por las altas responsabilidades políticas y de gobierno que le esperan en su país, Australia. Le echaremos de menos en esta sala porque usted nos ha acostumbrado en una sola semana a sus actuaciones cordiales, constructivas, flexibles y eficaces.
Usted podrá salir de esta sala por la puerta grande, con la frente en alto, acompañado por la satisfacción del deber cumplido, con consagración, dignidad y lealtad que todos reconocemos y agradecemos.
Sus palabras de esta tarde sobre la importante función de la FAO y el resumen afortunado que usted ha hecho de sus labores confirman cómo se ha compenetrado rápida y eficazmente con todos aquéllos que estamos vinculados a esta Organización.
En su ausencia trataremos de honrar y prolongar la huella grata y admirable que usted ha dejado entre nosotros. Pedimos a usted, honorable Kerin, que, al volver a su país, usted transmita al honorable Gobierno de Australia nuestro reconocimiento porque el gobierno australiano nos haya permitido disfrutar de la experiencia y de la competencia de un real y caracterizado australiano como usted, tan calificado y respetable.
Estoy seguro de que todos los miembros de esta Conferencia deseamos a usted, Sr. Presidente, feliz viaje de regreso a Australia, uno de los países de mayor avanzada en la cooperación internacional, y deseamos a usted toda prosperidad y nuevos triunfos en el futuro.
Pedimos un cordial aplauso de despedida y agradecimiento para nuestro Presidente.
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Javier TANTALEAN ARBULU (Perú): Señor Presidente, Señor Director General, Señores Ministros, Señores Embajadores y Representantes, Señores Observadores, Señoras y Señores: En nombre del Gobierno de la República del Perú y de su Presidente Constitucional Doctor Alán García, me es grato transmitir el saludo a todas las Delegaciones y desear para este magno evento los mejores resultados, ya que éstos favorecerán a toda la humanidad.
Asimismo quisiera felicitar y agradecer a la FAO como institución y a su Director General por el trabajo que realiza en la lucha contra el hambre y en la búsqueda de un desarrollo sostenible.
Mi país es parte integrante de una región - la América Latina y el Caribe -que durante los años sesenta y setenta siguió esquemas de desarrollo basados en el proceso de sustitución de importaciones para desarrollar un sector industrial nacional. En este proceso se pensaba que dicho modelo de desarrollo basaría en gran parte su financiamiento, con el excedente obtenido de la agricultura. Sin embargo, tal excedente agrícola no se produjo en las magnitudes que los teóricos suponían. En la década del ochenta tal modelo entra en crisis por muchos factores, pero en los que cabe mencionar los siguientes: la falta de importancia otorgada a la agricultura; el inmenso endeudamiento externo que conoce la región en los años setenta y que derivarían en los años ochenta en la crisis de la deuda externa; el descenso del nivel de inversión en relación al producto interno bruto; el acelerado proceso de urbanización y de crecimiento macrocefálico de las metrópolis, conjuntamente con la descapitalización humana del campo - sobre todo de su juventud -, conformando en las ciudades el crecimiento del llamado sector informal urbano por la migración del campo hacia la ciudad; los términos de intercambio negativos para el campo en su relación con lo urbano que llevaron a la descapitalización productiva de la agricultura; y en la exportación neta de capitales hacia el exterior que hicieron nuestras economías.
Todo ello se ha traducido en un desarrollo desigual al interior de los países de la región, unido a una profunda heterogeneidad estructural, en la mayor segmentación de los mercados de trabajo y en el desequilibrio de las principales variables macroeconómicas, haciendo que algunos de los países, por el olvido del sector agropecuario, se vuelvan vulnerables y extremadamente dependientes en materia de importación de insumos y productos agroalimentarios.
Ha llegado la hora de cuestionar los esquemas teóricos y las prácticas, así como los paradigmas del desarrollo, revalorizando la función y el rol de la agroalimentación en las estrategias presentes y futuras. Por ello, la labor de vanguardia que debe ejercer la FAO en la asistencia técnica a los gobiernos, en todo lo que signifique el diseño de políticas, programas y proyectos que beneficien a la agricultura. Esto es más urgente en países como el Perú, donde la marginación y el olvido histórico han sido más profundos con el sector campesino del mundo andino, que vive en comunidades ancestrales y que hoy se ven azotadas por el fenómeno del terrorismo, que se desarrolla justamente en los medios rurales de mayor pobreza absoluta y relativa.
Tal situación se ve complicada por las características del entorno internacional de nuestras economías, en medio de la suspensión de recursos financieros frescos del mundo desarrollado hacia las naciones en desarrollo, con tipos de cambio volátiles; incremento en las tasas de interés que aumentan la carga de la deuda externa y la baja en los precios de ciertas materias primas que exportamos.
Conscientes de la necesidad de dedicar la mayor cantidad de recursos hacia el desarrollo, mi gobierno adoptó la decisión soberana de afectar sólo un porcentaje del valor de las exportaciones para el pago de la deuda externa, pero conjuntamente a una estrategia de desarrollo que apuntara hacia: la prioridad agroalimentaria en materia de desarrollo; las reformas en el aparato de estado, caracterizado por su burocratismo; la regionalización y descentralización del país; y, la reconversión y reestructuración del aparato productivo industrial.
Quisiera ahora tratar dos asuntos específicos de gran importancia.
El Perú como parte de la Cuenca Amazónica tiene deberes sagrados que cumplir con la humanidad frente al problema de la capa de ozono, pero, en este asunto, así como en la cuestión del narcotráfico -verdadera lacra y flagelo de nuestras sociedades que mi gobierno combate sin complacencia- existen co-responsabilidades con los países desarrollados, problemas que no son sólo competencia de nosotros. En el caso de la coca, hay producción de cocaína, porque es la demanda la que crea su propia oferta como diría algún economista clásico, y esa demanda viene de los países del hemisferio norte. De otro lado preguntaría: ¿Qué política de sustitución de cultivos resultaría prometedora para los campesinos que siembran la coca ilícita en medio de los menores precios del café y del cacao?
La consolidación y el triunfo de la libertad y la democracia sobre la barbarie, la anarquía y el caos, a los que el terror nos quiere conducir en mi país, tiene que lograrse demostrando las eficiencias sociales y económicas del sistema democrático. Por eso nos preocupa que los continuos programas de ajuste estructural signifiquen grandes costos sociales, especialmente para los más pobres, y dentro de ellos, los campesinos y agricultores.
De alli la perentoria necesidad de que la FAO esté presente desde los primeros momentos en el diseño de estos programas, junto con otros organismos internacionales, para proteger a la agricultura de los efectos indeseables de los programas de ajuste estructural.
Esto significa una FAO sólida y fuerte, que supere sus problemas financieros, y que pueda orientar más recursos a la América Latina y el Caribe. Y eso no lo vamos a conseguir, si avaláramos la tesis del crecimiento cero o la del congelamiento de la institución per secola seculorum
La FAO tiene por delante mucho que realizar respecto al desarrollo rural integrado, a la promoción e integración de la mujer y de los jóvenes campesinos, en la defensa del medio ambiente, en los procesos de investigación y transferencia tecnológica, en el desarrollo sostenible, en la seguridad alimentaria, en el desarrollo forestal y de las pesquerías, en los recursos genéticos de plantas y animales, en el desarrollo de la infraestructura de riego, en lo que significa el uso de plaguicidas, en el fortalecimiento de los programas de cooperación técnica los PCT, en las rondas comerciales del GATT para levantar las restricciones del comercio internacional, en la cooperación de la FAO con todos los organismos internacionales con los cuales existen intereses y funciones comunes.
Desde esta tribuna quiero unirme también a lo declarado por otras delegaciones en cuanto al reconocimiento a la labor del Programa Mundial de Alimentos con sus proyectos a favor de los grupos más vulnerables a la desnutrición, que también se desarrollan en mi país.
Nos parece un hecho sumamente positivo los resultados a que ha llegado un grupo de expertos en su examen a la FAO, sosteniendo que sigue siendo una institución sólida y dinámica que viene cumpliendo con sus fines objetivos, funciones y mandatos. Con ésta y otras conclusiones firmes y consistentes, creemos que el examen fue un proceso necesario, pero que ya terminó. Corresponde a nosotros lograr un consenso para lograr la implementación de las recomendaciones, que apunten al fortalecimiento de la Organización, todo lo cual aumenta nuestra confianza en la FAO y en su administración.
Ahora que estamos en un mundo de permanentes cambios estructurales en las relaciones internacionales, y cuando el desarme progresivo de las grandes potencias puede ser una realidad, se abren nuevas perspectivas de paz en el mundo. Ojalá que todo ello signifique a la vez, por parte de los países desarrollados, tener presente lo insostenible que resulta que se mantengan las desigualdades; que ello abra desde ahora un nuevo camino de lucha por la justicia y la cooperación entre todos los pueblos.
João Augusto DE MEDICIS (Brazil): As Chairman of Commission I, I do not have much time to prepare for the Plenary, but my delegation would like to propose to this Plenary that, as an indication of the importance which the Organization attaches to the words delivered yesterday by his Holiness the Pope, we include the text of his speech in our verbatim records.
The delegation of Brazil would therefore formally propose that the text of the speech delivered yesterday by His Holiness the Pope be included in our records.
CHAIRMAN: If there is no objection to that, I see no reason why it should not be done. There is no objection, so it will be done. I thank the delegate from Brazil.
Brigi RAFINI (Niger): Une fois de plus c'est notre chère Organisation, la FAO, qui nous offre non seulement cette agréable occasion de nous retrouver au rendez-vous biennal du donner et du recevoir, mais aussi, et surtout, le réel plaisir de prendre la parole devant autant de responsables politiques du secteur agricole et alimentaire.
Votre élection à la Présidence de nos travaux est en elle-même le témoignage d'un honneur mérité. Il en va de même de la désignation des 3 présidents de commission que nous voudrions assurer de tout notre soutien et notre disponibilité dans l'exercice de leur lourde et redoutable mission, car les points de l'ordre du jour sont d'une importance capitale pour l'avenir de notre Organisation.
Quant à Monsieur le Directeur général, il ne serait que justice rendue en lui reconnaissant ici tout le dévouement et parfois la passion qui l'animent face à la crise agricole et alimentaire de par le monde.
Notre Conférence est déjà entrée de plain-pied dans sa phase active, celle des débats en commission. Notre souhait est de ne pas la voir se transformer en une simple chambre d'enregistrement des exigences des plus forts face à ceux qui ont toujours été considérés comme demandeurs. Notre espoir est qu'elle soit plutôt l'occasion d'un examen de conscience pour tous et à tous les niveaux.
La FAO, cadre privilégié du partenariat multilatéral désintéressé avec les objectifs nobles et toujours valables à nos yeux énoncés depuis 1943 à Hot Spring, et pourtant immuables et la Charte des paysans définie lors de la Conférence mondiale sur la réforme agraire et le développement rural en 1987, reflète aujourd'hui avec ses problèmes et ses controverses l'image du contexte économique international et le rapport de force entre les Nations.
En effet quels que soient les objectifs et les stratégies que nous aurions définis pour notre Organisation, la problématique restera la même, à savoir comment éliminer de façon définitive - ou, pour être réaliste, de manière durable - les conséquences négatives d'un modèle de développpement que nous tous savons incohérent?
Ou alors pour schématiser: "la Communauté internationale veut-elle continuer à refuser, au lendemain du bicentenaire de la Déclaration des droits de l'Homme, le minimum vital à la majeure partie de l'Humanité, à savoir le droit au bien-être alors que tous les moyens technologiques et financiers le permettant existent?"
Nous nous posons cette question parce que tous les thèmes qui seront abordés lors de cette session nous ramèneront à un seul constat: celui de l'échec face à une évidence, celle du choix d'un modèle de développement.
Nous, pays en voie de développement, inspirés, conseillés et encouragés par les pays dits industrialisés, leur avons emboîté le pas en adoptant, si ce n'est en copiant mal, ce qu'ils ont pensé être bon pour eux, et pour nous.
Maintenant c'est nous-mêmes, formés à leur école, dans leur système de valeurs, qui conseillons à 80 pour cent de ceux qui sont encore très proches des réalités que ce modèle de développement est le meilleur.
Quel modèle de développement? Celui qui fait appel à des intrants que nous ne produisons pas, des ressources dont nous ne disposons pas et qui produit des biens que nous ne consommons pas, ou que nous ne pouvons consommer qu'après transformation par ceux qui nous ont fourni les ressources à titre de prêt. Alors pour rembourser, il faut produire plus; ce qui suppose plus de pression sur les ressources et l'environnement.
Mais quelle est maintenant la réalité que vit la majorité de nos Etats?
- dégradation accélérée de l'écosystème,
- endettement croissant, atteignant pour la plupart de nos pays le seuil critique de 40 pour cent de recettes d'exportation,
- la plupart de nos pays se voient obligés de s'engager dans les cycles indéterminés des Programmes d'ajustement structurel et d'autres accords de confirmation, de rééchelonnement ou d'annulation partielle des dettes qui ne sont en fait que de simples "anesthésies locales" face à l'ampleur du problème,
- le déséquilibre flagrant dans les échanges internationaux ne fait que se creuser,
- la production agricole, si elle ne décroît pas, évolue en dents de scie au gré des attaques des déprédateurs, des conditions climatiques, mais surtout du fait des systèmes de production qui ne sont plus de mise,
- quant à l'élevage il est encore en prise avec les épizooties. De plus, si le capital "cheptel" n'est pas décimé par la sécheresse, c'est la concurrence déloyale des viandes hautement subventionnées sur le marché international qui handicape les possibilités d'investissement dans ce secteur.
Il nous est aussi reproché, entre autres, le taux de croissance démographique fort élevé et la gabegie quant aux dépenses publiques! Mais avons-nous pour autant croisé les bras? Non, Mesdames et Messieurs ! Nous avons tout tenté et continuerons à lutter avec l'ingéniosité et la détermination des petits paysans qui sont les 80 pour cent auxquels nous faisions allusion tantôt, et le peu d'épargne que nous lègue cette conjoncture.
Je voudrais ici dire tout haut que ces paysans méritent beaucoup d'égards et de considération. Nous n'avons pas le droit de trahir la confiance de ces "sans-voix". Nous devons plutôt demeurer leurs fidèles serviteurs.
L'exemple du projet Keita financé par le gouvernement italien auquel nous rendons hommage ici et coexécuté par la FAO et le Niger est plus qu'édifiant. Mais il faut des dizaines, voire des centaines de "projet Keita" pour restaurer la base de production, réhabiliter l'économie rurale et créer les conditions d'un vrai développement socio-économique durable.
Il faut plus que des assainissements de finances publiques et plus que des réformes institutionnelles, ou de facilités de paiement compensatoire pour éradiquer le mal qui ronge notre société.
Il est triste de le dire, mais la responsabilité nous incombe car le tort est le nôtre. Mais il est vrai aussi qu'il est partagé.
Aussi pouvons-nous le réitérer une fois de plus aujourd'hui: la solution des problèmes de développement rural ne réside pas seulement dans la redéfinition des objectifs ni dans la restructuration.
Tout a été largement développé et clairement spécifié dans la Charte des paysans et dans nos différents plans nationaux de développement.
Mais la clé réside certainement dans la révision de l'ordre économique international à travers un contrat de génération entre les pays développés et les pays les moins avancés.
Cet engagement à long terme et global n'est autre qu'un "Plan Marshall" à adapter aux objectifs retracés dans le plan des Nations Unies pour le redressement économique de l'Afrique et dont la première étape devrait être la table ronde sur la dette.
Notre pays, assumant alors la présidence du CILSS, a eu déjà à le recommander à la 86ème session du Conseil de la FAO en 1985, par la voie de notre défunt Chef d'Etat.
Comme vous pouvez le constater, le problème est de taille. Mais avec la bonne volonté, rien n'est impossible.
Les nombreux événements récents de par le monde confirment notre foi en l'espoir.
C'est dire que nous traversons un courant de dialogue, d'ouverture et de compréhension mutuelle qui doit nous inspirer.
C'est pour cela que nous faisons appel pour la présente session à la sérénité et à la sagesse.
Les Etats Membres doivent assumer leurs responsabilités jusqu'au bout car aucun, ici, n'a remis en cause sa foi en notre Organisation ni sa mission définie par l'Acte constitutif. Mais nous ne devons pas pour autant fermer les yeux sur les possibilités d'amélioration de son efficacité, la consolidation des acquis en relation avec la compétence et l'expérience des autres organisations soeurs, l'évolution du secteur rural et des capacités des Etats Membres, notamment les pays en voie de développement.
L'autocritique est un exercice difficile et périlleux, mais il est aussi un acte de courage et de bon sens. Engageons-nous donc à sauver les résultats de bientôt un demi-siècle de combat contre la faim et la malnutrition. C'est un domaine vaste et complexe où les besoins évoluent.
C'est pour cela que je ne voudrais pas finir sans me pencher sur quelques points des débats qui animent en ce moment les travaux en commission, en particulier:
- La situation financière: la preuve la plus éloquente de la qualité d'Etat Membre est le paiement de ses contributions. A cet égard, tous les Etats sans exclusive doivent mériter le même traitement. Nous ne pouvons donc que solliciter tous ceux qui ont enregistré un retard dans le paiement de ce dû de faire tout leur possible pour permettre à notre Organisation le redéploiement conséquent de son activité
- Pour le budget 1990-91, il reste entendu que notre pays soutient le programme et le budget conséquent. Mais il n'en demeure pas moins que nous devons user d'un peu plus de réalisme pour nous conformer aussi aux exigences de l'austérité qu'impose la conjoncture actuelle à la plupart des Etats.
- Le troisième point sur lequel nous voulons exprimer notre opinion est le programme alimentaire mondial.
La volonté de partenariat avec la FAO n'a jamais été démentie, sur le terrain en tout cas. Ses formes d'intervention ont largement évolué. C'est donc dans la même logique d'entente et d'interdépendance que nous, en tant qu'Etat Membre et bénéficiaire des différentes interventions, lançons un appel à la concertation. Il serait hautement souhaitable qu'un assouplissement des procédures et des règles puisse intervenir et qu'une solution heureuse et durable puisse être trouvée dans le cadre institutionnel le plus adéquat et dans le respect strict des intérêts de nos Etats qui donnent vie aux organisations.
Enfin, c'est pour nous le moment de rendre un hommage mérité au FIDA et de lancer un appel aux Etats présents afin d'éviter que le programme spécial pour l'Afrique subsaharienne touchée par la sécheresse, si bien maîtrisée, ne soit qu'un feu de paille et que la troisième reconstitution de ses ressources soit réalisée dans les termes convenus.
En terminant, permettez-moi de féliciter et d'encourager certains que nous avons trop tendance à oublier, à savoir les directeurs de programmes, de divisions et autres chefs de services de notre Organisation.
Il serait injuste et dommage de ne pas leur reconnaître le mérite d'avoir tant oeuvré pour que la FAO soit ce qu'elle est aujourd'hui. Il en est de même de nos dignes représentants respectifs au sein des organes internes qui ont su mettre à notre disposition des documents de travail d'une qualité indéniable.
Nous espérons que cette session parviendra à une plateforme d'entente nouvelle et surtout à une confiance renouvelée entre les Etats Membres, et entre eux et la FAO.
Plein succès donc à nos travaux,
Vive la Communauté du destin,
Je vous remercie.
Takizal Luyan Muís MBINGIN (Zaïre): Au nom de la délégation qui m'accompagne et en mon nom propre, je voudrais, Monsieur le Président, vous présenter mes sincères et chaleureuses félicitations à l'occasion de votre élection en qualité de Président du bureau de cette 25ème session de la Conférence générale de l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture.
La délégation du Zaïre se réjouit particulièrement de la composition de votre bureau et formule ses voeux de voir les travaux des présentes assises aboutir à des résultats fructueux qui renforceront davantage l'action de la FAO sur le terrain dans les Etats Membres.
Je tiens également à féliciter Monsieur le Directeur général qui, depuis trois mandats, dirige la FAO avec beaucoup de compétence, beaucoup de dévouement et beaucoup de dynamisme.
Permettez-moi de saisir cette occasion pour remercier également le peuple et le gouvernement italiens dont l'accueil et l'hospitalité nous sont allés droit au coeur.
La déclaration du Zaïre à cette Conférence générale de la FAO porte essentiellement sur l’autosuffisance alimentaire qui est le point de mire de sa politique agricole. Celle-ci, qui bénéficie de l'attention de son initiateur, le Maréchal Mobutu Sese Seko, Président-Fondateur du Mouvement populaire de la Révolution, notre Parti-Etat, et Président de la République du Zaïre, constitue un volet important de notre premier Plan quinquennal de développement économique et social 1986-1990.
Le programme d'appui à l'autosuffisance alimentaire, en sigle PRAAL, concerne principalement l'accroissement de la production des cultures vivrières de base (maïs, manioc, riz), de la viande et du poisson. Son action est concentrée dans des zones choisies en fonction de leurs potentialités agricoles. Cette action tourne essentiellement autour de l'accroissement de l'efficacité de l'effort d'encadrement des paysans par la formation des agents techniques de vulgarisation et par l'approvisionnement en intrants, notamment les semences, les boutures améliorées, le petit outillage agricole ainsi que les engrais chimiques.
Grâce aux efforts entrepris dans le cadre de ce programme, la production nationale du maïs a sensiblement augmenté jusqu'à couvrir les besoins de consommation intérieure. Il en est de même du manioc qui, du reste, est l'un des aliments de base des populations zaïroises. Les efforts actuels dans ce domaine sont dirigés vers la recherche des cultivars et variétés plus performants et résistants aux maladies.
Quant au riz, bien que des progrès en termes de production aient été enregistrés au cours des dernières années, il n'en reste pas moins vrai que des ressources importantes doivent encore être investies pour augmenter la production nationale de manière à réduire progressivement les importations.
La production nationale de la viande ne couvrant qu'environ 40 pour cent des besoins du Zaïre, le Conseil exécutif s'emploie à tenter de résorber le déficit, notamment par le développement de l'élevage du petit bétail.
Concernant le poisson, les rivières et les lacs du Zaïre regorgent d'énormes réserves qui n'attendent que d'être exploitées et valorisées rationnellement. Outre ces réserves halieutiques, un accent particulier est mis sur la pisciculture familiale comme source d'approvisionnement en protéines animales.
En plus du programme d'appui à l’autosuffisance alimentaire (PRAAL) évoqué ci-dessus, les efforts d'accroissement de la production agricole du Conseil exécutif du Zaïre sont également entrepris par le biais des projets de développement agricole. Ceux-ci sont destinés à rendre le milieu rural plus favorable à la production agricole, à améliorer l'encadrement des producteurs, à vulgariser les techniques culturales appropriées et l'utilisation des intrants, à réhabiliter les pistes rurales, à aménager les points d'eau et d'autres infrastructures sociales.
L'agriculture d'exportation occupe une place importante dans l'économie zaïroise et constitue une source appréciable de devises. Le Zaïre a compris que son intérêt résidait dans la promotion et la diversification de ses exportations, de manière à tirer profit des avantages comparatifs dont bénéficient certains de ses produits comme le quinquina, l'huile de palme, le café.
Concrètement, le Zaïre s'est attelé à réhabiliter et à redynamiser le sous-secteur des cultures pérennes à travers un programme ambitieux de relance des cultures d'exportation. Ce programme vise tant l'amélioration de la productivité du tissu agro-industriel que la promotion des plantations villageoises. Les spéculations envisagées sont le café, le cacao, l'hévéa, le palmier à huile et le coton. A terme, le Zaïre compte reconquérir une part du marché international en vue de valoriser au mieux ses potentialités.
En dépit des efforts susmentionnés, l'agriculture zaïroise demeure encore confrontée à des difficultés et contraintes se rapportant à:
- l’insuffisance des moyens financiers et techniques;
- la dégradation du réseau routier;
- la faiblesse de l'encadrement des producteurs;
- le relâchement de la recherche agronomique, et
- l'insuffisance des infrastructures sociales en milieu rural.
Comme tous les autres pays en développement, le Zaïre compte relancer sa croissance économique et développer sa production agricole malgré le poids de sa dette extérieure et la détérioration des termes de l'échange.
Ainsi la délégation du Zaïre en appelle à la conscience internationale et relance à cette tribune l'appel du chef de l'Etat zaïrois qui, intervenant le 4 octobre dernier à la 44ème session de l'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies, a proposé qu'au cours de la décennie 1990-1999, les pays africains payent toutes leurs dettes en monnaie locale et que les nouvelles ressources ainsi constituées soient consacrées exclusivement à l'objectif de la croissance économique avec la collaboration des organismes internationaux compétents.
La délégation du Zaïre souhaite que la FAO tienne compte des programmes agricoles des Etats Membres et les intègre dans sa contribution à la préparation de la stratégie internationale du développement pour la quatrième décennie des Nations Unies pour le développement. Par ailleurs, ma délégation aimerait profiter de cette tribune pour exprimer sa satisfaction sur l'assistance technique de haute qualité dont bénéficie le Zaïre, notre pays, dans le cadre de sa coopération avec la FAO, tant au niveau de son siège à Rome, qu'au niveau de sa représentation, au Zaïre.
Je voudrais conclure mon intervention en insistant sur la solidarité internationale qui est, en ce moment, indispensable à la relance économique des pays en développement. Comme je l'ai indiqué, le Conseil exécutif du Zaïre, à l'instar de nombreux gouvernements des pays en développement, mobilise beaucoup de ressources pour relancer son économie à partir de l'agriculture. Malheureusement, la conjoncture économique actuelle n'est pas de nature à favoriser ces efforts.
Aussi, notre souhait le plus ardent est de voir la FAO, en tant qu'expression de la solidarité internationale en matière agricole, continuer à jouer son rôle de chef de file de toutes les organisations du système des Nations Unies en matière d'alimentation et d'agriculture, fers de lance des stratégies et des politiques de développement de nos pays.
Je vous remercie.
Leki DORJI (Bhutan): On behalf of the Royal Government of Bhutan and my delegation, allow me first of all to congratulate you, Mr Chairman, on your election to the Chair of this Conference. It is my honour and privilege to address this meeting under your leadership. With your able guidance, I am confident that we will arrive successfully at meaningful conclusions and useful results by the end of our deliberations.
The food and agriculture scenario since the last FAO Conference has been far from encouraging. We have witnessed, once again, increased aggregate consumption outpacing global production of staple foods. Production per capita in 1989 increased by merely 2 percent more than it was at the beginning of the decade. A significant rise in the prices of cereals has further undermined the ability of low-income, food-deficit countries to finance their food imports. The situation has not brought relief specially to those poor countries confronted with major external debts and debt-servicing difficulties. Moreover, many developing countries have to wrestle with external constraints such as protectionism and agricultural production subsidies which adversely affect commodity price and trade mechanisms in the international market.
We consider this situation a cause for serious consideration in the deliberations of our Conference. While the magnitude and complexity of the problems before us seem daunting, we should treat them as challenges which we should take up individually and in concert and as part of our agenda for cooperative action.
Our Conference is also taking place at a period when concern for the environment has seized global interest and has permeated the entire UN system, including all Specialized Agencies. People from rich and poor countries alike are becoming increasingly aware of the damage done by environmentally unsound policies and practices. Global warming brought about by indiscriminate burning of fossil fuels and forests could engender adverse effects such as uncertain precipitation, drastic shifts in agricultural production patterns, and inundation of low-lying coastal areas. The depletion of the protective ozone layer could have catastrophic effects on the health of the human population and other life forms. The worldwide recognition of these global problems, along with the growing realization that economic development can be sustained only if pursued in environmentally sound ways, have placed environmental considerations on the agenda of international development fora.
To effectively seize this opportunity for cooperation, FAO has an extremely important role to play. Within the context of agriculture, the challenge of finding alternative paths to sustainable production growth lends itself to a vigorous, concerted search for multilateral solutions for which FAO can lead the way. The promotion of research, development and/or transfer of environmentally sound production technology, extension of policy advice and planning support are important elements in support of sustainable development strategies and options.
For a predominantly mountainous country like ours whose economy is largely agriculture-based, subscribing to the goal of sustainable development is not just a moral obligation to the future generations of Bhutanese. Is is also dictated by the practical fact that we have very limited arable lands on which we cannot afford to inflict damage if we are to sustain our agricultural production. We are, however, fortunate to be endowed with a large forestry base which protects our agricultural lands and watersheds, offers habitats to our rich genetic species, and ameliorates the micro-climate of our diverse production regions. These considerations have prompted us to adopt conservation as the main policy of our forestry sector. As in other countries with fragile mountain ecosystems, we are constantly in search of novel approaches and technologies which will help our farming population to organize their agricultural activities in ways that could optimize the use of our limited lands on a sustained basis. Our immediate thrusts are to increase cropping intensity and input use and to adopt appropriate technological innovations selectively while also protecting our soil from degradation through soil conservation and land development measures. Our Government has adopted an incentive structure through subsidies to encourage our farmers to undertake terracing, contour bunding and drainage activities to conserve our limited cultivable lands and to improve their productive capacity.
Bhutan also attributes greater importance to the role of women in the agricultural development of our country. We recognize the significant contributions our women population make in several agricultural operations, particularly in animal husbandry, livestock management, and farming. We are, therefore, fully in support of the FAO’s Plan of Action for the integration of women in agricultural and rural developent. Giving women full recognition and equal opportunites in the development process should be firmly embedded in the mandates not only of FAO but also of the governments of all its member countries.
Turning now to the proposed activities of FAO for the coming biennium, Bhutan accords particular importance to the Organization's technical and economic programmes. We fully support the priorities proposed by the Director-General under these programmes. We appreciate the emphasis placed on the activities related to sustainable development, and we welcome in particular the introduction of the new sub-programme under the title Sustaining Resource Potential. We would therefore like to see a progressive increase in fund allocation to this activity commensurate with the relative importance attached to it by FAO member countries.
In conclusion, I would like to convey the assurances from the Royal Government of our continued support for cooperative efforts towards our organizations' goals of sustainable development and global food security. FAO has been playing a leading role in this direction and we appreciate its relentless efforts globally and in our country in this regard.
A.M.Al Kaoud, Vice-Chairman of the Conference, took the chair
A.M.Al Kaoud, Vice-Président de la Conférence, assume la présidence
Ocupa la presidencia A.M.Al Kaoud, Vicepresidente de la Conferencia
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Sulejman PEPA (Albanie) (langue originale Albanais): Qu'il me soit permis de vous féliciter, au nom de la délégation de la République populaire socialiste d'Albanie, pour votre élection au poste de président de la présente Conférence.
J'ai le plaisir particulier de féliciter M. Edouard Saouma pour les efforts qu'il fournit et la contribution qu'il apporte dans la réalisation des objectifs et des buts qui se trouvent aux fondements de notre Organisation pour résoudre les problèmes agro-alimentaires qui préoccupent le monde.
Le gouvernement albanais n'a cessé d'apprécier le rôle positif joué par la FAO qui s'intéresse vivement aux problèmes de l'accroissement des productions végétales. Il a toujours apprécié la lutte qu'elle mène contre la faim et la sous-alimentation dont souffrent des millions de personnes dans le monde. Dans ce contexte nous apprécions les activités de ses programmes particuliers tendant à encourager l'accroissement de la production agricole, le développement des campagnes, l'échange des matériels biogénétiques, la conservation des ressources génétiques et l'application des nouvelles technologies au service de la production agricole. Aussi nous apprécions les grandes tâches en perspective jusqu'à l'année 2000 que notre Organisation a prévues pour la solution des problèmes agro-alimentaires.
La présente session tient ses assises en un temps où l'économie mondiale se trouve dans une crise profonde qui continue de frapper même le secteur de l'agriculture.
La perspective du développement agricole est liée avec la situation économique mondiale qui, actuellement, a comme un trait distinctif le développement inégal, l'instabilité des prix de vente des produits agricoles, l'inégalité des échanges commerciaux, l'exercice des mesures protectionnistes et les barrières tarifaires, l'accroissement galopant des dettes et l'approfondissement continu du fossé entre les pays industrialisés et ceux moins développés.
La délégation albanaise juge nécessaire d'indiquer à cette Conférence que les problèmes agro-alimentaires ne peuvent être considérés qu'en rapport avec les problèmes politiques, économiques et sociaux du monde contemporain.
Il est évident que les problèmes agro-alimentaires ne peuvent être résolus que seulement avec le bon désir et l'engagement de la FAO. Ils demandent en premier lieu l'engagement des Etats et la poursuite de politiques qui militent en faveur du développement général économique et social du pays, aussi important que le climat politique international et le niveau de la coopération économique internationale.
Les aspirations et les buts humanitaires de notre Organisation au service de l'agriculture et de l'accroissement ininterrompu des produits alimentaires ne peuvent pas trouver l'application nécessaire dans la situation actuelle internationale qui se caractérise par des événements contradictoires. Le monopole des produits agricoles et des aliments est transformé en un moyen de pression politique et économique par les grands producteurs et en particulier par les superpuissances. On ne peut pas aller vers la solution des grands problèmes préoccupants des pays en développement en utilisant des formes néocolonialistes de pillage et d'exploitation. Les dettes, les prix bas d'achat des produits agricoles rendent de plus en plus préoccupante la situation des pays en développement.
Malheureusement même aujourd'hui il y a dans le monde des millions de gens qui vivent dans la misère et qui meurent de faim ou des suites d'une mauvaise alimentation, tandis que les superpuissances dépensent des millions de dollars pour les armements. Dans les conditions actuelles du développement de la science et de la technique, il serait tout à fait possible à l'humanité, aujourd'hui comme demain, de se suffire en produits agro-alimentaires. La production agro-alimentaire devrait doubler ou tripler si les investissements nécessaires étaient mis à la disposition des producteurs agricoles.
La politique agro-alimentaire en Albanie au cours des années du pouvoir populaire a été partie intégrante du cours de développement proportionné et diversifié de toute notre économie socialiste. Elle vise l'accroissement continu du bien-être du peuple, ainsi que le développement économique et celui des générations futures.
Dans ces quatre décennies et demie notre pays, suivant une juste politique, a fait de grandes transformations dans le développement de l'agriculture comme dans les autres domaines.
A l’epicentre de notre politique agraire a toujours figuré la nécessité de satisfaire normalement les besoins alimentaires de toutes les masses travailleuses. Nous pensons que les besoins du peuple doivent être le pivot et l'objectif de toute l'activité productive et sociale de notre pays.
L'application des objectifs du programme alimentaire a été élaborée d'une manière originale et réalisée de front avec les priorités nécessaires s'appuyant sur l'accroissement des produits agricoles. Cela nous a permis non seulement de nous suffire en pain, mais encore d'améliorer sensiblement la structure d'alimentation de notre population dont le taux de croissance est le plus élevé d'Europe.
On ne peut pas ne pas mentionner le fait que le déchargement des déchets industriels, l'utilisation des produits chimiques même en agriculture, l'exploitation sans critères des superficies agricoles, la dégradation des forêts, la destruction de la flore et de la faune ont causé la pollution de l'environnement et le déséquilibre écologique dans plusieurs pays, ce qui constitue un grave problème.
Notre pays attache une importance particulière au développement complexe des forêts à des fins économiques ainsi qu'au maintien de l'équilibre écologique et à la protection de l'environnement contre la pollution.
Les forêts en Albanie occupent 36 pour cent du territoire national. Elles appartiennent à l'Etat et au peuple dans son ensemble.
Dans le développement ultérieur et la perspective de l'économie forestale jusqu'à l'année 2000 nous avons déterminé les objectifs pour équilibrer les coupes et la croissance annuelle des arbres afin que cet équilibre soit maintenu par la réduction absolue du volume du bois d'oeuvre utilisé et l'accélération de la production des forêts existantes.
Ce qui caractérise le développement de notre agriculture est l'intensification ultérieure de la production agricole grâce à l'extension du système d'irrigation, à l'utilisation des engrais chimiques, à la mécanisation des travaux et au développement harmonieux et proportionnel de ces secteurs. Nous n'ignorons pas les différentes difficultés qui sont apparues dans la voie de l'accroissement des produits agricoles ainsi que
l'influence des facteurs du climat qui se sont fait sentir d'une façon plus accentuée au cours des dernières années mais la consolidation et la stabilité dans l'accroissement de la production agricole ont fait que le rythme moyen de l'accroissement de la production globale agricole et la circulation réduite des denrées alimentaires ont été 2 fois supérieures au rythme de la croissance démographique.
L'agriculture représente l'un des secteurs fondamentaux du développement économique du pays. Au cours de plus d'une décennie elle assure le pain du peuple, plus de 85 pour cent des aliments de base, les matières premières pour l'industrie légère, plus de 40 pour cent de la valeur des articles industriels de provenance agricole.
Au service de la production agricole est mis sur pied un réseau d'institutions de recherche qui résoudront avec succès les problèmes actuels et de l'avenir du développement de l'agriculture. L'attention est consacrée à l'application de nouvelles technologies dans les conditions de notre pays pour une utilisation plus rationnelle des potentiels et des ressources du pays.
Pour assurer l'accroissement avec des rythmes plus accélérés de la production agricole et de l'élevage au cours de l'année 1989 notre gouvernement a pris un certain nombre de mesures importantes qui consistent en l'accroissement des investissements pour protéger le sol, augmenter de façon continue sa fertilité, accroître les superficies arables, défricher de nouvelles terres, augmenter la superficie sous l'eau grâce à la construction des oeuvres d'irrigation, accroître la mécanisation et l'utilisation des produits chimiques, appliquer de nouvelles technologies pour une meilleure utilisation des ressources du pays.
Grâce à ces mesures l'accroissement de la production agricole pour l'année 1989 par rapport à l'année 1988 est majoré de 9 pour cent.
Les résultats et les progrès dans le domaine de l'agriculture sont le fruit de la mobilisation générale du peuple albanais qui réalise de manière consciente les objectifs du plan de développement économique et sociale qui constitue la base véritable pour un avenir plus prospère et avancé.
C'est avec plaisir que nous constatons que la coopération de notre pays avec la FAO au cours de ces dernières années s'est amplifiée, ce qui est reflété par la réalisation de certaines activités d'un caractère technique et d'échange d'expériences visant à l'accroissement de la production agricole.
La délégation de la RPS d'Albanie est d'avis que les efforts fournis pour résoudre les problèmes agro-alimentaires dans le monde sont inséparables de la lutte que les peuples doivent mener avec fermeté pour leur indépendance politique, contre le pillage et l'exploitation impérialistes, contre toute forme de dictature et d'ingérence étrangères.
En terminant, je souhaite que les travaux de cette session, qui a abordé d'importants problèmes agro-alimentaires dans le monde, contribuent à l'accroissement de la production agricole ainsi qu'à la multiplication des échanges de produits agricoles entre les pays souverains et cela dans l'intérêt, notamment, des pays qui s'efforcent de surmonter les grandes difficultés suscitées par des relations inégales.
Je vous remercie.
Aleki SISIFA (Tonga): Mr. Chairman, it is a great honour for me today to address this distinguished gathering, the Twenty-fifth Session of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. As the representative of the Government of Tonga to this Session, I congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, and all the office bearers of this Conference for your unanimous election to your posts.
While we deliberate in this Conference events take place that will change the course of history with far reaching implications for the work of FAO. The population of the world has reached the new height of five billion and is growing at the rate of 200 000 a day. There are 500 million human beings malnourished while the surplus food and resources exist in the world in which we live. The economic crisis persists with vast implications, particularly for the developing countries.
As indicated by the Director-General in his statement to the Conference, the relationship between east and west takes a new direction of detente accompanied by the prospect of closer cooperation in the political and economic spheres. We can only hope that the later turn of events and other significant crises of positive connotations taking place around the world today signal the beginning of a new brighter era characterized by freer flow of opportunities and resources from the developed countries to the developing nations.
Tonga, like other small island countries, did not escape the ramifications of the world economic crisis. The days of subsistence affluence have gone and small is no longer so beautiful. Being small and isolated is associated with transport and marketing problems that have huge dimensions from our perspective. The mounting bills for imports, particularly those of food, fuel and agricultural inputs now exceed by far the income derived from the export of agricultural commodities. The implications for the conduct of government are serious; the implications for the small rural farmers are more serious, and small rural farmers make up more than 80 percent of the population.
Fortunately, security of food in terms of the staple root crops in my country is the norm rather than the exception. Tropical cyclones and droughts do visit us from time to time causing disruption to production, and under these circumstances the assistance of the World Food Programme and the FAO have been most appreciated.
Since the institution by FAO of the World Food Day Tonga has commerated this day every year with the associated awareness programmes being implemented in ceremonies and through the mass media, as well as in the field.
The production of staple food that is adequate is not satisfactory by itself. Nations and people alike need income to survive in today's world. For Tonga, like many Member States, coconut oil forms the basis of the regular income for small farmers; it is a major income earner for the country. The price of this commodity has been at floor level for exceedingly long periods and a reverse of this most unfortunate situation is not in sight. To make matters worse, as the delegate of Western Samoa so eloquently
expounded, there is a strong anti-campaign being carried out by certain interest groups using unfounded claims that coconut oil in food is harmful for human health. I strongly support the plea for FAO to use its technical expertise to resolve this issue before it is too late.
The traditional markets for fresh produce of the small farmers of my country and some other island countries in our region have largely been confined to our two metropolitan neighbours from which we secure most of our imports. Due perhaps to the restructuring that goes on in the marketplace and to other factors as well, while our imports keep climbing our fresh produce exports have fallen to insignificant proportions. The opening up of market niches in some Pacific rim countries of the Asian region is a most welcome phenomenon under these trying circumstances.
My delegation joins the call for a speedy and favourable conclusion to the Uruguay Round. We do pray that goodwill will suffice so that the extent of any benefits arising from these negotiations will not be limited to the developed and industrialized world but that developing countries, large and small, strong and weak, will likewise benefit from these activities so that they will be able to begin to work towards equitable shares in the international markets.
In this regard my delegation pays tribute to the Director-General of FAO for his farsighted move to close ranks with GATT in this important mission. Perhaps if and when resources are available the expertise of FAO that will be developed in this field could be made available on request to member countries and to regions where countries in need of this assistance do not participate in the Uruguay Round for reasons beyond their control.
Tonga over the years has been making a concerted effort to diversify its agricultural base. One of the successful outcomes of this work has been in the production of vanilla. As it is a most suitable cash crop for small farmers, other island states of the south-west Pacific are starting to promote the cultivation of this crop.
Of late, virus diseases previously unknown to affect orchids have attacked this crop. The consequences so far have been serious, but it is believed that they can be devastating. This problem, has been the subject of a Technical Cooperation Programme activity, and we are grateful because it made useful recommendations. However, long-term research, including some basic research, is needed in this area. We suggest that FAO assist to facilitate this work, which will prove vital to the development of this valuable crop in the south-west Pacific.
Tonga supports the Programme of Work and Budget for the biennium 1990/91.
We are, however, sorry to see the falling trend in the importance attached by the Programme of Work and Budget to the Technical Cooperation Programme. This is because the TCP is of increasing importance to my government, as it is to other member countries, as delegates have indicated in their statements. However, we are confident that the Director-General will secure the necessary funds through extrabudgetary sources to support activities in the greatest areas of need.
My delegation commends FAO for the emphasis placed on sustainable development and the environment. Tonga has been actively participating in the Asian Pacific regional project set up for implementation of the International Code of Conduct. Legislation following the Code is in place
and implementation is an ongoing activity. We particularly welcome the incorporation of the principle of prior informed consent. Tonga, like other nations, places great importance on the preservation of the environment not only through using environmentally safe agricultural practices but also through awareness of promotion activities. Environmental Week has been instituted and has been commemorated every year.
We commend FAO also for the shift of its policy toward integrated management strategies and the focus placed on farming systems.
Finally, my delegation supports the recommendations made by the distinguished delegate of Samoa for an extra seat to be created in the Council of FAO specifically for the member island states of the Southwest Pacific Region. The number of member countries in this region has substantially increased, and we seek the support of the distinguished delegates on this matter. Through this, the problems and needs unique to these countries will have the opportunity of being reflected more in the policy and in the work of our Organization. I wish to convey through you to the Director-General of the FAO and to the Conference at large the appreciation of the Government and of the people of the Kingdom of Tonga for the close cooperation between the Organization and Tonga over the last biennium. We are certainly looking forward to furthering the cooperation in the present biennium.
Lennox Ewart Alseym DAISLEY (St. Vincent and the Grenadines): It is for me a great pleasure to be able to participate and address this 25th Session of the FAO Conference. I am particularly honoured to stand before such a distinguished gathering of leaders, administration, researchers and other scientists from so many countries around the world to present my country's contribution in an effort to chart the course of this indispensable organization for the future. I therefore extend to you the greetings and wishes for a successful conference from the Government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
As I speak today, the world is witnessing fantastic changes in the relationship between the super powers, changes of a political and economic nature which were unthinkable only a short while ago. This is a positive sign, and we applaud and support this spirit of cooperation. After all, it is cooperation and collaboration between countries rather than antagonism that will ensure the survival of mankind on this planet.
My own country has consistently advocated cooperation with its regional neighbours as its main objective. To this end, we are active members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Caribbean Economic Community (CARICOM). We are now actively pursuing the political integration of all Caribbean States as a major goal. This we consider to be vital to our welfare and survival. Our presence in the FAO is further testimony of our resolve at cooperation and solidarity.
The work of the FAO, its orientation and modus operandi are ideally suited to the needs of developing countries. We are therefore pleased to learn that the Review of FAO operations has indicated a clean bill of health for the Organization.
We are, however, of the firm conviction that the role of the FAO must be further strengthened to cope with the numerous problems resulting from an ever increasing population, environmental threats, malnutrition and persistent poverty in our countries.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines, like so many other developing countries, is very dependent upon agriculture for the provision of local food needs and for foreign exchange earnings through the export of raw materials. However, we still import large quantities of raw and processed foods to supplement our local requirements. This continues to have adverse effects on the balance of payments, which have been highly negative for many years. This difference or negative flow of capital from developing countries amounted to US $ 43 million during 1988. The heavy reliance on preferential market access in developed countries for our export commodities makes it imperative that we join with other developing countries to safeguard our exports. The prospect of the single European market in 1992 presents a myriad of problems to us as ACP countries. To us, 1992 has Orwellian overtones.
Although agriculture is central to our economy, we are particularly vulnerable to both natural and man-made disasters. Over the past ten years, for example, my own country had to survive the disastrous effects of one violent volcanic eruption, two hurricanes, and at least one major drought. The recent passage of Hurricane Hugo through the Caribbean has devastated many countries and destroyed the hopes and aspirations of hundreds of thousands of people. The full impact may never be estimated.
At this point, Mr Chairman, permit me to place on record my country's appreciation for the very valuable assistance received from many countries in response to the many disasters. The FAO needs particular mention. The positive response of the FAO for assistance to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo is commendable. Furthermore, the prompt assistance by the FAO when swarms of desert locusts suddenly appeared in our country earlier this year, will continue to be a source of great consolation to the Government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The vulnerable and fragile nature of agriculture and consequently the economy of developing countries has persuaded my Government to embark upon a policy of land reform and agricultural diversification as the main development thrust.
The land reform programme is aimed at redressing the historical imbalances in land distribution, tenure and utilization patterns that have constituted a major constraint to agricultural production and the country's development. The situation where the vast majority of the best quality land is owned by a few individuals and allowed to remain idle for speculative purposes or as collateral for non-agricultural business ventures, while the remainder of the population hunger for land, unemployment sky-rockets and chronic food shortages are experienced, is considered counterproductive and socially undesirable.
Diversification of agriculture is considered the best strategy for the optimal utilization of land, to increase food security and self-sufficiency as well as to create better employment opportunities for our population. Agricultural diversification is therefore an integral component of the overall land reform programme. Government has therefore indicated its intention to purchase all estates once they are available for sale and to subdivide them into economically sized units for distribution to farmers. Resettlement has already commenced on one large estate, and nine other
estates are being prepared for similar treatment. As a result of these initiatives, more land will be made available to small farmers, and hence to the private sector, which my government considers a major vehicle for economic development.
FAO clearly has a role to play in these activities. However, while the involvement of external consultants is recognized, sustainable agriculture must involve the development of local expertise and capabilities. My delegation is therefore fully supportive of the idea expressed by other Caribbean delegations to assist in the development of indigenous institutions, such as the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and the University of the West Indies (UWI). Consultancies and financial assistance should therefore be made available to these institutions in order to enhance their research capacity and to transfer the findings of this research to the farmer.
FAO has been of great assistance and support to my country's priority areas of fisheries, dairy development, home economics, the sugar industry, land reform and agricultural planning. Although the FAO field programme has been of modest scale, the impact and benefits have been enormous.
My government will therefore not be supportive of any effort to reduce or weaken the FAO's potential for rendering assistance. We are therefore very dissatisfied that the Technical Cooperation Programme's share of the budget has declined rather than increased. While prudent financial management is a commendable goal, and is fully supported, reducing the TCP is tantamount to cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Developing countries have been encouraged and persuaded in the past to de-emphasize traditional farming methods and replace them with more advanced agricultural technologies. However, this approach has seemed to link us to a cycle of dependence because of the very fragile nature of our agriculturally based economies. Now we are being advised that much of this new technology can have a very disastrous effect upon the environment and mankind. Widespread agrochemical usage in farming is not only depleting a non-renewable resource, but is polluting water supplies, destroying many animal and plant species, degrading soil resources, and contributing in great measure to the greenhouse phenomenon that is altering climatic factors with the possible result of increased occurrences of tropical storms and other disasters.
The protection and preservation of our natural environment is therefore of major concern to my delegation. We are therefore fully supportive of the FAO's positive action to ensure that pesticides and other toxic substances, if ever they are to be used, are done so as judiciously as possible. Proper stewardship of our resources is essential not only to the present but to the future generations.
At this juncture it is probably wise on our part to sound a word of warning or caution. I do hope that the phenomenal changes currently sweeping the political and economic landscape of the world are not viewed as an opportunity for the greater promotion of the injudicious use of technology to a section of the world that has been repeatedly and variously referred to as "technology-backward" or "technology starved." The consequences for the global environment by such an inept strategy can be catastrophic.
In this regard, I do hope that my comments are not construed as an affront to any country or group of scientists, but experience has shown that selfish interests by individuals can have serious repercussions. I was rather reminding this distinguished gathering that our ultimate aim is to ensure sustainable development, and restore the dignity and respect of the farmer.
The wealth of experience of the FAO as a multilateral organization will therefore be greatly needed for the proper stewardship of the world's resources.
In closing, my delegation would wish that the numerous issues on the agenda of this Conference will be resolved so that the Organization will proceed with greater competence with its work in the development of agriculture in our countries.
It is particularly important that the modus operandi of the Organization can be firmly established at this time, bearing in mind that we are all aware that the next session of the Conference will be preoccupied with the matter of elections.
Robson CHIRWA (Malawi): It is a great honour for me to be here to participate in the 25th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization Conference on behalf of His Excellency the Life President, Ngwazi Dr H. Kamuzu Banda, of the Republic of Malawi, who is his own Minister of Agriculture. This is an honour I do not take for granted. I am very grateful to His Excellency the Life President, Ngwazi Dr H Kamuzu Banda, for according me this great honour and privilege.
Mr Chairman on behalf of the Malawi Delegation, and indeed on my own behalf, accept my warmest congratulations on your election as Chairman of the 25th Session of the Conference of FAO. I also wish to extend sincere congratulations to the other members of the Bureau on their election. Your election to this high office is a reflection of the confidence and admiration that the members of this Conference have for the Australian people in general, and an acknowledgement of your own personal qualities, skills and experience, which I am confident will enable you to guide the proceedings of this Conference to a meaningful, constructive and fruitful conclusion. To this end I would like to associate myself with those distinguished delegations that have spoken before me in assuring you of my Delegation's full cooperation and support.
I wish also to express my Delegation's heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the Director-General, Dr Edouard Saouma, for the gracious statement which he was pleased to deliver to this Conference, which in many ways will help in guiding this Conference to reach consensus on many issues. I would be failing in my duty if I do not compliment the efforts of the entire Secretariat for the tremendous effort they are putting into FAO's activities.
I would like to dwell now on the situation of food and agriculture in Malawi. Malawi's economy is based on agriculture as there are no minerals worth talking about, except for the good rich soil.
In 1964, Malawi became independent on a poor economic base and through the leadership of His Excellency the Life President, Ngwazi Dr H. Kamuzu Banda, immediately realized that survival of the Independent State of Malawi was dependent on a sound agricultural policy. Against this background Malawi,
through the pragmatic leadership of the Life President, has established an agricultural and economic policy which is embodied in the words of His Excellency the Life President, and I quote "Malawi should be self-sufficient in food and have surplus for sale and expand cash crop production for cash and export"• He has further said on many occasions that "whatever his people may not have, three things they must have, namely, they must have enough food, they must have good clothes and must live in houses that do not leak when it is raining".
To ensure that this policy is translated into reality, His Excellency the Life President became his own Minister of Agriculture in order to personally monitor and guide effective implementation of agricultural programmes. The people have listened to His Excellency's appeal for hard work in the field which has resulted in significant progress being made in agriculture and the attainment of self-sufficiency in food.
Food production in Malawi is mainly the activity of smallholder farmers both male and female. The Government of Malawi provides services in both agricultural research and agricultural extension. Provision of farm inputs both on cash and credit, as well as an established marketing system, are some of the incentives that are aimed at stimulating production in the Smallholder Sub-sector, which also participates in the cash crop production, particulary tobacco, tea, cotton and coffee.
The Estate Sub-sector continues to concentrate on the production of cash crops, mainly maize.
Recently the agricultural sector has suffered from the negative effects of subsidy removal programmes. Malawi is a land-locked country operating in a high-cost environment because of the long overland road transport costs. Removal of subsidy has meant more costs of production, which have not been matched by corresponding increases in produce prices, the net effect being reduced incomes. This is in itself mitigating against progress and if not checked could perpetuate hunger, malnutrition and poverty.
I wish to highlight some of the projects that are being implemented in Malawi with funding from both bilateral and multilateral donors. Indeed these projects are playing an important role in agricultural development. Malawi is grateful to all these donors and wishes to use this opportunity to solicit for more aid. The FAO Technical Cooperation Programme deserves a mention here, not that it is the only important one, but because we are discussing the role of FAO. The Fertilizer Programme which started this year needs to be continued if it is to achieve any meaningful results. The other projects in Forestry, Fisheries and Agriculture require strengthening, with more technical assistance and other resources.
Let me now turn to the items on the Agenda. Regarding sustainable agriculture and environmental protection, I wish to report on the observance of World Food Day which coincided with the Silver Jubilee of Malawi's Independence. The theme this year was "Food and Environment". As Malawi observed World Food Day this year, she looked back at 25 years of Independence, and was reminded of the need for environmental protection in order to sustain and increase food production to feed the ever increasing population.
Furthermore, Malawi was privileged this year to host the 8th Session of the Africa Forestry Commission at which the Africa Forest Action Plan was adopted. Malawi has endeavoured to address deforestation problems, as is evidenced by the establishment of the National Tree Planting Day by His Excellency the Life President, Ngwazi Dr H. Kamuzu Banda. Every year the 21st of December is a public holiday when the public is made more aware of the importance of trees in the environment. It is a day when members of the public and all leaders are encouraged to plant at least a tree, and the same is done in schools and other relevant institutions.
In the case of fisheries, Malawi suspends fishing in the main breeding season in order to prevent depletion of her fish resources.
Development projects in pursuit of short-term gains that ignore environmental consequences are self defeating as they do not solve any problems but rather postpone them to later periods when the damage so caused is not easily repairable. My Delegation welcomes the inclusion of this item on the Agenda and looks forward to the outcome of the discussions.
The Malawi Delegation supports the Programme of Work and Budget for the biennium 1990-91, especially the Technical Cooperation Programme aimed at improving the smallholders' agricultural production. The provision of technical assistance in research, technology transfer, farm mechanization, and enhancing farm input supplies, produce marketing, human resource development, farmer training, women's participation, resource conservation, etc., is a prerequisite for any sound and meaningful agricultural development. Looking at Malawi's request in the pipeline I would have liked to have seen more resources in TCP, but mindful of the resource constraints I look forward to the future with hope and content with the present level.
Regarding the Report of the 57th Session of the Committee on Commodity Problems, the Malawi Delegation endorses the recommendations and commends them for the favourable consideration of the Conference. Of concern to the Malawi Delegation is the economic significance of tobacco. Tobacco is a major export crop for Malawi, accounts for more than 60 percent of foreign exchange earnings, and is a source of income and employment for a large number of people. Malawi is aware of, and has contributed to, the debate on "tobacco or health" at the World Health Organization and has indicated its concern on the economic significance of tobacco.
Malawi has also worked with experts, including some from the Food and Agriculture Organization, on crop diversification in order to explore the feasibility of reducing dependence on tobacco. In the face of local realities this process is a slow one and will need more time and assistance to develop, consequently tobacco will for the foreseeable future remain the main export crop.
Malawi as a founder member of the International Tobacco Growers' Association (ITGA) welcomes the recommendations made by the relationship between the ITGA and FAO, as contained in document CL 96/6, namely that the informal cooperation between FAO and the Association should continue.
Regarding the Review of Certain Aspects of FAO's Goals and Operations, the view of the Malawi Delegation is that reviews provide an excellent opportunity to evaluate achievements against set goals and objectives, and to determine a future course of action. Reviews are not an end in themselves, but are on-going processes which are carried out as and when necessity demands. My Delegation commends the Programme and Finance
Committees and the Director-General and the Secretariat for their contribution to the Review, whose report is before us. Both the report of the Programme and Finance Committees and the views and comments of the Director-General contain aspects which warrant immediate attention and implementation. In discussing the Review sight should not be lost of the urgent need to address the issues of hunger, malnutrition and poverty.
The inclusion of the "International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides", and introduction of the "Prior Informed Consent" clause, is of relevance to Malawi. My Delegation wishes to express its appreciation to the FAO Secretariat, and the Government Consultative Group, for the considerable amount of work which led to the principal Prior Informed Consent (PIC) in the International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides. The need for minimizing the negative effects of pesticide usage is imperative for any sustainable agricultural production. It is the view of my Delegation, that FAO can, and should, play an important role in this respect through Technical Cooperation Programmes. Research in Biological Control should be given high priority. This will, apart from reducing environmental hazards and human suffering, also save the much needed foreign exchange in the long-term. Extensive efforts in proper handling and usage of pesticides need to be intensified, especially for smallholder farmers. The Prior Informed Consent clause will ensure that importing countries become aware of the possible negative effects of the pesticides, so that measures are taken in their proper usage and handling.
With regard to the integration of women in agriculture and rural development, Malawi has made tremendous progress. Right from the time of independence, Malawi recognized the important role that women play in development. In this respect His Excellency the Life President, Ngwazi Dr H. Kamuzu Banda, ensured that there existed the league of Malawi Women in the Malawi Congress Party, a political party which won Independence for Malawi and plays a major role in determining the direction and course of action in the development of Malawi. Four years ago a women's organization called Chitukuku Cha a Mai M'Malawi was established, and is contributing greatly to development in the field of health, social welfare and agriculture. In recognition of the vital role that women play in agricultural development, the Ministry of Agriculture established a Women's Programme Section, to cater for the needs of women in agricultural training, credit and input supplies and marketing.
Studies have revealed that about 69 percent of farm labour is provided by women who, unfortunately, have the least access to resources and knowledge. In order to ensure that the involvement of women in all spheres of development is properly coordinated the National Commission for Women in Development was established. The Malawi Delegation looks forward to sharing experiences with other Member Nations.
In concluding allow me to express gratitude and appreciation to FAO and the Director-General for establishing an FAO Resident Mission in Malawi. The presence of the Resident Mission has facilitated speedy processing and implementation of TCP and other FAO executed projects financed by other multilateral and bilateral donors. This gesture has further cemented the relationship between Malawi and FAO.
Finally, my Delegation wishes to register appreciation and gratitude for the food aid being received from both multilateral and bilateral donors through the World Food Programme and the direct WFP food aid which is helping Malawi cope with the food needs for the large number of refugees including displaced persons. The food for work programme is seriously being pursued.
E. YOUKEL (UNDP): As the last speaker of the day and at this late hour, I will do my best to put all my notes together and present them to you in the most telegraphic manner. No matter how hard I try, however, the FAO/UNDP cooperation is such that even a telegraphic message will take a few minutes. Mr Chairman, as all the preceeding speakers have done, and on behalf of UNDP's Administrator, Mr William H. Draper III, I wish to congratulate you upon your election and wish you a successful conclusion of the Conference.
The frequent consultations which have taken place during the past two years between senior staff of FAO and UNDP, both at headquarters and at the field level, amply demonstrate the prevailing trend to further strengthen the ties which have been developed, for four decades now, between the two organizations. Apart from regular ACC, CCSQ (OPS) and IACM meetings, important and fruitful consultations have taken place between the regional bureaux of UNDP and the corresponding departments of FAO. There is no case when a UNDP Resident Representative, while visiting Europe for one or another reason, has not passed through FAO in order to discuss ongoing or pipeline country projects, as well as other issues related to the enhancement of UNDP/FAO cooperation at the field level. In this context, I am pleased to inform the Conference that the European Office of UNDP in Geneva, where I serve, facilitates the visits of UNDP Resident Representatives to the executing agencies and subsequently follows up on all matters discussed, on their behalf.
Another important consultation procedure, initiated by the Administrator of UNDP, is that all important UNDP documents for the Governing Council are initially sent to the agencies - in a draft form - for perusal and comments. In this regard, we, in UNDP, have greatly benefitted from FAO's comments as FAO has been one of the most responsive and active participants in this process. These extensive consultations also favourably match the recommendations of the expert group (on FAO's objectives, role, priorities and strategy) and the joint programme and Finance Committee's recommendations.
I should like to deal with two issues which are of equal concern to UNDP and FAO and of importance to this Conference: one is the review of field programmes 1988-1989 and the other relates to recent developments in the UN system of interest to FAO. The latter, you may recall, and as decided by the 24th session of the Conference, is to be a standing agenda item for the governing bodies of FAO, given its importance and implication for the whole UN system.
On the first issue, UNDP commends the Director-General of FAO, Mr Saouma, and his able staff, for the preparation, once again, of and excellent analytical and very comprehensive document (C89/4) on the field programmes for the period under review (1988-1989). We note that the overall volume of field activities during the biennium reached a record high level in current terms with total expenditures in 1988 of US$ 342 million and an estimated US$ 363 million in 1989. The main factor underlying the increase in expenditures of around 9%, as stated in the document, is the sharp rise in
delivery under UNDP-funded programmes, which accounts for nearly half of the total field programme expenditures during the biennium. Based on a continuing high level of FAO/UNDP project approvals, we fully concur with the statement that "prospects for the next few years are reasonably encouraging". I should like to inform you that the figure of approvals shown in the computer printout of last month reached the impressive level of US$ 232 million. We are very pleased to note that 48% of the total expenditures went to Africa, to which FAO and UNDP attach a high priority. We also appreciate the fact that crop production accounted for the largest share of field programme delivery (25%), while there was a notable rise in expenditures for planning and policy analysis projects (from 6 to 10% of total expenditures). This trend is fully in line with the evolving needs in the developing countries and the priorities their governments attach to these sectors. FAO's considerable efforts to replace internationally-recruited project directors and staff with nationals are indeed commendable. We also commend the efforts of FAO in applying a government project execution modality, thus further advancing towards the ultimate goal of self-reliance of the developing countries. In this respect, we have taken note of the suggestions contained in the relevant paragraphs (under sub-title "Towards Full Government Execution) in chapter four of document C89/4.
We studied with great interest chapter two of document C89/4, devoted to assessment of field projects. Our particular interest in this subject stems from the very mandate of my organization and the accountability of its Administrator to the Governing Council of UNDP regarding the quality of the projects funded by our organization and executed by the respective specialized agencies. We commend the staff of the FAO Evaluation Service for the important work accomplished during the biennium under review. We note with satisfaction that the introduction of revised and improved procedures by both FAO and UNDP contributed to strengthening the FAO project evaluation work and improving its quality. We are also pleased to read, in chapter two of the document, about, and I quote, "the productive liaison between FAO and UNDP in reviewing problems and difficulties encountered in the planning and implementation of that major programme". We fully agree with FAO that the intensive high-level reviews of the entire UNDP/FAO programme undertaken during the biennium on a global and regional basis, involving the senior management staff of both organizations, greatly contributed to this process. We stand ready to continue and further expand as well as intensify this close partnership and collaboration. We are also pleased to note the manner in which items such as agricultural investment, TCDC and women in development are treated in the document, these being also of high priority to UNDP.
In summary, at this juncture, I should like to bring the following to the attention of the Conference:
1. contacts with FAO have been improving, in terms of frequency, quality and the constructive nature of the dialogue;
2. UNDP funds going to agriculture, fisheries and forestry are again increasing, since 1987, as pointed out earlier in my statement;
3. areas which we feel UNDP can increasingly participate in, together with FAO, are: rural development, nutrition, joint UNDP/FAO country specifics, high quality sector studies and issue-focussed seminars (irrigation, extension work and sustainable institutional development). We look forward for further suggestions from FAO on these issues;
4. within WCARRD follow-up, we are working closely with FAO on the macro-economic policy impact on rural poverty and we should like to further extend our cooperation in this area;
5. we are pleased with the cooperation of the FAO Investment Centre with UNCDF. Also in this context, we note that UNCDF investments in the agriculture and rural development sectors are increasingly channelled through FAO, as indicated in the Conference documentation.
The other important issue I would like to refer to now concerns the "recent developments in the UN systems of interest to FAO". Regarding developments in the UN system (document C89/9) and particularly on "The role of UNDP in the 1990s", the Governing Council of UNDP, after its high-level segment debate and long and intensive negotiations, preceded by extensive consultations at various levels that were conducted during a full year and in which FAO actively participated, took a decision which envisaged emphasis on accelerated growth with human development, sustainability and greater self-reliance. I am stressing this because these are issues of main and common concern to both organizations. All forecasts show that, by the year 2000, human development will acquire even greater magnitude and importance, as competitiveness, productivity, skilled staff, knowledge-based employment and management capacity become the key factors of economic development. The largest part of the world's output will be ensured not only through additions of capital, but by improvements in people's individual capacities. Thus, this is a broad scope for cooperative action for two organizations -partners as they are in assisting developing countries in human development. It is in this context that UNDP will produce its first annual report on human development next year. The report will analyse the state of the human condition. We are already participating in a series of country exercises to identify concrete policies and programmes for implementing realistic, durable goals over the next decade. In addition, UNDP will be supporting considerable research, data collection and technical assistance in the field of human development. These efforts will be carried out in full collaboration with the specialized agencies of the UN system. FAO's keen interest in this initiative, and its readiness to contribute to this report, is highly valued by the Administrator.
Our determination to place human resources development at the centre of UNDP's activities was amply demonstrated in the Administrator's speech to the 2nd Committee of the General Assemply delivered on 3 November last.
Another major challenge in the next decade concerns ecological security. There is a heightened concern that development strategies must not destroy tomorrow's natural resources in the struggle for better living standards today. We in UNDP are conscious of our obligations to assist the developing countries in the environmental field. We are already supporting more than 400 projects targetted directly towards sustainable development at a total cost of around $ 300 million. An excellent example of cooperation between FAO, UNDP and the World Bank is the Tropical Forestry Action Plan, which has received unanimous support from all concerned.
As you know last June, our Governing Council discussed "The Role of UNDP in the 1990s" and reaffirmed our basic mandate to build national development capacities. We are fostering the premise that donor-driven technical cooperation must give way to truly recipient-led planning and programming. As part of this process, UNDP has staged NATCAPs in 18 African countries to help them manage their technical cooperation more effectively. We continue to do more in this area and we support FAO's desire to enhance its participation in this process. The Council endorsed UNDP's central funding and central coordinating roles and confirmed that UNDP should serve all developing nations - and also in that process maintain its neutrality.
Another development with equally important bearing on the future relationship between UNDP and FAO is the study entrusted by the Governing Council to an independent Expert Group on the tripartite relationship and the successor arrangements to support costs. UNDP commends the active participation of the FAO Secretariat in the extensive consultation process which started as early as April this year. The Expert Group is expected to submit its report by the first week of December to the Administrator, who will circulate it to all concerned.
We have also noted the references in the document before you on issues discussed at the July 1989 session of the ECOSOC, and now on the agenda of the 2nd Committee of the General Assembly, namely, the "Triennial Policy Review of Operational Activities of the UN system". Appropriately, the issues covered range from mobilizing additional resources to improving programming; from simplifying procedures to providing technical advice; from rationalizing country-level structures to re-examining the Resident Coordinator system, and from decentralization to alternative methods of governance. On this issue, our Administrator spoke to the 2nd Committee on the 3rd of November and indicated UNDP will work closely with the Director-General's office on the actions that must follow. We thus look forward to the Committee's guidance in this area.
I would like to refer to another important subject, Mr Chairman. In relates to the Standard Basic Agreement, recently sent by UNDP's former Associate Administrator, Mr Brown, to Mr Saouma. We attach particular importance to the early conclusion of this agreement, in view of the fact that FAO remains our major partner in the execution of programmes in the field. We understand that the representatives of agencies met in Geneva some two weeks ago on this subject and we hope that this Agreement will soon be concluded, as strongly recommended by our Governing Council, thus further facilitating and enhancing our working relationship.
Finally, Mr Chairman, I would like to turn your attention for a moment to the immediate future. As you may be aware, 1992 marks the beginning of the fifth UNDP Programming Cycle. The Governing Council will therefore be called upon, at its next June session - significantly coinciding with the 40th anniversary of UNDP - to take important decisions with regard to the allocation of resources for that cycle. Preparatory work is already well underway in UNDP and a series of consultations have already been held with Member States. Simultaneously, the executing agencies, are expected to initiate preparatory programming work, in their respective sectors of competence, at country and regional levels. I hope that FAO Country Representatives, in close cooperation with the UNDP Resident Representatives' offices, will make every possible effort to ensure that recipient governments attribute appropriate priority to agricultural
development projects in country and regional programmes for the next cycle. I am sharing this concern with the distinguished delegates of the Conference who may wish to follow up on this matter, as appropriate, upon their return to their home countries.
Let me conclude, Mr Chairman, by reiterating UNDP's readiness to further strengthen the existing cooperation between UNDP and FAo for the benefit of the developing countries we serve.
Yves BERTHELOT (CNUCED): Permettez-moi tout d'abord de remercier le Directeur général de la FAO pour avoir invité la CNUCED à participer à cette session du Conseil. Cette session est particulièrement importante pour mon organisation puisqu'elle a lieu à un moment où celle-ci est engagée dans deux activités intéressant directement la FAO.
La première est le soutien au groupe d'experts que le Secrétaire général des Nations Unies a créé sur les problèmes des matières premières en Afrique et la seconde est la préparation de la deuxième Conférence des Nations Unies sur les pays les moins avancés, qui se tiendra à Paris en 1990.
Sur la première, je dirai simplement que le rapport sera remis au Secrétaire général en février et que les recommandations s'adresseront à la fois aux gouvernements africains pour qu'ils prennent des mesures pour améliorer la productivité et la participation des ressortissants africains dans la commercialisation des matières premières, et à la Communauté internationale pour qu'elle apporte son soutien aux objectifs que je viens de mentionner et qu'elle supprime les obstacles à l'accès aux marchés. En outre la nécessité de la coopération entre producteurs sera soulignée. Je pense que ce qui se passe sur le café et la cacao est suffisamment clair. Je veux remercier la FAO pour le concours très précieux qu'elle a apporté au groupe jusqu'à présent.
Je m'exprimerai un peu plus longuement sur la Conférence de 1990.
Le groupe des pays les moins avancés comprend 42 pays qui comptent parmi les plus pauvres de la planète et qui, outre leur pauvreté, ont des économies particulièrement faibles et fragiles. Celles-ci sont caractérisées par leur faible intégration, le bas niveau de la productivité agricole, une industrie quasi inexistante et des ressources humaines mal préparées au changement économique par une éducation insuffisante, des incitations inadéquates et des services sociaux modestes. Enfin, l'étroitesse du secteur des exportations, particulièrement dépendantes des matières premières dont la demande est relativement inélastique, limite leur aptitude à acquérir les devises nécessaires et à saisir les occasions offertes sur le marché international. Tel ou tel de ces caractères se retrouve dans nombre d'autres pays en développement mais dans les PMA ils sont tous présents simultanément et plus aigus. Cela réduit leur aptitude à réagir aux désastres naturels ou aux chocs extérieurs et même à bénéficier des avantages que la coopération internationale offre à l'ensemble des pays en développement.
Une action spécifique est donc nécessaire. Cela fut reconnu en 1981 quand fut adopté le Nouveau programme spécial d'action pour les pays les moins avancés et cela demeure vrai aujourd'hui.
Le Nouveau programme spécial d'action n'a pas été un succès puisque la situation relative des PMA s'est détériorée et puisque les engagements pris n'ont pas été tenus. Je ne donnerai pas de détails pour gagner du temps, mais je dirai qu'après étude des faits nous sommes convaincus que ces
désastreuses performances sont dues à la conjonction de politiques nationales inefficaces et trop peu ambitieuses d'une part et d'autre part au fait que le soutien international a été insuffisant et inadapté. En outre les procédures de suivi, très inégales au niveau national et trop lâches au niveau global, n'ont permis ni les adaptations aux changements de l'environnement international, ni la mobilisation des volontés politiques nécessaires à l'action et à la coopération.
Cela dit, nous ne pensons pas qu'il y ait là matière à désespérer, au contraire et pour deux raisons: tout d'abord, les causes de l'échec ne sont pas la fatalité mais des erreurs humaines qui sont par nature corrigibles. Si l'action des gouvernements et des hommes est à la source des mauvais résultats, elle peut être la cause de succès futurs.
Justement, et c'est ma deuxième raison d'espérer, quelques-uns des pays les moins avancés ont réussi à accroître leur revenu par tête dans des circonstances également difficiles quand se sont trouvées réunies des politiques nationales courageuses, auxquelles a effectivement répondu un soutien international rapide et suffisant.
Dans le cas de l'agriculture, je voudrais constater que depuis 1980 la production agricole n'a crû que de 1,7 pour cent en moyenne dans les PMA alors que l'objectif était de 4 pour cent et, je le rappelle, que la population a crû de 2,6 pour cent par an dans ces mêmes pays. Il s'ensuit que l'objectif d'autosuffisance alimentaire est devenu illusoire et, plus grave, que la sécurité alimentaire a été compromise.
Des pénuries ont obligé à recourir à l'aide alimentaire dans tous les PMA, sauf quatre, comme le signale votre Organisation. Et, malgré l'aide alimentaire, la malnutrition s'est étendue. Selon le FIDA, le contenu en calories de la diète dans les PMA qui était de 9 pour cent en dessous de celui de la moyenne des pays en développement est aujourd'hui de 11 pour cent inférieur.
De plus, durant cette décennie, le cercle vicieux qui lie la pauvreté, la fragilité de l'agriculture et la dégradation de l'environnement est devenu évident et préoccupant.
Pourtant, les gouvernements des PMA ne sont pas restés inactifs et, dans de nombreux cas, des réformes d'envergure ont été entreprises pour améliorer la situation. Les résultats de ces réformes, pourtant, ont été très inégaux selon les pays. Souvent, lorsque l'amélioration des pays a entraîné un accroissement de la production, d'autres problèmes sont apparus: distorsion des structures de prix entraînant surplus ici et déficit là; saturation des moments de stockage, des moyens de transport, aggravant parfois les différences entre régions d'un même pays; sans parler de calamités naturelles qui ont parfois annulé les efforts entrepris.
Enfin, les PMA se sont trouvés confrontés à l'instabilité et à la baisse des prix des matières premières agricoles qu'ils avaient développées et pour lesquelles prévalaient des situations de surproduction. Toute politique dans le futur devra bien entendu être adaptée et mise à la mesure de chacun des pays. Mais il est très vraisemblable qu'elle devra s'appuyer sur trois grands principes.
Tout d'abord, la modernisation de l'agriculture nécessitera un ensemble cohérent et intégré de mesures portant sur la propriété des sols, les prix, les intrants, le stockage, la transformation, le transport, les communications et l'information; toutes les composantes de cet ensemble sont également importantes. Concentrer les efforts sur l'une en oubliant les autres n'aboutirait pas à des résultats satisfaisants.
Ensuite, l'impact des efforts faits dans les secteurs agricoles sur l'économie dans son ensemble dépendra de la possibilité d'établir des liens en amont et en aval avec les autres secteurs d'activité.
Enfin, il faudra judicieusement doser, et de façon différente selon les pays, l'emploi de mécanismes de marché et les interventions publiques. Pour conclure, il est clair que des recommandations devront être faites à la Conférence de Paris en 1990 dans le secteur agricole. Ces recommandations devront s'adresser aussi bien à chacun des PMA qu'à la communauté des donneurs. Nous sommes confiants - et c'était l'objet de ma venue ici - que la FAO poursuivra sa réflexion sur le sujet; nous attendons d'elle de nouvelles contributions au processus de préparation de cette Conférence qui s'ajouteront aux très importantes et utiles contributions qu'elle a déjà apportées dans ce but.
Je vous remercie.
LE SECRETAIRE GENERAL: Je voudrais rappeler aux délégations que lundi 20 novembre à midi est la date limite pour la présentation des candidatures aux élections des membres du Conseil et aux élections des membres du Comité du programme et du Comité financier. Des formulaires de proposition des candidatures sont joints respectivement au document C 89/LIM/22 pour l'élection des membres du Conseil, et au document CL 97/2 pour l'élection des membres des comités du programme et financier.
Assefa YILALA (Ethiopia): Mr Chairman, Honourable Ministers and Distinguished Delegates, Mr Director-General, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is an honour and privilege for me, to submit the statement of my Minister, Comrade Dr Geremew Debele, member of the Central Committee of WPE and Minister of Agriculture of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, to the 25th Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. Because of urgent and pressing national commitments, Comrade Dr Geremew Debele was not able to attend this important Conference and I am instructed by him through Commissioner Yoseph Wolde Michael (ONCCP), to kindly request you, Mr Chairman and through you, to the Conference, to convey his best wishes for the success of this important Conference. With your kind indulgence, Mr Chairman, I will henceforth submit Comrade Dr Geremew Debele's statement.
The Minister's statement is as follows: On behalf of the Government of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, I am pleased and honoured in extending my sincere congratulations to you on your election as chairman of the 25th Session of the FAO Conference. Because of your able leadership, I am confident that you will bring the deliberations of this Conference to a successful and meaningful conclusion.
May I also extend my heartfelt appreciations to the people and Government of the Republic of Italy, for hosting this Conference and making our tour of duty pleasant and memorable.
Mr Chairman, it is to be recognized that all countries' goals are to feed their people, eliminate poverty and destitution. However, the achievement of these goals are becoming increasingly difficult in the developing world. Agriculture which directly provides livelihood to more than half of the world's population has not been able to contribute its share because of reasons emerging from national and international circumstances. While national situations, which among other factors include low level of technology, degradation of the environment, changes of weather conditions and inadequacy in the use of inputs are being tackled in as much as resources permit; those emerging from the international situation particularly as related to commodity trade has become a major obstacle.
Agriculture's importance could be extended to a stage of causing balance or imbalance in the overall economic development, and hence its effect on the global peace is an equally important concern of the international community.
The delegation of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, fully shares the view that challenges of the international community in the broader areas of agriculture, forestry and fisheries fall within the mandates of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and consider that the Minister of Agriculture and delegations of Member Nations who are attending this Conference as the proper bodies to which all issues relating to agriculture, forestry and fishery could be addressed. As the related issues are varied and complex, and most of these have been addressed in the multitudes of sessions over the last 45 years, I am obliged to limit my address to some issues which are tabled for the considerations of the Conference. At the outset I like to indicate my recognition of the fact that the constitution which was adopted 45 years ago equally responds to the present needs of food and agriculture.
Mr Chairman, at this juncture, I would consider it to be my obligation to report to this august body about the state of food and agriculture in the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Agriculture is the pillar of the Ethiopian economy accounting for about 48% of the GDP. 90% of exports, and 85% of employment. Because of this dominant role, the Government has accorded top priority to it in the overall development strategy.
The reflections of this could be evidenced in the National Ten-year Perspective Plan. The first five-year plan prepared in 2 years and 3 years has been implemented, and agriculture has not performed as planned. There are many causes for this but the main ones are frequent drought, inavailabilities of inputs and technological backwardness. The second phase of this long-term perspective plan will be launched in due time.
The priority goals of the successor five-year plan are generally going to be the same with the long-term plan, which include attainment of food self-sufficiency, alleviation of unemployment, improving the balance of payments, conservation of natural resources and protection of the environment. The medium-term plan also places importance on an integrated approach to rural development, with emphasis for the need of inter-sectoral integration at national, regional and local levels.
As a result of the above considerations the objective of the next Medium-term Five-year Plan would sharply focus on high potential crop-producing areas. The Government has identified three areas of concentration to achieve these goals. Accordingly the implementation of the second phase of the ten-year Perspective Plan is focusing on three agro-ecological zones namely: the high potential crop-producing areas (148);
the high potential perennial crop-producing areas (34); the low potential crop-producing areas (90). The development strategy involves full participation of the local population and incorporates a conservation-based development approach at the grassroots level.
Farmers in these potential crop and perennial crop production areas, through their respective service-cooperatives receive priority allocations of inputs like fertilizers, improved-seeds, chemical, credit, extension-services, farm-tools and implements. In addition to these services, rural infrastructure constructions like roads, stores and silos are considered along the same lines with the objectives of improving marketing conditions, reducing post-harvest losses and improving input delivery.
Mr Chairman, currently, only 7% and 2% of the farming population respectvely use fertilizers and improved seeds. Post-harvest grain losses have been estimated at about 600 000 metric tons or 10% of the annual production. The loss in the field attributed to post-harvest damage is estimated at about 20%.
We do realize that increases in the use of fertilizers, improved seeds, more efficient and equipped plant protection services for controlling crop pests and reducing post-harvest losses would make significant changes in the availabilities of food at national level. However, financial resources constraints has inhibited the exploitation of existing resources; as a result, this situation has forced us to focus on high producing areas rather than distributions of inputs at a national level.
Mr Chairman, the forest of Ethiopia is shrinking at an alarming rate, from an estimated 16% of the total area in the early 1950s, to the current estimate of less than 5%. Presently it continues to decrease at a rate of 200 000 hectares annually, the major demand being requirements for fuelwood which takes about 80% of the annual production.
The unsustainable use of forest product is a question of survival rather than a preference, emerging from the low standards of living and lack of sufficient number of alternatives. Annual demand exceeds total wood production by around 15 million cubic meters. The rapid depletion of forest and the growing scarcity of fuelwood has negative effects on the Economy and Environment.
In an effort to avert this negative situation the Government has launched intensive forestation programmes. Presently some 350 000 hectares or 6% of the erosion-susceptible crop lands have been bunded and 150 000 hectares forested. Efforts are also being made to introduce and expand use of improved stoves, biogas and solar photovoltic technologies in rural areas with a view of alleviating the fuelwood crisis. Here is one of the areas where the need has been identified and international cooperation will have a fast impact on the implementation of these plans towards achieving a sustainable development.
The country is also endowed with a large potential of fish resources both in coastal and inland waters. With regard to inland fisheries the present catch is estimated at about 10% from the potential annual catch of 33 000 mt. The major obstacle to the development of fishery resources is primarily the lack of a marketing network which requires large-scale investment for setting up infrastructures such as roads, transportation, storage facilities, etc.
Mr Chairman, the frequent drought in the 1970s and 1980s that afflicted Ethiopia has led to large-scale food imports. Although far from being a passing phenomenon, the drought was only one of the several elements of a long-term decline in the country's capacity to attain self-sufficiency in food production, other major contributing factors include population growth, poverty, technological backwardness and poor infrastructures. In the fight against the root causes of poverty the country has made major progress in the areas of agrarian reform, abolition of feudal systems, eradication of illiteracy, etc.
Mr Chairman, there is a growing awareness that a comprehensive development policy which accords top priority to agriculture is essential for improving the performance of our economic development. Rightly enough, policy reform is currently receiving increased attention by governments, and we have come to witness that a favourable policy in itself will not bring the desired changes. If meaningful achievements are to be scored, we believe that policy reforms will have to be supplemented by resources that assist in the development of human resources, transfer of technology, rural infrastructures and development of research capabilities. People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has recently introduced policy measures that are believed to stimulate and accelerate our development efforts. It is our firm conviction that these measures will ultimately lead towards greater investments both from within and outside the country.
It is to be noted that 90% of Ethiopia's export earnings comes from agriculture, and the major share of this earning is derived from coffee. Because of the present depressed environment of coffee commodity trade and the suspension of the international coffee agreement, the country's export earnings are being affected drastically. This will mean that Ethiopia's capabilities to finance investments and imports will be constrained by both the low level of aid inflows and insufficient growth of exports. If the prevalence of this situation continues in the 1990s, it is anticipated that my country will face acute shortages of foreign exchange and will have difficulties in even maintaining its present level of expenditures.
While expressing my sincere gratitude and appreciation for all forms of emergency and development assistance in the past, I would like to use this opportunity to appeal to the international community to raise the availabilities of development assistance through both bilateral and multilateral channels, in order to address the food and agricultural problems that are facing my country presently.
Mr Chairman, within the time that is available I have tried to briefly outline the state of food and agriculture in Ethiopia. In this effort, however, it should be noted that international organizations like the FAO are playing significant roles in providing policy advice, information and technical assistance. These areas of assistance being outlined in the reviews of both the regular programme and field programmes. I would limit my observations to words of sentiments for the Organization. I would however, feel obliged to indicate that the services that Member Nations get from this Organization will depend on the resources availed to it. As was recurred by the Director-General, present contribution levels and the failure to respect contributions that were obligated will curtail the Organization from providing services that are expected by Member Nations, particularly those developing countries like mine. I would, therefore, like to join with those that appealed for fulfillment of these obligations for a better operation.
Having remarked on those general considerations I would now draw the attention of the Conference to some of the items that are tabled for this Session. In doing so I will only concentrate on those issues which will require views of the Member Nations, and leave the technical details for the observations to be made during the discussions of the individual items in the respective commissions of the Conference.
Mr Chairman, during the 24th Conference the Programme and Finance Committees working jointly and assisted by a small number of experts were asked to review FAO's roles, priorities and strategies. During this Conference and in the same resolution, the Director-General was also called upon to submit recommendations resulting from the review, together with his own views, to the 25th Conference. I am pleased to note that the outcome of this exercise is placed before the 25th Conference along with the review of the field programme and the management review which were not specifically called-for in the resolution.
The review before us has proved the vitality and continued importance of FAO. We hope that Member Nations and the international community will continue to meet their obligations as per the requirement, and show good will towards realizing the objectives of the Organization.
The delegation of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, having participated in the review exercise and party to the whole process, would like to reaffirm its support for the recommendations contained. Detailed observations on specific topics will however be aired during the discussions of the item in Commission II.
Mr Chairman, the delegation of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia recognizes that the Programme of Work and Budget for the 1990-91 biennium is a result of intensive discussions that were deliberated during sessions of the various technical committees throughout the present biennium and therefore we are convinced that it deserves our approval. The priority areas and programme elements incorporated in the document have gone through the appropriate screening process and are acceptable to us even though we feel that the proposal falls short of the range of requirements and expectations of member countries. With the understanding that present economic realities of developing countries and availabilities of financial resources from developed countries cannot extend beyond those included in the Programme of Work and Budget, we earnestly feel that the proposal tabled before us deserve a consensus.
Mr Chairman, the incorporation of the "Prior Informed Consent" clause to the Code of Conduct on the Distribution and use of Pesticides was called for by the 24th Conference. Our delegation is pleased to note that issues relating to the incorporation of the "Prior Informed Consent" clause were considered by the working group and the Committee on Agriculture. We therefore indicate our support to the recommendations contained in Document C 89/20 and hope that its implementation will receive urgent attention because of its relationship with human health and protection of the environment.
Mr Chairman, it is to be noted that during the adoption of the International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources, Ethiopia had reservations on the acceptability of the undertaking, particularly as related to Article 2.1. of the document. We have participated in both the working group and also the third session of the Commission on Plant Genetic Resources. We anticipate that the Present Interpretation on the International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources as contained in Document C 89/24 will take care of the
concerns that were expressed by Ethiopia. We therefore will have no reservation towards the resolution that is annexed. Likewise we hope to see the outcome of the work that is started on the Conservation of Animal Genetic Resources in the near future.
Mr Chairman, the Progress Report on the Integration of Women in Development indicates that it will require resources of an extra-budgetary nature and also from the Regular Programme. We hope to see that these requirements are more and more covered from the extra-budgetary resources so as to relieve the financial constraints of the Regular Programme. The programme's contribution to rural development is immense and therefore it has our full support.
Mr Chairman, FAO's support to member countries in the conservation and introduction of environmental factors in its projects and programmes is a very important activity, and its continuation will still remain to be valid. Even though the effort of the Organization and allocation of 3% of its resources to this endeavour could be welcomed, it will be important to note that the requirement is much higher. Additional activities and the continuity of currently implemented programmes will require consideration of additional resources for an effective sustainable development effort.
We therefore would like to indicate that compatible resource allocation will have to be considered for this important area of the environment.
In this connection we would like to indicate the support of the Peoples's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in FAO's involvement in the Preparatory Work of the 1992 UN World Conference on Environment, with the hope that this Conference will create additional momentum towards reaching the expected aspirations on environmental concerns.
In the view of the Ethiopian delegation the proposed International Conference on Nutrition will create additional momentum in alleviating problems related to nutrition and food, and therefore will have no reservation towards its implementation. We also hope that the Special Fund from extra-budgetary resources could be made available for the implementation of this Conference. As this is a matter to be discussed in the Regional Conferences, we plan to make detailed observations in this connection.
Mr Chairman, in this world of interdependence, it is painful and contradictory to note the gap between those that have more than plenty and the dominanting majority engulfed by poverty, which is certainly not a reflection of the global interdependence. I therefore would like to close my remarks with a reminder that the people of the world will have to coordinate their efforts towards promoting development in the area of agriculture and food production for the betterment of human beings and for a better future.
In all these efforts, contributions of the Director-General, the staff, the working groups, the various committees, commissions, and the Council have been filled with devotion and the outcomes of which have become a source of encouragement. We therefore would like to pay our tribute for their respective share of contributions.
Finally, Mr Chairman, while encouraging the Director-General and Secretariat of FAO to pursue further their endeavour of noble objectives, I wish to stress once again that the Government of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia will spare no effort to take up appropriate measures towards improving the food situation and environmental problems. Thank you.
Address delivered by His Holiness during the Papal Audience granted to participants to the 25th Session of the FAO Conference on 16 November.
Discours prononcé par le Saint-Père au cours de l'audience accordée le 16 novembre aux participants à la 25ème Conférence de la FAO.
Dicurso pronunciado por el Santo Padre durante la audiencia concedida el 16 noviembre a los participantes de la 25a Conferencia de la FAO.
Mr President, Mr Director-General, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, as the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization continues to develop as an important point of encounter for the political experiences of all countries, the Holy See has followed attentively the decisions of the more important specialized intergovernmental agencies of the UN. It has been especially pleased to note the work of the General Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization within the specific field of its competence. FAO has sought to play an indispensable role, together with other organizations involved in questions of agriculture and food supply, in safeguarding the basic human right to be fed adequately. This goal requires an effective and continuous effort to guarantee the access of individuals and peoples to sufficient food supplies as part of the greater process of development worldwide.
The complexity of mounting an adequate and effective campaign against hunger and malnutrition is becoming more and more apparent. Today, fifteen years after the World Food Conference of 1974, we have been made aware of the need for a careful and objective consideration of the many factors bearing upon problems of world economic development and social progress. This is particularly evident in light of rapid population increases, especially on certain continents, and a world economy that presents phases of recession and difficulties in implementing domestic economic policies even in highly industrialized countries.
For this reason, it is best to avoid purely global and negative descriptions of the existing situation. Instead, existing observations and assessments, however disappointing they have been hitherto, ought to become a stimulus to new reflection on the possibility and indeed the duty, of concerted action on the part of States and intergovernmental organizations.
This sort of activity must necessarily be gradual and will need to be adjusted to the changing conditions of individual countries and the overall world situation. In effect, what is needed is a real determination not only to define the goal of justice, but also to achieve that goal through an activity grounded in moral solidarity.
If it is operative anywhere, this moral solidarity must be characteristic of the various Member States of FAO. An effective struggle against hunger and malnutrition will depend upon a united course of action undertaken first of all by those organizations and agencies directly involved with issues of food and agriculture. Aside from FAO, these would include IFAD, the World Food Programme and the World Food Council.
The struggle against hunger has ramifications in the area of investment as well. Here too, international monetary or financial organizations, in coordinating loans and payments on the world, regional, local and group level, are called to demonstrate a cooperation born of solidarity. Indeed, it is quite possible that the problem of foreign indebtedness, particularly that of the developing countries, can begin to be confronted through appropriate recourse to such multilateral organizations.
Besides their operational contributions, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank with its affiliated organizations, have also made important suggestions aimed at discerning criteria for readjusting the economy of indebted countries, and for indicating appropriate measures which aim at renewing domestic economic policy in order to foster its real and organic development. These suggestions must be taken into serious account. Finally, it is important to make certain that all foreign aid, not merely financial aid, be the fruit of a solidarity on the part of the wealthy with those who are poorer - a solidarity that employs truly disinterested measures, as opposed to measures that would constitute new forms of domination.
The struggle against hunger involves, in a way that is becoming ever more evident, the requirement that the nations of the entire world be subject to generally recognized and workable norms in the business sector. This is particularly important for the less developed countries, in order to safeguard their ability to export their products, especially agricultural ones. What must be avoided are all those recurring forms of protectionism which end in creating increasing obstacles to trade or, in some cases, actually barring developing countries from access to markets.
In this regard, an evaluation of the patterns of conduct emerging in those businesses developing within GATT is in order. There, for the first time, updated criteria for mutual regulation in commercial relations among States have been established. These criteria have a direct reference to agro-alimentary products and to the possibility of their trade on the world market.
Concern must also be voiced about the deterioration of food security in the present world situation. Indeed, parallel to the notable increase in world population there has been a recent decline on the world level in the availability of foodstuffs. The result has been a reduction of those reserves which constitute a needed guarantee against crises of hunger and malnutrition. Similarly, in the countries where production is high, this has been artificially reduced by a sector-oriented policy, which reflects a closed market calculation. Whatever its domestic value, such a policy is certainly not in harmony with a solidarity open to world needs and acting in favour of those who are most needy.
The protection of the natural environment has become a new and integral aspect of the development issue. When we pay proper attention to its ecological dimension, the struggle against hunger appears even more complex, and calls for the establishment of new bonds of solidarity. Concern for
ecology, seen in connection with the process of development and in particular the requirements of production, demands first of all that in every economic enterprise there be a rational and calculated use of resources. It has become increasingly evident that an indiscriminate use of available natural goods, with harm to the primary sources of energy and resources and to the natural environment in general, entails a serious moral responsibility. Not only the present generations but also future generations are affected by such actions.
Economic activity carries with it the obligation to use the goods of nature reasonably. But it also involves the grave moral obligation both to repair damage already inflicted on nature and to prevent any negative effects which may later arise. A more careful control of possible consequences on the natural environment is required in the wake of industrialization, especially in regard to toxic residue, and in those areas marked by an excessive use of chemicals in agriculture.
The relationship between problems of development and ecology also demands that economic activity project and accept the expenses entailed by environmental protection measures demanded by the community, be it local or global, in which that activity takes place. Such expenses must not be accounted as an incidental surcharge, but rather as an essential element of the actual cost of economic activity. The result will be a more limited profit than was possible in the past, as well as the acknowledgment of new costs deriving from environmental protection. Those costs must be taken into account both in the management of individual businesses and in nationwide programmes of economic and financial policy, which must now be approached in the perspective of regional and world economy.
In the end, we are called to operate beyond narrow national self-interest and a sectorial defense of the prosperity of particular groups and individuals. These new criteria and costs must find their place in the projected budgets of programmes of economic and financial policy for all countries, both the developed and the developing.
Today, there is a rising awareness that the adoption of measures to protect the environment implies a real and necessary solidarity among nations. It is becoming more apparent that an effective solution to the problems raised by the risk of atomic and atmospheric pollution and the deterioration of the general conditions of nature and human life can be provided only on the world level. This in turn entails a recognition of the increasing interdependence which characterizes our age. Indeed, it is increasingly evident that development policies demand a genuine international cooperation, carried out in accord with decisions made jointly and within the context of a universal vision, one which considers the good of the human family in both the present generation and in those to come.
Finally I am pleased to note the very particular attention which FAO has given to the women's issue, as it emerges in agricultural and rural development problems. This attention helps make the transition from those affirmations of the dignity and equality of women contained in the Universal Declarations of the United Nations and in certain regional organizations to the many more specific questions involving women's integration into the overall process of agricultural and food development. It also helps to suggest appropriate applications, not only in the developing countries but also in those that are industrially advanced.
I am particularly pleased that in addition to paying due attention to the strictly economic aspects of women's contribution both to agricultural production and to the commercialization of food products, one also finds explicit reference to women's dignity as human persons as the basis for their just integration not only in the production process but into the life of society as a whole. I find here a clear parallel to my teaching in the Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem. In that letter, I made reference to various dimensions of the Christian vision of the dignity and vocation of woman. It is my conviction that only within a perspective of an affirmation of the dignity of women as human persons can there come about a just consideration of their participation in socio-economic development, rural progress and civil growth.
Finally, I wish to express my appreciation for the treatment of those themes which have been explored by the work of the present General Conference of the FAO. I am pleased that in the preparatory documentation those themes were treated not only with regard to the programme and budget of the comming two-year period, but within the broader perspective of the major problems of the present day. It is my hope the FAO will succeed in making a vital contribution to that international strategy for development which the United Nations Organization has sought to encourage and which men and women of every nation increasingly perceive as an urgent demand of justice and human solidarity in today's world.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen: upon all of you, and upon your work, I cordially invoke God's abundant blessings.
The meeting rose at 17.45 hours
La séance est levée à 17 h 45
Se levanta la sesión a las 17.45 horas
