United Arab Emirates, Madagascar, Jordan, Nigeria, Canada, Mexico, Mauritanie, Mauritius
CHAIRMAN: Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome back to our Plenary this morning. We will start with our first speaker, but before that I have to announce for your information that the Papal Audience, which was scheduled to be at 12 o'clock, will now be at 12.30. We will carry on with the session up to 11 o'clock. This will give us sufficient time to go to the transport line-up to move for the Papal Audience.
I will now begin with the first speaker and I will invite His Excellency Saeed Al Raqabani, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries from the United Arab Emirates.
Saeed AL RAQABANI (United Arab Emirates) (Original language Arabic): In the name of God, the Compassionate and Merciful, may the peace and blessing of God be with you all.
This session is being held at a time in history which is marked by economic cooperation between East and West. There is concern to make sure that human capacities are not used for destructive ends. We trust that the long-term effects of this new atmosphere will be felt in developing countries which at present suffer from the burden of foreign debt, inadequate infrastructures, inadequate mastery of modern technology and the constant threat which is brought to bear on their economic systems. All these problems and even others may be overcome as soon as these countries which are able to do so will have satisfied the requirements of developing countries and also overcome obstacles to their development.
FAO has always done its best to satisfy the increasing requirements of the poorest countries of the world, those which are most seriously affected by various natural disasters such as drought, floods, and the deterioration of natural resources. However, we should remember that the FAO will not be able to continue to carry out its lofty tasks if it does not receive sufficient support from the countries which are able to provide such support.
The United Arab Emirates would like to take this opportunity to reassert the importance of FAO's role inside and outside the United Nations system
- when it comes to dealing with agriculture, food and the environment.
We should stress the great responsibilities shouldered by the Director-General. We should like to thank our brother Edouard Saouma for having satisfied the dearest aims of the international community, as he has in this way established the strategic bases, the methodology and programmes
of FAO; we are sure that the role of FAO in the future will expand under the aegis of a new international order.
As you know already, the first aim established by FAO at the beginning of the 1980s for the concept of food security in terms of production and trade is to guarantee an adequate level of food supplies and to increase production in the deficit regions as a result of the maximum use of their resources. The second aim concerns the trade movements and the need to reduce fluctuations in supply and demand on international markets. The third concerns guaranteeing free access to food, liberalization of foreign trade and the need to make up the shortfall in international trade in agricultural commodities. FAO during the course of these recent years has constantly done its best to achieve these aims and although the results achieved are still lower than what we had hoped for because of certain obstacles beyond the control of the Organization, we very much hope that it will not hesitate to continue along this same path.
The United Arab Emirates on all occasions has given considerable importance to agriculture and fisheries. We have tried to master modern exploitation technologies. At present, statistics show that despite far from favourable climatic and ecological conditions and despite the low rainfall in this area, our country is now in a position to satisfy a large proportion of the increasing demand for food from our population. The Emirates' production covers the whole of our home consumption requirements for white meat, vegetables, milk, eggs and so on. However, some fishery sectors have surpluses which are exported to neighbouring countries. Special attention is given to date palms, the number of which is now 14 million, and considerable efforts are being devoted to reafforestation in our country where the forests now cover 280 000 hectares.
Within the framework of this policy aimed at encouraging agriculture, an International Congress on salt-tolerant plants in arid areas was held at the end of 1990 in the United Arab Emirates under the sponsorship of His Royal Highness in cooperation with international organizations concerned with this subject, especially FAO, with the participation of approximately 130 experts and scientists, various universities and scientific institutions.
The main aim of this meeting was to define modern methods and technologies which would be best suited to overcoming the problems deriving from the factors in our environment such as drought, salinity and water shortage, and to make sure that we make the best possible use of salt-tolerant plants in accordance with methods suited to our environment. This Congress is the first stage in the implementation of the Emir Said's world project for agricultural and ecological research. This at the same time will represent for scientists and researchers throughout the world a think-tank and a laboratory. It will provide them with an opportunity to make sure that their work is known in the course of this decade on the environment and its conservation. This Conference has a very heavy Agenda, and we would like to stress the importance of the subjects included on this Agenda, especially those concerning the international mechanisms which cover various highly specialized areas in the preparation of which FAO has played an important role: the world Food Security Charter, the International Agreement on Plant Genetic Resources and the Code of Conduct for Pesticides. Similarly, we will be called upon to examine FAO's activities on the environment and sustainable development. We are convinced that our planet will not be able to satisfy the food requirements of its inhabitants if the environment has
reduced scope for production. All of this is closely linked, and the role of UNDP and FAO in the preparation of international measures aimed at restoring and preserving national resources throughout the world, which are the very basis of economic progress and food security, is a genuine, decisive one.
The United Arab Emirates are highly appreciative of the efforts engaged in by international organizations concerned with environment, development, the struggle against the desertification, the conservation of forest resources and the biological diversity of the seas and oceans. Mankind as a whole is bound to aim at all forms of development, and we should step up our action and link our efforts. I trust that God will guide your efforts in order to achieve this success.
Claude Rostand ANDREAS (Madagascar): Honorables délégués, Mesdames et Messieurs. C'est un honneur pour moi de prendre la parole ce matin.
M. le Président, la délégation malgache vous adresse ses vives félicitations pour votre élection à la Présidence de cette importante session de la Conférence. Permettez-moi de féliciter aussi les Vice-Présidents et tous ceux qui dirigent les Commissions et Comités de la Conférence.
Sans exagérer, on peut affirmer que la vingt-sixième session de la Conférence se tient à un tournant de l'histoire car des événements auxquels on n'aurait même pas pensé 5 à 10 ans auparavant occupent actuellement l'actualité et la communauté internationale toute entière les encourage, les entretient, contribue à leur réalisation complète; inutile de les énumérer ces événements car nous savons de quoi il s'agit. Leurs retombées sur notre Organisation, donc sur l'avenir de nos pays méritent en revanche toute notre attention et pour certaines justifient notre préoccupation et requièrent de notre part de profondes réflexions.
Le climat de détente internationale ouvre la voie à une réduction généralisée des dépenses militaires, ce qui permettrait, sans pêcher dans un optimisme béat, d'espérer que les économies réalisées pourront servir à améliorer les conditions humaines; les pays industrialisés auront la possibilité enfin pendant la décennie présente de réaliser l'objectif international de consacrer 0,7 pour cent de leur PNB à l'aide au développement; la coopération aussi bien bilatérale que multilatérale en tirera certainement profit.
L'atténuation des conflits idéologiques facilite une meilleure coopération à tous les niveaux surtout au moment où les pays prennent conscience des conséquences planétaires des problèmes écologiques; la FAO a la possibilité de jouer un rôle de premier ordre dans les différentes conférences internationales qui vont traiter des sujets y afférents; ma délégation ne peut qu'appuyer toutes dispositions, toutes mesures qui vont dans le sens du soutien de la participation active et décisive de l'Organisation dans la Conférence des Nations Unies sur l'environnement et le développement et dans la Conférence internationale sur la nutrition.
Un des impacts positifs des événements que j'ai évoqués précédemment est le renforcement de la FAO par l'adhésion de nouveaux Membres; nous aussi, nous sommes très heureux de souhaiter la bienvenue à l'Estonie, la Lettonie, la Lituanie et Porto Rico, et leur adresser nos vives félicitations; nous
sommes convaincus que leurs apports dans tous les domaines renforceront la capacité de l'Organisation à répondre aux nombreuses demandes et sollicitations qu'elle reçoit de nos pays, de ceux qui ont le plus besoin d'aide et d'assistance.
Dans cet ordre d'idée, ma délégation voudrait traiter de l'adhésion de la Communauté économique européenne (CEE) à la FAO. Dès que le Gouvernement malgache était saisi du désir de la CEE d'adhérer à la FAO comme membre, il a profité de toutes les occasions qui lui ont été offertes pour appuyer très chaleureusement ladite candidature et s'est employé pour que ladite adhésion puisse avoir lieu, au cours de la présente Conférence. Ce faisant, le Gouvernement malgache est convaincu que la CEE peut apporter plus à la FAO en qualité de membre que d'observateur. En effet, elle aura des obligations statutaires précises et sa participation aux travaux des organes de l'Organisation sera précieuse pour nos Etats eu égard à sa grande connaissance et à sa grande expérience des problèmes mondiaux de développement. Nous souhaitons naturellement qu'elle puisse apporter beaucoup au budget et ses contributions financières soulager l'Organisation en cette période de crise financière aiguë.
La capacité de l'Organisation de répondre efficacement aux priorités qui ont été définies par ses Organes directeurs, nous tenons, M. le Président, à ce qu'elle soit préservée.
C'est la raison pour laquelle nous déplorons la situation financière critique dans laquelle se débat la FAO depuis 1986; c'est la raison pour laquelle aussi, malgré sa situation économique et financière extrêmement précaire, Madagascar a, au cours de cet exercice, effectué un paiement partiel de ses contributions. Nous lançons un appel à l'endroit de toutes les délégations ayant des arriérés en général et à celle du gros contributeur en particulier pour qu'elles interviennent auprès des autorités compétentes de leur pays pour qu'elles s'acquittent de leurs obligations statutaires. Pour que la FAO puisse également s'acquitter de son mandat, il faut que son principal outil de travail, à savoir le Programme de travail et de budget soit à un niveau convenable, c'est-à-dire, que ledit niveau puisse permettre de réaliser les programmes prioritaires déterminés par les différentes Conférences régionales et les Comités techniques au sein desquels les Etats Membres ont communiqué leurs besoins d'aide et d'assistance.
Le projet actuel qui accuse une croissance zéro par rapport au biennium précédent ne manque pas de nous inquiéter, mais pour favoriser le consensus lors de son adoption, nous lui accordons notre appui.
La délégation malgache n'éprouve aucune difficulté à adopter une attitude positive à l'endroit des priorités proposées aussi bien dans le Plan à moyen terme que dans le Programme de travail et de budget car elles coïncident avec nos propres priorités nationales. Ainsi, à Madagascar, la protection de l'environnement et le développement durable de l'agriculture est régi par une Charte, ce qui démontre, s'il en est encore besoin, que ces questions constituent une préoccupation prioritaire du Gouvernement; d'ailleurs un organe autonome d'exécution de la politique environnementale, l'Office national de l'environnement, a été créé depuis décembre 1990 et se trouve déjà en pleine activité car un programme à long terme portant application des dispositions de la Charte est en cours d'exécution. Si l'on se réfère à la priorité visant le renforcement des institutions nationales et l'appui à accorder aux pays mettant en oeuvre des mesures d'ajustement
sectoriel et structurel, il va de soi que nous accueillons avec ferveur ce programme dans la mesure où cela nous concerne à plus d'un titre; en effet, nous vivons actuellement les répercussions sociales très graves de telles mesures et souhaitons pouvoir y porter remède au plus tôt sans porter préjudice, cela s'entend, à la croissance économique que nous avons enregistrée ces deux dernières années.
Les autres priorités, à savoir: intégration des femmes dans le développement, développement des ressources humaines et coopération technique et économique entre pays en développement sont pour nous des programmes permanents, composantes indispensables de tout programme de développement, la question ne se pose donc même pas de les appuyer ou de ne pas les appuyer, ils sont toujours nécessaires et doivent être traités comme tels.
Toute en assurant de notre appui l'ensemble du Plan, nous voudrions manifester une appréciation particulière à l'endroit du Programme envisagé pour l'Afrique notamment la mise en oeuvre du Programme international pour la conservation et la restauration des terres agricoles africaines, la promotion des associations d'agriculteurs, le renforcement des capacités nationales en matière de statistiques agricoles, d'analyse et de planification, le soutien aux organismes intergouvernementaux régionaux et sous-régionaux de pêche et le développement de l'aquaculture.
En évoquant le Programme international pour la conservation et la restauration des terres agricoles africaines, je ne pourrais m'empêcher de dire quelques mots à propos de la phase II du Programme spécial pour l'Afrique du Fonds international de développement agricole (FIDA) car, pour ma délégation, les institutions spécialisées du système des Nations Unies à Rome oeuvrent de concert pour aider nos pays à relever leurs économies, à relancer leur développement. J'ai nommé le Programme alimentaire mondial, le Fonds international de développement agricole et le Conseil mondial de l'alimentation.
S'agissant du Programme spécial pour l'Afrique, ma délégation souhaite vivement que la phase II connaisse le même succès que la phase I. Appel est donc lancé aux donateurs pour que l'ardeur qui a caractérisé la première phase se répète pour la seconde fois. Le FIDA est plus que jamais à même d'obtenir les performances les meilleures dès lors qu'il possède maintenant l'expérience suffisante et la connaissance requise des problèmes de ceux qui ont le plus besoin de ses services. En coopération étroite avec la FAO, le FIDA pourra pendant la décennie présente obtenir les résultats les meilleurs, nous en sommes convaincus.
A plusieurs occasions, notamment lors des réunions du Comité de l'agriculture, la délégation malgache avait mis en exergue le rôle primordial joué par les petits agriculteurs dans la sécurité alimentaire nationale. A ces occasions, elle avait demandé au Secrétariat d'intensifier son assistance auprès de nos gouvernements pour qu'ils puissent soutenir techniquement et si besoin financièrement les associations d'agriculteurs dans l'aménagement et la mise en valeur des petits bas fonds.
Nous avons également demandé que la FAO se penche tout particulièrement sur la maîtrise des cultures pluviales car l'on sait qu'en Afrique subsaharienne les cultures irriguées ne représentent encore qu'un pourcentage très faible et des possibilités d'extension très limitées.
Telles sont, M. le Président, les idées que nous apportons et les suggestions que nous formulons et voudrions soumettre à l'appréciation de cette auguste assemblée.
Tout au début de mon intervention, j'avais fait allusion à l'importance de cette session qui, avais-je dis, se trouve à un tournant de l'histoire. Elle est appelée, à mon sens, à rester dans les mémoires comme l'une des plus fondamentales qui auront été tenues à notre époque; nous souhaitons vivement qu'elle soit aussi la plus réussie et le prélude d'une coopération dense et féconde entre tous les pays et toutes les régions.
Pour clore mon discours, M. le Président, ma délégation voudrait joindre sa voix à la vôtre et à celle du Directeur général de la FAO lorsqu'au cours de la cérémonie de célébration du 40ème anniversaire du transfert de la FAO à Rome vous avez, au nom de l'Organisation et de ses Etats Membres, adressé au Gouvernement italien nos vifs remerciements pour le soutien précieux et permanent qu'il a accordé à ladite Organisation pendant ces 40 ans.
Je vous remercie.
Hani HADADEIN (Jordan) (Original language Arabic): I should like to congratulate you, Sir, on your election as Chairman of our Conference, and I am fully confident that your extensive knowledge and experience with the issues under discussion and your wise guidance will ensure the success of our deliberations. Allow me also to congratulate the Vice-Chairmen and, on behalf of the Government of Jordan, to congratulate the Republics of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia on their admission as Members of our Organization, as well as Puerto Rico, admitted as Associate Member. There is no doubt that their active participation in FAO Programmes will enhance its potentials and contribute to wider international cooperation in the area of agricultural development.
Mr Chairman, the Jordanian delegation has listened with great interest to the Director-General's address and we have closely followed FAO activities and achievements over the past two years. We wish to place on record our deep gratitude and appreciation to the Director-General for his wise administration of the Organization which has managed despite the acute and persistent financial crisis for which many of our neighbour countries are responsible, has been able to make significant achievements and to meet the urgent needs of Member Nations over the past years.
It is our hope, Mr Chairman, that we will be able during this Session to provide the highest possible level of financial resources to the Organization to enable it to carry out the programmes that we are to approve by consensus.
Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, agricultural development has been at the centre of world attention for many years. Despite the efforts made at the international and national levels most developing countries have not been able to achieve a high degree of self-reliance in food production, and in the upgrading of the manpower engaged in that sector, both of which are essential for the eradication of poverty and malnutrition that continue to afflict many countries.
The Medium-Term Plan contained in document C 91/23 identifies the imbalances in the agricultural centres in the majority of these nations as well as the challenges facing them and which they cannot meet without the effective cooperation of the international community with a view to achieving the aspiration for food security and a decent living for their peoples.
The Near East region suffers from an ever widening food gap posed by the failure to increase food production at a rate equal to that of population growth, plus leading to increased reliance on imports and unsound exploitation of agricultural resources in many countries of the region in an attempt to increase production. Such practices now threaten available agricultural resources either through the destruction of natural grazing lands in semi-arid areas, giving rise to widespread desertification or through soil erosion, depletion of ground water, increased salinity and the removal of the remaining forest resources on slopes to put land thus cleared under cultivation, no matter how meagre their production may be.
Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, Jordan has to face all the challenges I have just mentioned; nevertheless, we are doing our best to overcome difficulties and to achieve higher levels of development by removing the obstacles to agricultural development through an integrated agricultural policy aimed at achieving self-reliance in the farm sector, taking into consideration comparative advantages and agricultural conditions in neighbouring countries as well as at the regional level. Within this context, Jordan has been able to attain self-sufficiency in the production of vegetables and fruits and to export part of its production. This has been facilitated by irrigation schemes carried out by the Government in the Jordan Valley as well as by land reclamation and tree plantation projects in mountain areas with the kind assistance of the World Food Programme and concessionary loans from Arab and Islamic Funds.
In this connection we wish to thank FAO which has agreed to participate in the implementation of two such projects. One for the production of virus-free tree seedlings of fruit trees, and the other for producing non-hybrid vegetable seeds, both in the form of technical assistance under its TCP programme.
Mr Chairman, I should like to thank the Director-General for the prompt measures taken to bring the Regional Office back into operation, within the region. We hope that once it has completed its specialized task the Office will be a great help to the countries in the region in strengthening their technical and planning capacities in the area of agriculture.
I also wish to thank him for implementing the Resolution concerning providing technical assistance to the Palestinian people as described in document C 89/LIM/44 by sending a mission to study and assess the situation of agriculture in the Palestinian occupied territories in the light of the policies and practices applied under occupation, and preparing a report including the technical intervention carried out by FAO as well as holding a seminar on the Palestinian Agricultural Centre.
We hope that the recommendations formulated by that seminar recently held in Rome would be translated into an effective Plan of Action that would help alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people who have been living under the yoke of occupation for more than two decades.
The Director-General has agreed, in principle, to open an FAO country office in Jordan; nevertheless the financial situation of the Organization for the past two years did not make it possible to do so. Since such an office will be of great importance to Jordan as a channel for strengthening and expanding cooperation with the Organization, we hope that FAO's financial situation would make it possible for the Director-General to open such an office very soon.
Mr Chairman, it is our belief that among the programmes that need to be strengthened are those aimed at promoting scientific cooperation between universities and academic institutions on the one hand and ministries and agencies working in the sector on the other. This would cover applied research, technology transfer and development of the national scientific and technological capability in general. In fact, FAO has made pioneering efforts in this respect in recent years, and we hope that such efforts will be further strengthened and expanded as they offer promising possibilities for the mobilization of the efforts of developing countries for the development of agriculture during the next two decades.
Thank you, Mr Chairman. Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Shettima MUSTAFA (Nigeria): It is a great honour for me and members of my delegation to have this opportunity to address the Twenty-sixth Session of the FAO Conference. I wish to congratulate Your Excellency, Sheikh Malik Abdul Majid, the Honourable Minister of Food, Agriculture and Cooperatives of Pakistan, on your election as Chairman of this Session. Similarly, I salute you for the manner in which you have been conducting this meeting since the Conference opened on the 9 of November 1991.
Let me also commend the Director-General, Dr Saouma, for his tremendous efforts in keeping the Organization vibrant and the Bureau for their excellent preparations for this Session. May I, at this juncture, congratulate the Republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for being admitted as full Members, and Puerto Rico for being elected Associate Member of FAO. My country warmly welcomes them.
I wish to express the continued confidence of Nigeria in, and its appreciation to, the FAO for the notable role the Organization is playing in the field of agricultural development in Nigeria. Similarly, the Organization's role in improving the precarious food situation in Africa and elsewhere is equally worthy of note. We understand that FAO accords priority to Africa in its Programme of Work and allocates as high as 40 percent of its programme budget to the region. In addition to this, FAO devotes extra-budgetary resources to special action programmes for Africa. These are, indeed, very commendable efforts.
At this juncture, may I also acknowledge the support and assistance given to the developing countries by other international organizations, notably the African Development Bank, the World Bank and IFAD.
During the last two decades, food production in most of sub-Saharan Africa has failed to keep pace with population growth and, for many people, access to available food supply is hampered by their low and declining incomes
At a period when mankind has recorded tremendous technological progress in agriculture, bringing about surpluses in global production of grains and other food items, the deteriorating food situation in Africa must, no doubt, be a source of concern to the world and should prick the conscience of mankind.
The situation now is that even without soliciting, the African continent should attract every possible assistance from the FAO, and indeed the whole donor community, for combatting its food insecurity. In order for the FAO to fulfil its mandate, Member Nations should endeavour to meet their primary financial obligations to the Organization. Whenever possible they should also provide further assistance, more so the well-to-do and developed countries.
While making the case for additional support and aid from the global community, let me remind my African colleagues that the task of reversing the continent's economic decline and restoring agricultural growth is primarily our own responsibility. Any external support or assistance should only complement the efforts of African peoples themselves, and cannot be a substitute for the much needed political and economic reforms necessary for the achievement of the stated objectives.
Certainly, a fair and favourable form of trade is far better than aid. While you can make reasonable planning of your programme with fair trade terms, you may not be able to do so with aid.
Mr Chairman, please note that I am only using the singular form of the word aid. I do not think anybody wants the plural of aid, and certainly not in Africa. Africa has vast, yet untapped resources, especially in agriculture and related areas. Its people are creative, hard working and possess immense energies waiting to be unleashed. The challenge is, therefore, to devise and implement suitable programmes and appropriate policies, to mobilize and energize the people, as well as create a conducive political climate. In a way, many countries have already put in place or are presently putting in place various policies and programmes to address the above issues, with varying degrees of success. Some of the difficulties that these countries continue to encounter are derived from the external environment over which they have virtually no control.
Mr Chairman, Distinguished Delegates. Partly as a strategy for overcoming these difficulties, African countries have renewed their commitment to economic and technical cooperation among themselves. Recently, at a historic gathering of the OAU member countries in Abuja, African leaders adopted and signed a treaty for the gradual establishment of an African Economic Community. In addition to this, efforts are also continuing at regional, subregional and other similar levels through institutions like the ECOWAS and UDEAC.
The renewed focus and initiatives are aimed at pooling Africa's resources, experiences and creative capabilities in finding solutions to its problems. They also seek to increase collective self-reliance in ways that are consistent with Africa's values and aspirations. We urge the international community to take cognizance of our new goal and aspirations, and to extend the necessary cooperation and assistance towards their realization.
Mr Chairman, before I conclude my statement, please allow me to briefly state some of the efforts we are making in Nigeria, towards achieving the goal of rapid agricultural development.
Major changes have been effected in trade, pricing, exchange rate and macro-economic policies which have conferred favourable incentives to agricultural producers. Government has also disengaged from direct agricultural production and now confines itself to the provision of supportive services such as technology, extension and the like. By this, agricultural production is now essentially a private sector affair in Nigeria.
In recognition of the fragility of our environment and its importance to sustainable agricultural development, the Government has established some agencies to cater for various environmental issues. Among these are the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Council and the National Parks Management System, to mention a few.
Another area of emphasis is the involvement of women in the agricultural and rural development process. Various programmes have been put in place, have been introduced, including the Better Life Programme for Rural Women and the Women in Agriculture Programme. These are aimed at developing women's productive skills and to realize their full potential as well as enhancing their social and economic status.
Mr Chairman, Distinguished Delegates, it is in recognition by the international community of the positive contribution of the Better Life Programme that an award - The Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End to Hunger - was conferred on Nigeria's First Lady, Mrs Maryam Babangida, who is the initiator of the Programme. Despite her busy schedule, she continues to give active support and direction to the Programme as its Chairperson. My country feels honoured by this recognition and we once more thank the organizers of the Award.
Mr Chairman, Nigeria is appreciative of FAO's assistance in the development of a National Agricultural Data Bank; the establishment of a Crop Monitoring and Early Warning System, and the development of a Tropical Forestry Action Plan, among other things. We continue to count on the Organization's support and hope that its level of future assistance to us in the future will take due cognizance of our sheer size and enormous population. While it is true that Nigeria has some resources of her own, God in his ultimate wisdom also decided to put many people, too many people there. Similarly, we urge FAO in its recruitment of technical advisers and experts, that due consideration should be given to qualified nationals.
In conclusion, may I reiterate the call I made earlier for increased support, understanding and assistance from the developed countries and multilateral agencies. We should strive hard, jointly, to build a world community free of hunger, malnutrition and poverty as much as is practicable. It would indeed be a sad commentary on humanity if, in spite of man's fantastic technological advance, a considerable proportion of human beings on the face of the earth still suffer from threats of hunger, malnutrition and disease.
I thank you for your kind attention.
Murray CARDIFF (Canada): Ministers of Agriculture, Your Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates and Observers, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Mr Chairman, I have to say it is a pleasure to see you directing this Conference. As we all know, Pakistan is a country with which Canada has had a long history of close ties, and please be assured of our full cooperation in assisting you in ensuring the success of this Conference.
I would also like to make note that the very first Conference was held in Quebec City and chaired by a very illustrious Canadian, at that time the illustrious Mr Pearson, who later became the Right Honourable Prime Minister of Canada, and that first thing was held October 16, 1945 in Quebec City. So I know we are all very proud of the Chairmen who have chaired previous sessions as well as of the Chairman of this session.
As our great country, Canada, is home to many people of Baltic origin, we are especially happy to welcome Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to the FAO family of nations. We also extend a warm welcome to our Puerto Rican friends as associate members.
Mr Chairman, profound changes are taking place in the world today. In the two years since we last met, we have seen a ground swell of democratic change in the USSR and Eastern Europe, as well as in Latin America and Africa. At the same time, however, we have seen continuing turbulence in world affairs - turbulence caused by war, civic insurrection, difficult climatic conditions and the continuing problems of poverty, malnutrition and starvation. And, perhaps the most important of all in the long term, we are facing an environmental crisis which, if left unchecked, will cripple our planet.
These changes have serious effects on the agricultural sector. Developed and developing countries alike, facing problems with low commodity prices, especially for cereals, are creating very difficult conditions for our farmers. It is ironic that even though Canada has just finished harvesting another large and high quality grain crop, many grain farmers are facing financial difficulties and problems. It is more alarming still that while parts of the world are generating food surpluses, millions of people are facing starvation daily. We must deal with these issues effectively, with commitment, and with a view to finding long-term solutions.
More than one out of five people on this planet are so poor that they do not have access to adequate nutrition, housing, clothing, education or even basic health care. The largest concentration of poor people is found in rural areas, and their survival depends on agriculture. Preservation and protection of the valuable natural resources which agriculture depends on can only become a priority once the problem of poverty has been alleviated and dealt with. The alleviation of poverty in developing countries can only be achieved by the creation of wealth employment and value-added products in rural areas.
However, we must not only provide for policies to address sustainable development and to alleviate poverty; we must also revise international rules relating to trade and commerce. There is an essential link between poverty and sustainable development. Therefore, if we do not successfully reform the international trading system, we will effectively find ourselves working against sustainable development in the poorest nations.
We request that this Conference appeal for a successful and swift conclusion to the Uruguay Round of Trade Negotiations. The decisions made there are crucial for the future of the multilateral trading system. The outcome will determine if we can create a trading environment which stimulates growth, reduces poverty and encourages generation of wealth.
Indeed, nations have not fully adjusted to the political and economic imperatives of change. Trade tensions threaten to undermine our collective potential for prosperity and cooperation. Our common challenge is to resist protectionist and isolationist forces, and to avoid a continuation of the, excesses of trade wars which serve no country's interest. The pressing need to access markets, investment and technology does not permit us to ignore the call for clearer and stronger GATT rules.
At this moment, subsidized exports continue to depress prices on world markets. Many industrialized countries are diverting precious financial resources to provide production incentives and export subsidies. In 1990 alone, OECD countries spent US$299 billion through agricultural transfers of one form or another. In a time of constrained fiscal resources, is this a price which we can continue to pay? We just know we cannot do that.
We must especially consider the effects of subsidies on the people in developing countries. Last year, the International Monetary Fund estimated that farm subsidies were costing developing countries US$50 billion a year in lost agricultural exports. Furthermore, the subsidies that encourage over-production result in greater use of marginal land that can only be productive with increased use of fertilizers and other production inputs. As a result, we run up environmental, social and economic bills that will have to be paid by future generations.
On the occasion of this year's World Food Day ceremonies organized by the FAO and held at the UN Headquarters in New York, Canada's Minister of Agriculture, the Honourable Mr McNight, underlined the necessity for an end tp this abuse of subsidies.
Trade barriers can be overcome. We are facing the imminent reality of a single European market at the end of 1992, and an increasing regional integration of trade. The trade agreement between Canada and the United States, and our negotiations toward a Trilateral Agreement with the United States and Mexico are examples of how trade barriers can be eliminated.
Mr Chairman, we will all have to make adjustments to adapt to the rapid pace of international events, changing market trends and environmental pressures. In Canada, we foresaw an urgent need to restructure and reform our agricultural sector, and, since the last FAO Conference, we have undertaken a major review of Canadian agri-food policy.
We set out with a vision of a strong, durable agri-food sector - well-positioned to take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead, and able to adapt to changing conditions. Through a broad process of consultation involving governments, producers, processors, and other interest groups we developed our vision for a competitive agri-food sector. In doing do, we kept four principles in mind: environmental sustainability, self-reliance, regional diversity, and market responsiveness.
Mr Chairman, after many decades of mis-management, fundamental agricultural adjustment is essential to meet the needs of the peoples of Eastern Europe and an important element in the revitalization of their economies. Earlier this year, our Prime Minister urged the world to throw to these countries an economic lifeline. It should be emphasized, however, that Canada's position remains that any future assistance to Eastern Europe will not be at the expense of the regular ODA budget. Financial flows to developing countries will be maintained. Canada is an active supporter of the United Nations food and environmental agencies. Indeed, Canada continues to be the second largest donor to the World Food Programme and the largest per capita donor nation through our overall food aid budget.
Mr Chairman, in order to leave a healthy earth for future generations, we must move quickly toward adopting approaches based on the concept of sustainable development - approaches where environmental viability is at the heart of our economic, social, political and even cultural activities.
In Canada, with the implementation of our Green Plan, the issue of sustainability of the environment has been brought to centre stage. Canada's perspective is that environmental sustainability and preservation of air, water and soil as well as biological and genetic resources, need to become integral parts of agricultural development.
In this regard, we wish to underline the importance of the upcoming United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. The experts at the joint FAO/Netherlands Government's meeting in Den Bosch, reminded us that agriculture is the sector which has the most impact on the natural environment, and at the same time, it is the sector that is the most dependent on the environment.
As the leading agency of the United Nations for agriculture, forestry and fisheries, the FAO must assume an essential leadership role in the UNCED process. Canada attaches great importance to the FAO's contribution to the UNCED process and would like to see this effort further strengthened as the UNCED Conference rapidly approaches. In particular, we believe that FAO should provide a full range of technical and other support to the UNCED preparatory process as it develops the authoritative statement on the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.
We look forward to this Conference's indication of support for the Declaration of the Tenth World Forestry Congress which endorsed UNCED's work on guiding principles on forest management.
Regarding fisheries, Canada concurs that the strategy for fisheries management and development that was endorsed at the 1984 FAO World Fisheries Conference continues to provide valid and useful guidance for the development of appropriate fisheries policies and plans. The UN Resolution 44/225 endorsing a moratorium on large-scale pelagic driftnets in the Pacific by June 30 of next year is viewed as a major step forward in support of this strategy. We would also support the continuation of progress reports of the strategy at regular intervals.
International trade in fish products will become increasingly important, particularly if fisheries are to make a fundamental contribution to economic and social development in developing countries. Therefore, there is a growing need for further reductions in trade barriers, both tariff and
non-tariff, in order to foster full development of the global fisheries resources.
I would like to take this opportunity to comment briefly on areas of FAO activities of particular priority to Canada, some of which are currently before this Conference for its consideration. I would like to highlight the FAO's role as a repository and disseminator of data on agriculture, fisheries and forestry, and as a provider of policy advice. Canada also strongly supports the work with the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the International Plant Protection Convention, as well as the essential role of the Global Information and Early Warning System. We are particularly pleased with the growing emphasis on sustainable development and the role of women in the development process in all aspects of the Organization's programmes and operations.
We welcome the efforts made by the Director-General to implement Resolution 10/89 concerning the review of certain aspects of FAO's goals and operations. I would like to stress, however, that in our view, reform within the UN system should be seen to be a continuing process, in order that the challenges of a rapidly changing world can be met.
Canada is encouraged at the progress made in the dialogue on the financial situation of the Organization, notably the introduction of a no programme growth budget, based on prioritization of existing resources and the containment of cost increases. On the other hand, we have some consensus over such items as the lapse factor and special reserve accounts which we hope can be worked out during the course of the Conference. It is our sincere hope that the budget can be adopted by consensus.
I would like to say in conclusion, Mr Chairman, that in an increasingly inter-dependent world, cooperation between nations is the key to alleviation of the problems we face. The FAO has a vital role to play as an agent of change and leader in agricultural development. Canada is committed to assisting in this role.
Carlos TORRES MANZO (México): Sr. Presidente de la Conferencia, distinguidos delegados, Sr. Director General de la FAO, señoras y señores, mi delegación ha entregado el documento y voy a leer algunos párrafos del mismo para ajustarme al tiempo permitido.
Asistimos a esta Conferencia animados por el espíritu solidario que caracteriza a la cooperación internacional, seguros del sentido profundo y de la trascendencia de los trabajos que aquí se realicen.
Encontramos un interesante y natural paralelismo entre las acciones que alienta la FAO y las que realiza el Gobierno de México.
Mi país se ha manifestado atento y activo en los trabajos realizados por la FAO durante el bienio que está por concluir. Hemos atendido las reuniones de los órganos como el Consejo y la Conferencia Regional y participado en eventos técnicos, destacándose nuestra concurrencia al sistema de Redes de Cooperación Técnica de la FAO para América Latina y el Caribe.
Debo mencionar que en la perspectiva del próximo bienio estamos trabajando en vías a participar en la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo, en la Conferencia Internacional sobre Nutrición y en la realización de una Conferencia Internacional sobre Pesca Responsable.
En congruencia con nuestros propósitos de participación en las mencionadas conferencias, mi pais hospedará durante el primer trimestre de 1992 la decimosexta reunión de la Comisión Forestal para América del Norte y la Reunión Regional de América Latina y el Caribe para la Conferencia Internacional sobre Nutrición.
Durante el presente año, el Gobierno de México ha designado a la Comisión Nacional de Alimentación para coordinar la participación de las dependencias y entidades del sector público y organizaciones de los sectores social y privado en las actividades especificas referentes a los preparativos nacionales de la Conferencia Internacional sobre Nutrición.
México se pronuncia por avances significativos en la Ronda Uruguay y ve con preocupación el curso de las negociaciones ante la falta de voluntad politica de algunos gobiernos para ordenar el comercio internacional de productos agropecuarios y limitar las prácticas de competencia desleal. En este contexto, México ha optado por buscar acuerdos subregionales, con el objeto de impulsar y perfeccionar el sistema multilateral de comercio.
No es posible transitar hacia formas más ecuánimes de comercio internacional si persisten en unos cuantos centros hegemónicos prácticas desleales de intercambio como el absurdo proteccionismo disfrazado de controles fitosanitarios o los altos aranceles a nuestras materias primas y productos de exportación.
Las negociaciones comerciales que ha emprendido México con Canadá y los Estados Unidos para la firma de un Tratado de Libre Comercio entre los tres países son de una importancia significativa para el desarrollo del sector agropecuario y forestal y para una inserción más adecuada del mismo en el ámbito internacional, que nos permita aprovechar las ventajas comparativas en América del Norte, mercado natural de nuestros productos.
El Tratado de Libre Comercio con los Estados Unidos y Canadá es una de las principales vertientes de acción dentro de la estrategia de integración del país en la economía internacional. Cabe destacar la decisión del Gobierno de México de fortalecer a través de acciones concretas sus vínculos con los distintos bloques económicos y el gran interés en promover el intercambio comercial con los países de América Latina.
Recientemente, en enero de 1991, se reunieron en México los cinco Presidentes centroamericanos con el Licenciado Salinas de Gortari, Presidente de mi país. En esta reunión se estableció un programa de liberalizáción económica que tiene como fin el establecimiento de una zona de libre comercio México-Centro América para fines de 1996.
Asimismo, se tienen pláticas con los otros miembros del Grupo de los Tres, Colombia y Venezuela, a fin de formalizar un acuerdo de complementación económica para fines de este año. Más aún, el pasado 22 de septiembre firmamos un Acuerdo de Libre Comercio con nuestra hermana República de Chile.
En este contexto, el Programa Nacional de Alimentación, que el Gobierno del Presidente Salinas de Gortari ha puesto en operación a partir de 1990, establece como objetivo de la política alimentaria asegurar el abasto de alimentos a la población en condiciones adecuadas de calidad y precio, sobre todo en beneficio de los grupos de más bajos ingresos. De manera específica, postula apoyar la soberanía alimentaria nacional y garantizar la seguridad alimentaria a la población en términos de suficiencia, disponibilidad y acceso. Para su cumplimiento, se han definido como estrategias centrales el establecimiento y operación de los Sistemas Nacionales de Seguridad Alimentaria y de Vigilancia Alimentaria y Nutricional.
Es por ello que nuestro país se pronuncia por el reconocimiento internacional de que el desarrollo en los métodos y medios para incrementar la producción primaria de poco servirían si no van articulados con una estrategia social que amplíe las posibilidades de acceso de la población a los alimentos, en especial de los grupos vulnerables y de los sectores más desprotegidos.
El multilateralismo y los procesos mismos de integración regional no excluyen el valor y la observancia de la soberanía de los Estados. Vemos así, con serenidad, algunos cambios recientes en el concierto internacional y nos sumamos a los propósitos de integración y cooperación.
Reconocemos el esfuerzo que ha realizado y los alcances que ha logrado la Secretaría de esta Organización en cumplimiento de la Resolución en que se pidió el examen de algunos aspectos de las metas y operaciones de la FAO.
El interés que ponemos en la FAO es la afirmación de nuestra creencia en la utilidad del Organismo. México ha participado activamente en sus tareas y ha asumido en plenitud su responsabilidad de Estado Miembro.
Por ello, nos preocupan sus problemas actuales y su desarrollo futuro. Advertimos serias dificultades en el horizonte si no se actúa con decisión y entereza para resolver sus problemas, muchos de ellos recurrentes y agravados.
Es indispensable planear el futuro.
Por estas razones la delegación mexicana propone que la Conferencia dé un mandato expreso al Comité del Programa para que elabore un documento propositivo de posibles acciones encaminadas a definir la fisionomía futura de la Organización.
Nuestro interés se explica por la importancia que atribuimos a la coordinación y al apoyo recíproco interagencial en el sistema de Naciones Unidas, de manera que las acciones que se emprendan tengan una sustentación amplia en los aspectos tecnológicos, los comerciales y los financieros.
Asimismo, los Estados Miembros podemos fortalecer los mecanismos gubernamentales y no gubernamentales de cooperación internacional, atendiendo de modo particular la vinculación y la participación en los foros, de manera que en la corresponsabilidad entre Secretariados y Estados Miembros el discurso y las ideas se reflejen en mejores políticas y en acciones de campo con alcances cada vez más valiosos.
Mohamed OULD SID'AHMED LEKHAL (Mauritanie): M. le Président, c'est pour moi un honneur et un privilège de m'adresser aujourd'hui à cette auguste et honorable assemblée où se trouvent réunis tous les principaux responsables de l'agriculture à l'échelle mondiale.
Permettez-moi tout d'abord de saisir cette occasion pour rendre, au nom de la délégation mauritanienne, un hommage particulier à notre illustre Organisation pour son action inlassable au service du bien-être de l'humanité toute entière.
M. le Président, permettez-moi également de joindre ma voix à toutes celles qui m'ont précédé pour vous exprimer toutes mes félicitations à l'occasion de votre élection à la présidence des assises de notre présente session.
Le choix qui s'est porté sur votre personne et à travers vous sur votre pays ami, constitue, j'en suis persuadé, un gage de succès de nos travaux.
Ces félicitations s'adressent également aux vice-présidents et aux autres membres du Bureau qui vous apporteront, sans nul doute, un concours précieux dans l'accomplissement de votre difficile et exaltante mission.
Je voudrais aussi saisir cette opportunité pour adresser nos vives félicitations à M. le Directeur général le Dr Edouard Saouma et à l'ensemble de ses collaborateurs pour le travail remarquable accompli depuis notre dernière session ainsi que pour les résultats obtenus dans l'exécution des programmes de notre Organisation, et ce, en dépit des multiples difficultés rencontrées.
Notre présente session, faut-il bien le souligner, s'ouvre dans un contexte international marqué par une conjoncture économique difficile dont les caractéristiques majeures sont l'augmentation de la dette extérieure des pays en voie de développement, la persistance de la détérioration des termes de l'échange, et la raréfaction des ressources financières nécessaires au financement des processus de croissance et de développement.
Ce contexte économique difficile a été rendu plus complexe par l'existence de foyers de tensions et de crises socio-économiques qui se manifestent dans plusieurs régions de notre planète.
En dépit des découvertes de la science et des remarquables progrès qui ont été réalisés, le spectre de pénurie alimentaire plane sur beaucoup de régions du monde et le nombre de mal nourris s'accroît inexorablement. Une grande partie de la population rurale des pays en développement est condamnée ainsi à la faim sur place ou à l'exode vers les centres urbains créant une prolifération des bidonvilles.
L'amélioration de la production agricole doit donc demeurer l'objectif majeur à atteindre pour un développement économique et social harmonieux dans les pays du tiers monde et pour la prospérité de la planète tout entière.
Les débats de notre présente session doivent donc être centrés sur les efforts à déployer en vue de promouvoir un développement intégré du secteur de l'alimentation et l'agriculture par l'adoption de recommandations répondant à nos préoccupations présentes et futures.
En ce qui la concerne, la Mauritanie a, au lendemain de la Restructuration du 12 décembre 1984, entrepris un certain nombre de mesures visant à concrétiser réellement la priorité accordée au secteur rural et en particulier au sous-secteur agricole.
En effet, dans le cadre du Programme de redressement économique et financier (1985-88) qui a réservé 36 pour cent des investissements au secteur rural et du Programme de consolidation et de relance, 34,3 pour cent des investissements publics pour la période 1989-91, mon Gouvernement a mis en oeuvre une politique énergique et résolue dans ce secteur pour réduire, d'une part la lourde charge des importations alimentaires, et d'autre part stimuler et renforcer les activités d'un secteur privé qui a donné les preuves de son dynamisme et de sa créativité.
Cette politique s'inscrit au sein d'un programme qui est axé sur un certain nombre d'éléments essentiels parmi lesquels on peut citer:
- l'accroissement du rôle du secteur privé relatif aux questions afférentes à la fixation des prix, la commercialisation des produits et des intrants agricoles,
- l'augmentation de la production agricole à travers l'émission et la propagation des techniques nouvelles,
- l'amélioration de la sécurité foncière,
- la protection de l'environnement,
- le développement des infrastructures rurales.
Ce programme ambitieux se base sur certaines mesures de démonopolisation, de libéralisation et d'encouragement du secteur privé. Il a obtenu l'aval de nos partenaires de développement (Banque mondiale, Ministère français de la coopération économique - Caisse centrale de coopération économique) qui nous ont fait bénéficier d'un crédit d'ajustement structurel.
Mon intervention aujourd'hui devant cette honorable assemblée m'offre l'occasion de leur exprimer, et à travers eux, à l'ensemble des autres bailleurs de fonds, notre profonde reconnaissance pour la confiance accordée à nos choix économiques, structurels, ainsi que pour l'apport de capitaux substantiels nécessaires à leur matérialisation.
Parmi ces bailleurs de fonds, la Communauté économique européenne, le Danemark, la Norvège, la Hollande, le Japon, la Suède, le PNUD et les Organisations non gouvernementales (Fédération luthérienne mondiale, Caritas, OXFAM, etc.) occupent une place de choix.
Une place spéciale dans l'intervention de ceux-ci doit être cependant accordée à la République fédérale d'Allemagne pour le volume de sa contribution et sa promptitude.
Au nom de mon gouvernement et du peuple mauritanien je tiens, du haut de cette tribune, à leur transmettre mes remerciements les plus sincères.
C'est pour moi aussi l'occasion d'apporter le soutien de mon pays à l'adhésion de la CEE à notre Organisation.
De même, parmi ces bailleurs de fonds, une place particulière revient au Fonds international de développement agricole (FIDA) qui nous a fourni un soutien constant dans des domaines aussi variés que le développement des oasis, l'irrigation, la formation des agriculteurs et le redressement des projets agricoles.
Que M. Idriss Jezairy, Président de cette importante institution financière des Nations Unies qui veut opérer une liaison étroite entre ajustement structurel, progrès social et recul de la pauvreté, trouve ici l'expression de notre profonde gratitude.
Les efforts de mon Gouvernement, soutenus par l'action de nos partenaires de coopération ont permis, entre autres, d'atteindre au cours des campagnes agricoles 1987/88, 1988/89 et 1989/90 des productions céréalières nettes chiffrées respectivement à 120 000, 140 000 et 142 000 tonnes.
Si ces résultats sont largement encourageants, il n'en demeure pas moins qu'ils ne représentaient respectivement que 35 pour cent, 41 pour cent et 42 pour cent des besoins céréaliers nationaux.
Certes, ces productions auraient pu être plus importantes surtout en 1990/91 mais la combinaison d'un déficit pluviométrique et hydrologique important avec l'action dévastatrice des ravageurs de tous genres a réduit considérablement l'effet bénéfique et substantiel des moyens matériels et humains mis en oeuvre par l'Etat et les agriculteurs.
L'importance du déficit céréalier du pays a rendu nécessaire le recours à différents partenaires étrangers pour le combler. A ce titre, mon pays a eu à apprécier l'action généreuse du Programme alimentaire mondial qui lui a apporté un appui réel dans différents domaines jugés essentiels face aux conséquences de la sécheresse persistante et de la crise économique mondiale.
Je voudrais saisir cette occasion pour adresser au Directeur exécutif, au nom de mon gouvernement, mes vifs remerciements pour l'efficacité et le sérieux dont a fait preuve son institution dans le cadre de ses activités dans mon pays.
Mon Gouvernement a initié récemment un important programme d'alimentation ciblant essentiellement les groupes les plus vulnérables de notre population, mais aussi et surtout la promotion de petits projets de production alimentaire au bénéfice des plus démunis dans les agglomérations urbaines et les zones rurales.
Dans ce programme et ces projets une place de choix a été accordée à la promotion de la femme particulièrement dans les zones rurales. C'est pourquoi, mon Gouvernement recommande à la Conférence d'insister sur la prise en considération du plan d'action sur l'intégration de la femme dans le processus du développement rural.
Il est également favorable à la prise par notre session d'une résolution relative à ce sujet. Dans cette optique, le Directeur général de notre Organisation doit poursuivre les efforts déjà déployés pour la mise en oeuvre des actions programmées dans le plan en relation étroite avec les pays membres.
Les progrès réalisés par la science dans les divers domaines démontrent éloquemment le génie créateur de l'homme. Puisse ce génie être mis au service d'un meilleur bien-être de l'humanité toute entière.
Sur cette note d'espoir, nourrie en faveur de celle-ci, je souhaite plein de succès aux travaux de la vingt-sixième session de la Conférence générale de notre Organisation.
Je vous remercie.
Murlidas DULLOO (Mauritius): It is my great pleasure to be here again amidst world policy makers and experts on agriculture and food production and to be addressing this Conference for the third time. I extend the greetings of the Government and people of Mauritius to all my Colleagues, Ministers and other Delegates present, to the Director-General and his staff, to members of the FAO Secretariat.
I also wish to associate myself with the congratulations addressed to you by previous speakers upon your election as Chairman of the Twenty-sixth Session of the FAO General Conference. Our warm felicitations also go to members of the Bureau. I am confident that our deliberations will be conducted with consummate skill and clarity under your wise and able leadership. I welcome the accession of the new members to FAO. We are confident that they will bring their new expertise and aspirations to enrich the work of the Organization.
Regarding the Agenda for this Session, let me express, Mr Chairman, my delegation's endorsement of the main issues to be discussed and the various courses of action outlined in the Director-General's statement. It is a well-prepared agenda and takes into account current priorities as well as long-term objectives, and the statement of the Director-General very appropriately brings into focus those areas on which we should concentrate in the course of our deliberations.
We are particularly concerned with the relevance of the issues that relate to the assessment of the current world food and agriculture situation, FAO activities related to environment and sustainable development, nutrition, fisheries development, forestry and integration of women into agriculture and rural development. We particularly appreciate the inter-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approach that is being increasingly adopted in FAO's formulation of programmes and activities.
We would like to commend the Director-General's efforts to muster resources to maintain the viability and credibility of FAO's action in the field programme. We do appreciate the financial constraints he has been facing but we appeal to all Member States and donors to support existing programmes with their regular and prompt contributions.
We consider the Medium-Term Plan 1992-97 a blueprint and landmark in FAO's programming exercise. It is high time we reviewed the comparative advantages that we derive from our belonging to FAO. We feel especially that it should keep to an action-oriented and operational strategy and keep its privileged position as a world think tank in the field of food and agriculture. We strongly believe that FAO should also have some specific programmes relating to small island states.
We fully subscribe to the Programme of Work and Budget for 1992-93. Of course, the thrust is on environment, nutrition, and agricultural data development. However, we have some misgivings when some operational and field activities may be at stake when there is a redistribution of resources. In this process, we strongly support all those efforts that will be deployed to make resources available but which should not be detrimental for the developing world.
When we were meeting here for the Twenty-fifth Session the Berlin Wall was falling and talks on disarmament and arms reduction heralded a new era in the cooperation between East and West. Coming from a net food importing country I was thrilled to hear some fellow members, including developed countries, advocating that funds diverted from arms production and military spending be put at the disposal of developing countries for agricultural and food production. As a representative of a young small island state where democracy and freedom thrive in a mixed economy, where the private sector plays an eminently predominant role, I was elated to welcome the wind of democracy, freedom and concern for fundamental human rights blowing over the whole world. But I also sounded a word of caution that all our efforts for peace, unification, stability and progress would be nullified if our food and nutrition problems were not solved.
In fact, I stand here today a little bit disillusioned and less optimistic than I was on the last occasion. The Report submitted by the Secretariat of the FAO to this Session indicates that the world food situation is less favourable and the perspectives are gloomier. In fact, food production, especially in less developed countries, has gone done down with serious shortages in some regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America, whereas other countries have suffered serious cuts in their income from export of agricultural products with disastrous impact on their economies and development plans.
The staggering truth is that the various progress achieved recently on the political and economic front with, inter alia, the emergence of new democracy or market-oriented economies and the efforts at detente, peace and stability are being nullified by food and nutrition problems. It is food insecurity and the need for food which is actually shaking up and destabilizing whole political and socio-economic systems. After what we have witnessed for decades in Third World Countries, the current events in Eastern Europe and the USSR now come to confirm this view. On the last two occasions I addressed this Conference I asked myself the question whether we were not putting into place a new world order whereby military, political and economic domination were being replaced by food domination and food dependency. Recent world events tend to prove that, indeed, food dependency can constitute a terrific weapon.
All reports and analysis, especially those submitted to us by the FAO for this Session, point to a slackening in world economic growth; the debt burden is getting heavier and unbearable for most developing countries, commodity prices are constantly falling, world inflation and interest rates are escalating and we are still witnessing a consistent decrease in resource flows culminating in net negative outflows of capital from developing countries. This means that more people will die of hunger and malnutrition, more countries will fail to attain their development objectives, and more populations will have to call for help and assistance in despair.
Many of my colleagues speaking before me have acknowledged that the situation is desperate unless something dramatic and positive takes place. Many have suggested that the solution lies in an increase in food aid. Food aid provides relief. It certainly should be stepped up urgently, especially for those countries that are so seriously hit. But trade is as important as, if not more important than, food aid.
On the last occasion, I expressed the hope that the conclusion of the Lomé IV Convention between the ACP and EEC countries, the establishment of the European Single Market, the negotiations of new International Commodity Agreement, with the entry into force of the Common Fund for Commodities, and GATT Multilateral Trade Negotiations could afford opportunities for improving the general agricultural trade environment and for improving the prospects of agricultural export earnings of developing countries, in particular, against protectionism and non-tariff barriers.
The Lomé IV Convention certainly responded to the ACP countries' need for reforms and structural adjustments by affording the necessary instrument and support. Likewise, the preferential market access afforded to the ACP countries for agricultural products in the Convention and under various protocols attached thereto are very vital for the continued survival and development of this group of countries. However, it is feared that other developments may frustrate these countries and deprive them of their acquis. We have been assured that the development in Eastern Europe, the setting up of the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, the creation of the Single European Market and the European Economic Area with the EFTA group of countries forming a larger trade area should, far from constituting a threat to the access of ACP countries on the European Market, offer greater and better possibilities. We hope that this will be the case and that our interest will be safeguarded. This is why the Mauritian delegation welcomes the EEC as a member of this Organization so that we can, at our level here, better coordinate on all these issues.
We are told that the liberalization of trade in agricultural products with the conclusion of the GATT negotiations could be a panacea to many of our ills. But I support the view of those who have spoken before me that liberalization per se can, while benefiting some countries, disrupt the economy of small vulnerable countries with limited resources which depend (for their continued survival and development) on special trade arrangements for certain agricultural commodities.
While Mauritius recognizes the need for trade liberalization in agricultural products and the harmonization of rules of origin, it feels that these rules should not relate to contractual trade regimes under which tariff preferences are granted.
The question of food security is of paramount importance. If net food importing countries like Mauritius are to benefit from the final package on agriculture, this aspect of the agreement must be fully taken into account. In line with the agreement reached at the mid-term review, possible negative effects of the reform process on net food importing developing countries must at all cost be averted.
A similar upsurge in the import bills may adversely affect our balance of payments; hence, the need to retain the acquired rights under the current Article 18(b) of the General Agreement. We cannot contemplate any change of this article.
There is again in any package to be devised for trade in agriculture the crucial necessity of maintaining the continued viability of preferential trade arrangements entered into between a group of developed and a group of developing countries on agricultural products, the production and export of which are vital for the livelihood and well-being of their populations, their economic development and social progress.
It has been clearly stated before this Conference that with the liberalization of trade in the wake of GATT, developed countries like Europe will adopt substantial reforms resulting in major reductions in prices of agricultural products on their internal market and supply control measures. The European farmers, for example, will obtain substantial compensation for such price reductions and other supply control measures. On the other hand, it has been clearly stated also that the prices of food exports on the world market will go up. So, net food importing countries like Mauritius that purchase its food from the foreign exchange earned from the export of one particular commodity on the EEC market at the internal EEC price, will find its food import bills increasing while its vital foreign exchange earnings decrease.
This is why we plead that small countries like Mauritius be afforded enough safeguard and protection and that we should aim at a successful balanced outcome of the GATT negotiations where all participants will find advantages. We trust and rely on FAO to ensure that our needs be recognized and met in the final outcome of these negotiations.
Sir, Mauritius, in spite of its very limited natural resources, has been quoted as a success story in terms of economic development, especially for its ability to diversify away from a monoculture economy. We have so far succeeded by relying on the support we could muster from friendly countries and international institutions like the FAO. We have adopted the guidelines and objectives set by FAO for the attainment of food security and sustainable agriculture. However, we still depend on our exports from sugar, which represents about 65 percent of our net export earnings.
We have, therefore, in December 1990, submitted to the international community at an international meeting on the agricultural sector of Mauritius a programme of investment for the agricultural sector, including the sugar industry, to ensure the long-term viability of the Mauritian sugar industry and to implement an agricultural modernization programme focusing on a reasonable degree of food security for a densely populated, land-scarce, and geographically isolated country. The main priority areas for future investment have been summarized as follows: (i) modernization of the sugar industry to maintain its long-term efficiency and competitiveness; (ii) optimum utilization of sugar by-products, especially production of energy from sugar cane biomass (bagasse); (iii) water conservation and storage programme to enable expansion of irrigation network; (iv) better management and optimum use of our limited agricultural land resources through land preparation, derocking and mechanization, especially to offset labour shortages; (v) to increase the efficiency and productivity of small planters; (vi) research and development and the introduction of appropriate technology, especially post-harvest technology, to support diversification; (vii) reorganization and modernization of key agricultural institutions and services, including the Ministry of Agriculture, to improve their planning and creative capacity; (viii) fisheries research and development, especially in aquaculture.
We are conscious that the ill effects of ecological degradation can be particularly devastating in confined island ecosystems, hence the need to be particularly careful to maintain the balance between economic gain, the need to exploit our resources rationally, and our responsibility towards future generations. Mauritius has recently adopted a National Environmental Investment Programme. Several projects have been undertaken by the agricultural sector, namely, on reafforestation, the conservation and protection of a number of endemic species of plants and breeds of animals, because we are known for the dodos, and we do not want these species to become as dead as the dodo, the setting up of a national park in the Black River Gorges in the western part of Mauritius, the rehabilitation of nature reserves and outer islets around mainland Mauritius for nature conservation activities, and the preservation of marine ecology, integrated pest management and research, determining norms of pollution by the sugar industry, management of marine and terrestrial natural resources.
We should here thank FAO for its support and advice on these various projects.
Agriculture is expected, in Mauritius, not only to be a producer of export crops, local food crops, feeds and fibre, but also to be an important producer of energy from its agricultural residues resource base. We are, therefore, embarking on an ambitious programme of investment in the sugar industry for the production of electricity from bagasse and other biomass to supply the national grid. The sugar industry can be expected to supply about 25 percent of the ever increasing energy need of Mauritius. Sugar cane bagasse, apart from being environment friendly will save us precious foreign exchange by reducing our dependence on imported fossil fuel.
We commend and support FAO in its contribution for the preparation of the UN Conference on Environment and Development and the World Nutrition Conference. Mauritius is looking forward to participating fully in these two conferences.
To conclude, Mr Chairman, we feel that FAO, despite the major problem it has to confront at the international level and internally as an organization, still has a significant role to play in coordinating efforts to alleviate hunger and promote food production and agricultural development. We hope that our deliberations and decisions at this Session will strengthen further our Organization and help it to attain the various objectives we have set. I therefore wish our Conference all the success it deserves. May God bless you all.
The meeting rose at 11.00 hours.
La séance est levée à 11 heures.
Se levanta la sesión a las 11.00 horas.
