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2000 PRESS RELEASESTel: (39-06) 570-53259 Fax: (39-06) 570-53699/55924 E-mail: John.Riddle@fao.org
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| SEVERE FOOD SHORTAGES EMERGING IN SUDAN DUE TO DROUGHT AND DWINDLING
STOCKS ROME, 22 December 2000 - More than three million people in southern Sudan are facing serious food shortages because of civil strife and an emerging drought, according to a joint report released today by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). |
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| AT YEAR'S END, SOME 28 MILLION PEOPLE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA FACE SEVERE
FOOD SHORTAGES MOSTLY BECAUSE OF DROUGHT AND CIVIL STRIFE Rome, 21 December 2000 - Some 28 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are facing severe food shortages as serious food supply problems persist in a number of countries, mainly because of prolonged drought and civil strife, according to a report released today by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The situation is most critical in eastern Africa, where 20 million people face serious food shortages that will require continued food aid well into 2001. |
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| PAKISTAN, SWAZILAND SIGN AGRICULTURAL ASSISTANCE ACCORD AS PART OF
FAO'S SPECIAL PROGRAMME FOR FOOD SECURITY Rome, 29 November 2000 -- The governments of Pakistan and Swaziland have signed a tripartite agreement with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to send Pakistani agricultural experts and field technicians to assist agriculture in Swaziland. The cooperative accord, signed under the framework of FAO's Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS), will place the technical assistance services of Pakistan at the disposal of Swaziland for 3 years, FAO said in a statement issued today. |
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| DOMESTIC ANIMAL DIVERSITY: TWO BREEDS ARE LOST EVERY WEEK - NEW REPORT
WARNS THAT 1,350 BREEDS FACE EXTINCTION Rome, 5 December 2000 - Every week the world loses two breeds of its valuable domestic animal diversity, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in its 3rd edition of the "World Watch List for Domestic Animal Diversity" released today. The study was co-published with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). |
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| FAO DIRECTOR-GENERAL AND ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER LAUNCH $2 BILLION
HUMANITARIAN APPEAL FOR 35 MILLION PEOPLE Rome, 29 November - Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini and Dr Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), today jointly launched the annual UN consolidated humanitarian appeal, seeking donations of some $2 billion to help 35 million people in 19 countries. |
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| "WORLD FOOD SUMMIT: FIVE YEARS LATER" INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TO
REVIEW PROGRESS IN FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER Rome, 28 November 2000 - The Member countries of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have endorsed the Director-General's proposal to hold a "World Food Summit: five years later" during the next session of the FAO Conference in November 2001, the Organization announced today. |
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| ASIAN CITY AUTHORITIES MEET IN BANGKOK: FAO CALLS FOR FOOD SUPPLY
AND DISTRIBUTION POLICIES TO REDUCE URBAN FOOD INSECURITY Rome, 23 November 2000- At the dawn of the third millennium, more than half of the world's population lives in cities or urban areas. This creates a major challenge to feed an increasing population on existing land and water resources. The world community also needs innovative ideas to change the way we manage our cities. By 2015, 26 cities in the world, are expected to have populations of 10 million or more. In Asia, in particular, with the highest concentration of cities in the world, 20 to 40 percent of the urban population are poor and run the risk of becoming tomorrow's most food insecure. |
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| DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA BRACES FOR SEVENTH YEAR OF FOOD
SHORTAGES Rome, 16 November, 2000 -- Severe drought, typhoons, poor infrastructure and economic problems mean that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK/North Korea) is facing its seventh consecutive year of food shortages, United Nations agencies warned today. |
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| 2,500 CATTLE FOR POOR FARMERS IN KOSOVO FLOWN IN FROM GERMANY AND
AUSTRIA - JOINT FAO/WORLD BANK INITIATIVE Pristina, 9 November 2000 -- Around 2,500 cattle have been flown to Kosovo since the beginning of October as part of an Emergency Farm Reconstruction Project funded by the World Bank and the Netherlands and managed by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The animals were given to poor farmers and their families who lost all their livestock during the war, FAO said in a statement today. |
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| ACTION PLAN TO END HUNGER IN THE HORN OF AFRICA UNVEILED New York, October 27, 2000 -- A strategy to combat chronic hunger in the Horn of Africa was unveiled today in a report presented by Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), at a meeting of the UN Administrative Committee on Coordination. The heads of some 26 UN organizations attended the meeting at UN Headquarters in New York. According to the report, "45 percent of the total population in the Horn of Africa, some 70 million people, live in a state of chronic food insecurity," quite apart from the 19 million or so who currently find themselves threatened by famine. |
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| FAO: POTENTIAL OF SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS IN RURAL AREAS OFTEN STILL
UNTAPPED Rome, 23 October - Selective use of solar energy could significantly improve the livelihood of millions of people in rural areas in developing countries, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a new report issued today, entitled Solar Photovoltaics for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development. |
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| WORLD FOOD DAY OBSERVED AT FAO HEADQUARTERS AND SOME 150 COUNTRIES
TODAY FAO DIRECTOR-GENERAL CALLS FOR FURTHER EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE WORLD FOOD SUMMIT GOAL Rome, October 16, 2000 . - "We have no time to waste if we are to make the vision of a world free from hunger become a reality," the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's Director-General, Dr. Jacques Diouf, said today during a ceremony at FAO's headquarters on the occasion of World Food Day. |
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| FAO NAMES GONG LI AND YOUSSOU N'DOUR AS NEW AMBASSADORS; PREPARES
FOR WORLD FOOD DAY 2000 Rome, 11 October , 2000 - Chinese actress Gong Li and Senegalese pop star Youssou N'Dour will be nominated as new Ambassadors of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). They will participate in the 2000 World Food Day Ceremony Monday October 16 at FAO's Rome headquarters to mark the anniversary of the founding of FAO. Also present will be the legendary South African singer Miriam Makeba, jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater and actress Gina Lollobrigida - named FAO Ambassadors last year. |
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| THE STATE OF FOOD INSECURITY IN THE WORLD SHOWS NO PROGRESS TOWARDS
WORLD FOOD SUMMIT TARGET HUNGRY PEOPLE CANNOT WAIT ANOTHER 15 YEARS, FAO WARNS London/Rome, 16 October 2000.-There has been no improvement since last count in the rate of decline of the number of undernourished in the world: 826 million people still do not get enough to eat in a time of unprecedented plenty. This is the key message in the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's annual report The State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI 2000) released today simultaneously in London, Rome, Washington, Nairobi, Bangkok, Berlin, Dublin and several other cities. |
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| EGYPT, CAMEROON SIGN AGRICULTURAL ASSISTANCE ACCORD AS PART OF FAO'S
SPECIAL PROGRAMME FOR FOOD SECURITY Rome, 5 October 2000 -- The governments of Egypt and Cameroon signed a tripartite agreement today with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to send Egyptian agricultural technicians to assist Cameroon's agriculture. The cooperative accord, signed under the framework of FAO's Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS), will put the technical assistance services of Egypt at the disposal of Cameroon for two to three years, stressing a continuing spirit of cooperation between the two African countries. |
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| FAO: WITHOUT EFFECTIVE VETERINARY SERVICES ANIMAL DISEASES COULD SPREAD
GLOBALLY Rome, 22 September - The movement of people, animals and animal products for trade is leading to an increased spread of animal diseases across national borders, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization warned in a statement today. Recently, some livestock diseases have been diagnosed for the first time outside of their 'normal' areas of origin, sometimes thousands of kilometres away, according to FAO. |
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| 700,000 PEOPLE IN DROUGHT-STRICKEN GEORGIA NEED URGENT FOOD
AID Rome, 21 September 2000 -- Nearly 700,000 people in Georgia need emergency food assistance because of a devastating drought coupled with on-going economic problems, according to a crop and food supply assessment mission undertaken by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). |
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| COUNTRIES JOINING EUROPEAN UNION CONSIDER ADOPTING SCHOOL MILK PROGRAMMES
AT PRAGUE CONFERENCE Rome/Prague 14 September 2000 - With school milk subsidies cut by 20 percent in the European Union this year, the 2nd European School Milk Conference opened today in Prague for two days with more than 20 countries represented, according to an announcement by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). |
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| COCONUT WATER AS ENERGY DRINK FOR JOGGERS AND ATHLETES - FIRST PATENT
GRANTED TO UN FOOD AGENCY Rome, 14 September - Coconut water should be marketed as a natural energy drink for joggers and athletes, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a statement issued today. FAO has applied for a patent on a new technology that would allow manufacturers to bottle coconut water that is biologically pure, tasty and full of the salts, sugars and vitamins demanded by athletes. Before FAO developed the new technology, coconut water's nutritional characteristics could not be preserved. |
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| FAO's ANNUAL REPORT ON THE STATE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE DRAWS LESSONS
FROM THE PAST 50 YEARS DESPITE TANGIBLE PROGRESS, 13 PERCENT OF HUMANITY STILL SUFFERS FROM HUNGER AND RELATED DISEASES Paris, 15 September 2000.- More than 800 million people still lack access to the food they need, much less than the 960 million estimated 30 years ago, but still a massive number accounting for 13 percent of the world's population, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says in its annual report "The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA-2000)," released today at a news conference at the Institut National Agronomique, Paris-Grignon. |
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| CHILD MALNUTRITION IN IRAQ 'UNACCEPTABLY HIGH' AS DROUGHT, LACK OF
INVESTMENT AGGRAVATE FOOD AND NUTRITION SITUATION Rome, 13 September 2000 --Nutritional problems remain serious in the center-south of Iraq despite some progress under the Oil-for-Food Programme, according to a joint UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) report released today. Malnutrition among children is very serious outside Baghdad and in rural areas, reflecting the effects of drought and poverty. |
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| CHINA, GHANA SIGN AGRICULTURAL ASSISTANCE ACCORD AS PART OF FAO'S
SPECIAL PROGRAMME FOR FOOD SECURITY Rome, 22 August 2000 -- The governments of China and Ghana signed a tripartite agreement today with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to send Chinese agricultural experts and field technicians to assist agriculture in Ghana. The cooperative accord, signed under the framework of FAO's Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS), will put the technical assistance services of China at the disposal of Ghana for 3 years, stressing a continuing spirit of Chinese cooperation with developing African countries. China also provides expertise for the SPFS in Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania and Guinea. |
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| SENIOR FAO OFFICIAL CALLS ON SCIENTISTS TO SPEAK UP FOR THE POOR AND
WEAK Hamburg, 17 August - The scientific community has a moral responsibility to speak up for the world's poor and hungry, Assistant Director General Louise O. Fresco, head of the Organization's Agriculture Department, said today. |
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| NEARLY 20 MILLION PEOPLE IN EASTERN AFRICA FACE SEVERE FOOD SHORTAGES
-- UN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION WARNS FOOD ASSISTANCE URGENTLY
NEEDED Nairobi, 16 August 2000 -- The number of people facing serious food shortages in eastern Africa has risen to nearly 20 million, up by three million since April this year, according to a report released today by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The August issue of FAO's Food Supply Situation and Crop Prospects in Sub-Saharan Africa says continuing drought has undermined food production in vast areas of eastern Africa, but it also blames war and civil strife for severely limiting farming activities in many areas. The report warns, "large numbers of people will need massive and continued emergency assistance" well into next year. |
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| FAO: STRONG INDICATIONS FOR SLOW-DOWN IN DEFORESTATION Rome, 8 August - The destruction of the world's forests is continuing but there are strong indications that the rate of deforestation is slowing down, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a statement published today. |
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| Joint WFP/FAO ABOUT 3 MILLION PEOPLE ARE FACING HUNGER AND UNDERNOURISHMENT IN TAJIKISTAN Rome, 27 July - Tajikistan is facing a serious food crisis caused by severe drought, continuing economic problems, deteriorating agricultural production and damage to the irrigation system, according to a joint mission report issued by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). |
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| FOOD SUPPLIES SET TO GROW FASTER THAN POPULATION, BUT UNDERNOURISHMENT
WILL REMAIN WIDESPREAD, ACCORDING TO NEW FAO REPORT Rome, 24 July - The world population of around 8 billion people by 2030 will be better fed and more people will have adequate access to food, but the number of hungry and undernourished people will remain stubbornly high, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated in a new technical interim report, entitled: "Agriculture: Towards 2015/2030", published today. "In 2015 there could still be about 580 million people suffering from chronic undernourishment," FAO said. |
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| FAO ANNOUNCES INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF MOUNTAINS IN 2002 THE UN AGENCY WARNS AGAINST DEGRADATION OF MOUNTAIN ENVIRONMENTS AND ADVOCATES RIGHTS OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES Rome, 19 July 2000.-- The degradation of mountain environments poses a serious threat not only to the world's water resources but also to biodiversity, food security and cultural diversity, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned today as intense preparations are currently under way for the International Year of Mountains to be celebrated in 2002. |
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| FAO ANNOUNCES THEME FOR WORLD FOOD DAY 2000: "A MILLENNIUM FREE FROM HUNGER" THE UN AGENCY CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION TO ELIMINATE UNDERLYING CAUSES OF HUNGER Rome, 13 July 2000.-"A Millennium Free from Hunger" will be the theme of this year's World Food Day to be observed on October 16, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced today. |
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| DROUGHT IN KENYA: FOOD SITUATION IS DETERIORATING RAPIDLY - FIRST
STARVATION-RELATED DEATHS Rome, 10 July - Kenya is suffering severely from drought and the food situation gives cause for serious concern, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a Special Report published today. "The food situation is especially dire for pastoralists because this is the fourth consecutive rain failure in their areas," FAO said. Starvation-related deaths, particularly among children, are being reported. |
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| FAO READY TO FACE CHALLENGES OF NEW MILLENNIUM, SAYS FAO
DIRECTOR-GENERAL Rome, 4 July 2000 .- "The reform process carried out by FAO since 1994 has provided a solid foundation to face the challenges of the new millennium," said Director-General Jacques Diouf at a news conference today. |
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| UN TASK FORCE FOR THE HORN OF AFRICA: LONG-TERM COMMITMENT NEEDED TO FIGHT HUNGER AND POVERTY Rome/Geneva, 29 June -- The drought stricken countries of the Horn of Africa will need long-term commitment and support from their governments, the United Nations system, donor countries and from non-governmental organizations to improve their food security and protect their people against future disasters, according to an interim report by the Inter-Agency Task Force. |
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| UNAIDS/FAO: HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC IS SHIFTING FROM CITIES TO RURAL AREAS - NEW FOCUS ON AGRICULTURAL POLICY NEEDED Rome/Geneva, 22 June - The fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic in developing countries has been mostly perceived as an "urban problem", but the absolute numbers of people living with HIV are actually increasing rapidly in many rural areas, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said today. |
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| UN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION ANNOUNCES FINAL STEPS TO ERADICATE
DEADLY ANIMAL DISEASE; WORLD EXPECTED TO BE RINDERPEST FREE BY 2010 Rome, 20 June 2000 --Rinderpest, one of the world's most devastating livestock diseases, is expected to be eradicated worldwide by 2010, officials of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced today. Rinderpest is a highly infectious viral disease that attacks bovine animals often destroying entire populations of cattle and buffalo. |
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| ONE YEAR AFTER THE WAR: FAO OPTIMISTIC ABOUT RELAUNCH OF AGRICULTURE
IN KOSOVO Rome, 12 June -- The rehabilitation of agriculture in Kosovo one year after the end of war has made significant progress, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a statement today. For FAO, Kosovo has become one of its biggest emergency operations ever. |
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| MILLIONS OF AFGHANS FACE POTENTIALLY DEADLY FOOD SHORTAGES AS CROPS
FAIL DUE TO DROUGHT Rome, 12 June -- Millions of Afghans have little or no access to food and the situation is expected to worsen in the coming months without additional food aid, according to a joint report released today by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). |
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| FAO REPORTS PROGRESS ON GENDER IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FIVE YEARS AFTER
BEIJING Rome, 5 June –Considerable progress has been made in promoting gender equity in rural communities, but gender stereotypes and imbalance in the division of labour and responsibiliies within the household and the economic production activities continue to prevail in many countries of the world, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in a statement released today. |
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| WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY A MESSAGE FROM DR JACQUES DIOUF DIRECTOR GENERAL UN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO) Rome, 2 June -- World Environment Day has a particular resonance for FAO because our land and water environment and its protection and conservation is vital to every area of the Organization's activity: be it agriculture, forestry or fisheries. |
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| JAPANESE AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES LEADER MUTSUTAMI HARADA MEETS THE
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF FAO AND CONFIRMS THIS ORGANIZATION'S COMMITMENT TO FAO'S
TELEFOOD CAMPAIGN Rome, 1 June 2000 - The President of JA-ZENCHU, the Central Union of Japan Agricultural cooperatives, Mr. Mutsutami Harada, had a breakfast meeting today with Dr. Jacques Diouf, the FAO Director-General, to reaffirm his organization's commitment to FAO's TeleFood campaign. |
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| CRISIS IN THE HORN OF AFRICA: FAO ASKS FOR MORE THAN $30 MILLION
EMERGENCY AID TO HELP PASTORALISTS AND FARMERS Rome, 31 May - The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today appealed for $32.6 million to bring urgently needed help to pastoralists, farmers and their families in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti. |
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| EGYPT, MALAWI SIGN AGRICULTURAL ASSISTANCE ACCORD AS PART OF FAO'S
SPECIAL PROGRAMME FOR FOOD SECURITY Rome, 17 May 2000-- The governments of Egypt and Malawi signed a tripartite agreement with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to send Egyptian experts and agricultural technicians to assist Malawian agriculture, the UN agency announced today. The cooperative accord, signed yesterday evening within the framework of FAO's Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS), will place the technical assistance services of Egypt at the disposal of Malawi for up to three years, stressing a spirit of continuing cooperation between the two African countries. |
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| DROUGHT IN ETHIOPIA HAS CAUSED SEVERE LIVESTOCK LOSSES AND HAS AGGRAVATED
HUMAN SUFFERING Rome, 15 May - Millions of animals have died in Ethiopia because of the current drought, aggravating food insecurity and human suffering, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a statement released today. |
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| FAO: SUSTAINABLE LAND USE AND MANAGEMENT NEEDED TO PREVENT SOIL
DEGRADATION Rome, 4 May 2000 - The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has urged governments and the international community to fight land degradation, desertification, deforestation and loss of biological diversity as crucial means for reducing hunger and alleviate poverty. |
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| FAO TO HOST GLOBAL FORUM ON FORESTS Rome, Italy - 28 April 2000 - The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has offered to host the Secretariat of the proposed United Nations Forum on Forests at its headquarters in Rome, Italy, the Organization announced today. The offer was made by FAO's Deputy Director-General David Harcharik in an address to the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 8) meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York. In his remarks, Mr. Harcharik welcomed renewed interest in national forest programs and called for "a clear and strong link" to be established between the new Forest Forum and FAO. |
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| IFAD AND FAO: CASSAVA CAN PLAY A KEY ROLE IN REDUCING HUNGER AND
POVERTY Rome, 26 April 2000 - Cassava can help the fight against hunger and poverty in developing countries if production can be increased and marketing improved, according to a joint statement released today by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The announcement came at an international forum on the tropical root crop, organized by IFAD and FAO (26-28 April). The meeting is expected to approve a Global Action Plan and a Cassava Development Strategy. |
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| SLOW PROGRESS TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE SINCE RIO, FAO WARNS
Rome, 24 April - Progress towards more sustainable agriculture has been slow in the eight years since the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, and most of the challenges identified then have still to be met, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a report prepared for the eighth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). |
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| "A HUMAN TRAGEDY LOOMS IN THE HORN OF AFRICA", FAO DIRECTOR-GENERAL
WARNS Rome, 18 April 2000 . - The Horn of Africa needs urgent and adequate food assistance to stave off famine and mass starvation threatening some 16 million people, more than half of the population of Ethiopia, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned today in a Special Alert released by its Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS). |
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| SECRETARY-GENERAL ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF THE UN TASK FORCE ON THE
LONG TERM FOOD SECURITY, AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED ASPECTS IN THE
HORN OF AFRICA Rome, 7 April 2000 - The Secretary-General announced today the establishment of a Task Force on the UN Response to Long-term Food Security, Agriculture Development and Related Aspects in the Horn of Africa in relation to the present drought crisis in the area. The Task Force will develop a comprehensive strategy to mitigate the effects of recurrent drought and to achieve lasting food security in the region. "This time, we are stressing the importance of prevention," said the Secretary-General, "so that we may never again face the spectre of walking skeletons." The Secretary-General has appointed the Director-General of UN Food and Agricultural Organization, Dr. Jacques Diouf to chair the Task Force. |
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| THE UN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION AND ITALIAN DAIRY PRODUCTS
GIANT PARMALAT SIGN COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT TO FIGHT WORLD HUNGER Rome, 10 April 2000 - The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Parmalat, Italy's largest producer of dairy products have signed a cooperative agreement to work together in the fight against world hunger, the UN agency announced today. Under the terms of the agreement, Parmalat will provide 3 billion Italian Lire ($1.5 million) over three years to sponsor FAO activities aimed at reducing world hunger. |
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| SOME $13 MILLION URGENTLY NEEDED TO HELP MOZAMBIQUE'S FARMERS REBUILD
HOMES AND START PLANTING Rome, 27 March -- Reconstruction of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in Mozambique will require at least $13 million for the next six months to address the needs of rural people returning to their villages while flood waters are receding, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today in a new appeal. The FAO appeal reflects the better understanding of the agriculture-related damage in Mozambique since the floods have started to recede. |
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| EDWARD KNIPLING, LEADING SCIENTIST IN PEST CONTROL, DIES AT THE AGE
OF 91 Rome, 21 March 2000.- Edward F. Knipling, leading American scientist in pest control, died on March 17 at the age of 91. His funeral took place today at the Interment National Memorial Park (Texas) in the presence of his 5 children, 14 grand children and numerous friends and colleagues, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced today. |
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| FAO SAYS NO GLOBAL WATER CRISIS, BUT SERIOUS REGIONAL WATER SCARCITY
PROBLEMS SHOULD ENCOURAGE FARMERS TO PRODUCE MORE WITH LESS WATER Rome/The Hague, 17 March -- In the future, globally there should be enough water to grow the food needed by an expanding world population. But, an increasing number of regions and countries will face water scarcity and will not be able to produce all the food they need locally. That was the message delivered at the World Water Forum in The Hague today by Assistant Director-General Louise Fresco of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). |
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| FAO STRESSES POTENTIAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY BUT CALLS FOR CAUTION
Rome, 15 March - Biotechnology provides powerful tools for the sustainable development of agriculture, fisheries and forestry and can be of significant help in meeting the food needs of a growing and increasingly urbanized population, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in its first statement on biotechnology, published today. In the case of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), however, FAO called for "a cautious case-by-case approach to determine the benefits and risks of each individual GMO" and to address the "legitimate concerns for the biosaftey of each product and process prior to its release." |
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| CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION TASK FORCE OPENS SESSION TO DEVELOP
STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES ON BIOTECH FOODS Chiba, Japan/Rome, Italy - 14 March 2000 -- As controversy continues to swirl around genetically modified foods, the joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission's Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology met for the first time "to develop standards, guidelines, or other principles, where appropriate," for these products, the two UN agencies announced today. |
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| CYCLONES CAUSE HEAVY DAMAGE IN MADAGASCAR, THREATENING FOOD SECURITY
Rome, 13 March - Some 10,000 people have been left homeless, and more than one hundred killed in Madagascar by two recent cyclones. The island nation, off the east coast of Africa, suffered severe damage to its infrastructure, including agriculture, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a Special Alert released today. |
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| WITH 10 MILLION PEOPLE A YEAR EXPECTED TO DIE FROM TOBACCO-INFLICTED
DISEASES BY 2030, FAO LAUNCHES NEW STUDY ON TOBACCO ECONOMY Rome, 9 March 2000 - How government policies toward tobacco impact on the world tobacco economy is the focus of a new study launched by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) the agency announced today. |
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| FIVE YEARS AFTER BEIJING: EMPOWERING RURAL WOMEN REMAINS A CHALLENGE
Rome, 8 March - On the occasion of International Women's Day, the Rome-based UN-food agencies, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) released the following statement: |
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| FAO APPEALS FOR $2.5 MILLION IN EMERGENCY FUNDING TO HELP MOZAMBIQUE
FARMERS RECOVER Rome, 2 March- The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched an urgent international appeal to help more than 300,000 farmers and their families in Mozambique to cope with consequences of the worst flooding to hit the country in 40 years. "Around $2.5 million are needed to help Mozambique's farmers get back to farming as quickly as possible so the country will be able to produce enough food to feed its people," FAO Director-General Dr. Jacques Diouf said in a statement released today. |
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| FAO Regional Conference for Africa: MORE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF AFRICAN FORESTS NEEDED - DEFORESTATION CONTINUES AT A HIGH RATE Rome, 23 February - Africa's forests are seriously threatened by civil unrest, rapid conversion into agricultural land, overgrazing, wildfires, overlogging and excess cutting for fuelwood and charcoal production, according to a report released today by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The study will be discussed by the 21st FAO Regional Conference for Africa, meeting in Yaounde, Cameroon, 21-25 February. |
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| FAO LAUNCHES $145 MILLION APPEAL TO FUND EMERGENCY OPERATIONS IN POOR
COUNTRIES Rome, 22 February - The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is appealing for some $145 million in support of emergency activities in the poorest countries of the world. The money will fund the recovery and rehabilitation of agriculture in 13 countries (*) and the Great Lakes/Central Africa regions, which are suffering from natural or man-made disasters, FAO said in a statement released today. |
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| FAO Regional Conference for Africa: FAO: AFRICA SHOULD INCREASE PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN AGRICULTURE Rome, 21 February - African countries should increase public investment in agriculture to promote private sector participation and improve agricultural growth, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Judging from the successes of some Asian and a few African countries, governments in Africa should allocate at least 25 percent of the national budget to agricultural and rural development programmes. FAO made the recommendations in a paper prepared for the 21st Regional Conference for Africa, in Yaounde, Cameroon (21-25 February). |
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| FAO URGES CLOSE MONITORING OF DESERT LOCUSTS IN WEST AFRICA Rome, 14 February 2000 -- The desert locust situation in west and north-west Africa requires careful monitoring following sightings of highly dispersed desert locust populations over large areas in the extreme north west of Mauritania and certain parts of northern Niger and Mali, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). |
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| FAO DIRECTOR-GENERAL JACQUES DIOUF NAMES THREE WOMEN TO SENIOR MANAGEMENT
POSITIONS Rome, 21 January 2000 - Dr. Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), named three women to senior management positions in the largest specialized agency in the UN system, the organization announced today. |
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| FAO URGES INCREASED RESEARCH ON FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF STARCH TO
HELP DEVELOPING COUNTRIES COMPETE IN WORLD MARKETS Thiruvananthapuram (India)/Rome, 21 January 2000 -- The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has urged research institutes to look into the various properties of starch in an effort to help developing countries compete more effectively in world starch markets. |
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| FAO AND WORLD ENERGY COUNCIL CALL FOR HIGHER PRIORITY
TO ENERGY PROBLEMS IN RURAL AREAS Rome, 17 January - The massive energy problems of rural areas need to be given much higher priority, according to a joint report of the World Energy Council and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Hopes that improvement in energy supply would 'trickle down' from the more advanced sectors of the economy to the rural poor have not been realized, FAO said in a statement released today. "Rural energy development must be decentralized, to place rural people at the heart of planning and implementation." |
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