Europe can do more to aid developing countries, UN says
Regional-European Union, Economics, 5/31/2002

The head of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) on Wednesday called on European countries to provide more support for farmers and fishermen in developing countries.

Speaking at a FAO meeting in Nicosia, Cyprus, Jacques Diouf said European support for the agency's programs would confirm the continent's "central role in ensuring stability and progress worldwide."

Diouf said an upcoming review meeting in Rome next June would provide an opportunity to galvanize political will and mobilize financial resources. He called on European heads of State and government "to attend in person, to ensure the success of the meeting."

Meanwhile in New York, FAO's Director for North America, Charles Riemenschneider, also called attention to the importance of next month's forum, pointing out that worldwide, over 800 million people - including 200 million children - went to bed hungry every night. "If the current trends continue, the number of undernourished is projected to fall to 580 million by 2015 - well short of the 1996 World Food Summit target of halving the number to 400 million by that year," he said.

Emphasizing that food security is essential to development, he said, "we'd all do ourselves a big favor by facing the fact that widespread hunger can only breed hopelessness, desperation (and) conflict which knows no boundaries."

The Rome meeting, he said, would provide an opportunity for high-level ministers to evaluate global efforts to fight hunger. "We will look at the results achieved as well as the obstacles met and the means of overcoming them," he said.

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