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Points of Intervention
Pointers for Interactive Dialogue on
Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development
Mr. Chairman, Let me join other delegates in underlining the importance of the issue we are discussing today and also I wish to emphasize the critical importance we attach to the full implementation of Agenda 21, particularly Chapter 14, as well as the Plan of Action of the World Food Summit so that the promotion of sustainable agriculture and rural development can be furthered strengthened. The declining trend in world agriculture production, particularly in the developing countries, which has been caused by a number of reasons, should be the main focus of international cooperation. The application of modern biotechnology has not yet proven its usefulness in contributing to both food security for all and to sustainable agriculture and rural development. The difficulties confronted by small farmers in the developing countries have been mainly caused by the lack of access to land and to productive resources as well as to the fragile environment and adequate access to markets. Access to adequate financial resources, environment friendly technology and institutional capacity are also of critical importance for supporting the sustainable agriculture and rural development. In this regard, the international community and the relevant international organizations should ensure the acceleration of the development and the application of environment friendly agriculture technology. In doing so, they would enable increased agriculture product competitiveness to take place. Moreover, by considering the potential and the diverse natural resources condition, the local socio-cultural, and the sustainability of environment, it would greatly help to expand agricultural development. Mr. Chairman, Creating a conducive environment for the development of the economy at the grass roots level is important. Such an environment would include, fair market mechanisms through rules and regulations, public services and business incentives as well as the development and maintenance of public infrastructure and the creation of a conducive environment that would allow farmers and entrepreneurs to conduct agriculture business efficiently and competitively. Private sector investment in this field should not be confined to agriculture research only. It is also important that the developed countries increase their efforts to facilitate and enhance foreign direct investment (FDI) for agriculture and agribusiness development and, in particular, to support the achievement of sustainable agriculture and rural development objectives. The activities of international organizations in promoting of sustainable agriculture and rural development, including combating the degradation of agriculture lands, the development of an integrated plan on nutritional systems, the control of pests and disease, integrated pest management, agro-biodiversity and genetic resources as well as development of organic farming, should be dedicated to the global plan of action as stipulated in Agenda 21 and the World Food Summit Plan of Action. Mr. Chairman, We also attach great importance to the need to develop “safety net” arrangements based on the existing global mechanism provided for economic crises and other emergencies that have occurred. To increase access to modern information technology for capacity building and for helping farmers to become better informed with regard to sustainable development practices, prices and access to inputs and outputs markets, are also of critical importance for supporting sustainable agriculture and rural development. The empowerment of local communities through the enhancement of knowledge and access to information, new skills, and greater capacities for planning and managing their activities and development cooperative entities are also of vital importance. I wish to take this opportunity to extend our appreciation to the delegate from the Netherlands for his report on the results of the Maastricht meeting and, in this regard, we should seek a consensus on avoiding controversial issues that would not directly contribute to sustainable agriculture and rural development. I also wish to underline the need to avoid confusion by discussing specific issues that belong to other forums that are more appropriate, such as the WTO. It is particularly disappointing that the issue of multifunctionality should arise at CSD after the FAO Ministerial Conference in November last year concluded that “there is currently no consensus on the meaning of the concept of the multifunctional character of agriculture, nor on a role of FAO with respect to work on it. We. Therefore, could not accept the references to multifunctionality, which were included in the “possible elements for decision paper”, in the final decision of this meeting. Furthermore, we could not accept any endorsement of further work on the concept either in CSD, FAO, or in any open-ended working group outside these bodies.
Thank you
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