REMARKS
BY
H.E. DR. MAKARIM WIBISONO
PRESIDENT OF ECOSOC
BEFORE
THE UNITED NATIONS
WORLD FOOD DAY OBSERVANCE

New York, 18 October 2000

 

His Excellency Mr. Harri Holkeri, the President of the 55^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly,

Her Excellency Ms. Louise Frechette, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General,

His Excellency Dr. Jacques Diouf, the FAO Director-General,

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is indeed a great pleasure for me, as President of ECOSOC, to address you today on the occasion of this Twentieth World Food Day observance on this year’s theme of A Millennium Free from Hunger.  Since the World Food Day was first observed by the FAO in 1979 its central purpose has been to raise awareness of the horrific plight of the millions of hungry and malnourished through out the world and to mobilize action on their behalf to effectively combat it. Thus, World Food Day 2000, presents us all with both the opportunity and responsibility to hold ourselves to the task of eradicating hunger from the face of the earth and of ensuring food security for all. I feel proud, as an Indonesian, that my country has been actively observing World Food Day since its inception.

World Food Day also brings a stark reminder that, as we embark on the 21^st century, chronic hunger and malnutrition still afflict approximately 800 hundred million people and children in the midst of a world of plenty, a world which ironically has the technology to produce enough food for all. That is not to say that the excellent work of the Food and Agricultural Organization and the world Food Programme, which have saved millions from hunger and starvation, has gone for naught.  But their efforts are being continuously undermined by the lack of political will to make global economic growth and prosperity work for all. Our challenge is therefore a formidable one.  We, must seek to break through the cycle of poverty and hunger and the neglect that has generally been afforded to this issue.

As I mentioned in my statement at the opening of ECOSOC 2000 on 27 January this year, that since this is the first year of the new millennium, it should add a sense of urgency that could greatly help to reinforce our drive to promote social and economic development and to eradicate poverty.  Likewise, this year’s World Food Day theme: to free the new millennium from chronic hunger on a permanent basis, could benefit from a sense of such urgency and momentum.  In doing so, we should seek to address the underlying causes of this worldwide and persistent scourge of hunger.

A major underlying cause of hunger on a worldwide basis is the failure of development. I would go further in saying that it is  particularly a failure to achieve sustainable, people-centered development. Such development includes participation, inclusiveness, ownership and sustainability, programmes to help the poor rise out of poverty, and through it we hope to achieve our main objective, the lasting elimination of hunger. 

To meet this challenge, urgent action is needed. We must increase agricultural productivity, raise the incomes of rural communities, improve access to food supplies and to ensure that the developing countries participate in global trade and finance on a more equitable basis.  We also need to provide new incentives in rural areas and to enhance farming activities. Moreover, to achieve increased participation, productive employment and job opportunities must be also created, particularly for women and youth. Social safety nets should be introduced, and appropriate policies adopted so as to strengthen the role of the family in ensuring household food security. The World Food Summit sought to combat hunger in this way and it also set the goal of halving the levels of chronic hunger by the year 2015.

In pursuing the goal of sustainable agriculture, you may recall that the Commission on Sustainable Development at its Eight session this year adopted a number of decisions on agriculture, land resources, economic growth, trade and investment, and the mobilizing increased financial resources. The CSD urged governments to improve market access, provide technical assistance, establish capacity building initiatives for developing countries and countries in transition, allowing them to increase their export opportunities, promote diversified production for export, and likewise improve their capacity to trade.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

There is a truism that says, give the man a fish and he will eat for a day, but, teach a man to fish, and he will eat everyday. People must be enabled and empowered to participate in their own development. This concept is central to the promotion of human resources. It facilitates participation, partnership and ownership, critical components for people-centered development. There is also an urgent need for joint action between governments, international agencies, civil society, and the private sector if the battle against hunger and malnutrition is to be successful.

One last brief point I would like to make is that this World Food Day is taking place against a background of rapid globalization and  is driven to a large extent by the revolution in information technologies (ICT) and bio-technologies. We must take these new forces fully into account.  At this year’s high-level segment of ECOSOC, the member states recognized the critical importance of ICT by comprehensively deliberating on its role in development cooperation as its main theme.  The outcome stressed, in part, the need to harness the enormous power and potential of ICT in the service of development, and stressed that no country could continue to insolate itself from its overarching impact without incurring tremendous costs of its people. Together with the opportunities presented by bio-technology, ICT can, if effectively harnessed, hold out great hope for conquering hunger in the future.

In conclusion, therefore we are very pleased and thankful that the World Food Day provides an excellent opportunity this time each year for an open forum encouraging dialogue between all key players and stakeholders involved in the fight against hunger and poverty. It is my profound wish that this year’s World Food Day, with its expanded activities will become a milestone for moving our world faster along the road towards achieving our common goal, a Millennium free from Hunger.

Thank you very much.