Statement of the President of the Economic and Social Council on the occasion of the special meeting of the Council on the global food crisis.
New York, 20 May 2008
As President of the Economic and Social Council, I am extremely satisfied with our discussions on the global food crisis. While this is just one small step, it has demonstrated how Governments and other stakeholders can respond together in order to address a crisis that threatens millions of the poorest and the most
vulnerable.
This special meeting of the Council is its first in response to the responsibilities conferred on it by the 2005 World Summit Outcome. It was my hope, now realized in full measure, that we could contribute to the process of defining a concerted, coordinated and comprehensive response and serve as a bridge between the meetings of the recently concluded Commission on Sustainable Development and the forthcoming meetings to be held in 2008, the High-level Conference on World Food Security in Rome in early June, the substantive session of the Council in July and the high-level event of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals on 25 September. I applaud the measures taken by
the organizations and bodies of the United Nations system under the leadership of
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, embodied in the outcome of the Berne meeting of
the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) and the
subsequent establishment of the United Nations Task Force on the Global Food
Security Crisis.
Our meeting today has shown that in responding to this complex crisis, all of
us have to act together urgently. While we must cope with this situation, we must
also put in place policies that can turn a threatening situation into an agricultural
renaissance. In our collective action, there is a clear role for Governments, the
United Nations system, development banks, non-governmental organizations, the
broader civil society, the scientific community, academia, the private sector,
philanthropic organizations and the media.
Drawing from our discussions, I am pleased to outline the basic elements that
constitute the basis for effective and sustained global action.
Action now
• We must ensure that funding pledges for emergency food assistance, whether
bilateral or through the United Nations system, are delivered urgently. We need
to go beyond the need to maintain past levels of delivery and redouble our
efforts to get food to the hungry. The Council makes this appeal, not only to
donor Governments, but also to private corporations, philanthropic
organizations and individuals in a position to make such contributions.
• Affected countries should immediately put in place targeted food and nutrition
support measures and social safety nets with priority for maternal, infant and
child programmes. The United Nations system, especially at the country level,
should respond to the needs of national Governments in this regard, keeping in
mind that the response to immediate needs should not compromise the
development of future agricultural capacities.
• As a matter of highest priority, we need to give farmers the ability to meet the
production needs for the next growing season. Donors and national
Governments should respond with speed to these short-term needs in order to
ensure that basic seeds, fertilizer and pesticides reach small farmers.
• We urge the research community to bring its knowledge to bear in order to
provide a better understanding of the food markets, including the financial
markets, speculation and the current food crisis. A deeper understanding will
help policymakers to implement meaningful policies in this regard.
• We urge all Member States to show the necessary political will and flexibility
to bring about a new trade regime more conducive to food security by
encouraging food production and agricultural investments in developing
countries. There should be a renewed urgency in concluding the Doha round of
negotiations, which should address agricultural subsidies and tariffs of
developed countries, with a view to helping agricultural development in poor
countries.
Initiating medium- to long-term measures
• We urge donors to re-examine the sectoral allocation of official development
assistance, which has seen a dramatic decline in aid for agriculture. The food
crisis has highlighted the need for significant support to agricultural
development such as improved inputs, better infrastructure, secure land tenure
and better organization of poor farmers.
• We urge greater investments in agricultural infrastructure, in particular
irrigation, roads, communications, transport and storage facilities. Investing in
reducing harvest and post-harvest losses and in agro-industries will increase
the food supply and generate income for the rural poor.
• We urge a special concerted effort to address the crisis in Africa, home of the
largest number of least developed countries. In this context, we urge
substantially increased donor funding for publicly supported research and
development, extension and rural infrastructure to boost agricultural
productivity. Africa, in particular, should be a major beneficiary of such
investments, with an emphasis on research and development on food crops
well suited to local agro-climatic conditions in order to bring about a “green
revolution” on the continent.
• We urge the Bretton Woods institutions to consider providing financial support
to those low-income developing countries that would initially face adjustment
costs and worsening food insecurity from the higher global prices associated
with agricultural trade liberalization. We urge the international financial
institutions to reform compensatory financing mechanisms to make more
resources available for swift disbursement to the countries affected by food
price shocks or other terms-of-trade shocks, with minimal conditionality. Debt
service suspension should also be considered.
• We urge Governments to seriously rethink biofuel policies in order to ensure
that policies to promote biofuels do not jeopardize food security. Appropriate
policies will have to be carefully considered and implemented. The net
economic impact and the environmental and social impacts need to be
balanced and made part of strategic policy in this regard.
• We urge greater regional dialogue and cooperation to enhance regional food
security that will facilitate quick responses to local food shortages. In this
context, we urge the expansion of South-South cooperation and the exchange
of best practices in food security programmes. We recognize the disparate and
complex nature of the food crisis and recommend the sharing of experiences
and best practices, which will be especially relevant in the regional and
subregional contexts.
• We urge enhanced collaboration and exchange with the private sector,
foundations and other civil society organizations on innovative programmes to
combat hunger and malnutrition. We also urge a stronger partnership with
agricultural research centres in order to promote the diffusion of knowledge
and technology through the provision of extension services, which are
essential for sustained increases in agricultural productivity.
• We call on the organizations of the United Nations system to build on actions
already initiated in the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for
Coordination to promote a unified approach, including through the United
Nations Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis.
• We call upon our private sector partners, in particular the food industry, to
consider the need to keep food and agricultural inputs affordable for the
world’s growing population as an important element in their corporate social
responsibility strategies.
• We encourage the global philanthropic community to expand grants to partners
in the poorest countries geared towards improving agricultural productivity
and increasing food production.