Leaders, agencies, business and civil society call for renewed efforts to end world hunger
MADRID, Spain, January 28, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Global Partnership for Agriculture and Food Security (GPAFS) to support Africa through CAADP
“Poor people are constantly being put to the test by food insecurity. We need to do more to protect people from the social insecurity that is caused by food security”, said United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon yesterday.
“We worked hard to bring food assistance to those that most needed it in 2008. This year it is going to be harder because of the financial crisis which impacts on food security, but we must remain focused on improving food production” he advised.
Mr. Ban was speaking at the end of a two-day ‘High Level Meeting on Food Security for All, 26th -27 January’ in Madrid, Spain. The meeting was co-chaired by the Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
The meetings were a follow-up to last June’s High-level Conference on World Food Security in Rome.
Speaking on behalf of the African Union, Prof. Richard Mkandawire who is the head of NEPAD’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) called upon the participants to use the meetings as an opportunity for kick-starting action-driven and globally-oriented attempts to end world hunger.
The severe food shortages in countries such as Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Afghanistan are a constant reminder that the food crisis is far from over.
Although global food prices have fallen in recent months, they are still relatively high, very volatile and expected to rise in the future. This is further complicated by the ‘triple crunch’ of the economic crisis, climate change, and energy and water scarcity.
According to Jacques Diouf, Task Force vice-chairman and Director- General of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) there are almost one billion hungry people, out of the 6.5 billion who make-up the world population.
The FAO Director General called for an investment of $30 billion per year in agriculture of developing countries to double food production by 2050 and to ensure the basic right to food for all.
In relation to this, Mr. Ban advocated for the twin-track approach of providing food and nutrition aid along with boosting food production. It is in this regard that he went on to call for a new element – the right to food – to be added to fighting food insecurity.
The Global Partnership for Agriculture and Food Security (GPAFS) and the links to CAADP
At the meetings participants also held discussions on a broader and deeper global partnership that can be used to facilitate an effective international response to both immediate and longer-term problems of global food security.
Referred to as the ‘Global Partnership on Agriculture and Food Security’ (GPAFS) is expected to operate across three levels – global, regional and especially national in terms of implementing genuine policies for eradicating hunger.
Within the context of Africa – African ministers of Agriculture and representatives from regional economic communities called for the GPAFS to be implemented through the already existing CAADP structures, partnerships and networks.
“In Africa, it is imperative that CAADP is located at the centre of GPAFS activities so that it can be optimally used to support the real agricultural plans of small holder farmers, women and those that are usually marginalised in African agriculture” advised CAADP’s Mkandawire.
CAADP – endorsed by the AU and NEPAD in 2003 – is an Africa-led and Africa-owned initiative and framework to rationalise and revitalise African agriculture for economic growth and lasting poverty reduction results.
For more information contact:
Dr. Andrew Kanyegirire Andrewk@nepad.org
CAADP Communications Manager, NEPAD Secretariat
Louis Napo Gnagbe louisg@nepad.org
Media Manager, NEPAD Secretariat
Visit http://www.nepad-caadp.net for more information on CAADP
SOURCE : NEPAD
Secretariat
