Brussels, 10/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - To ensure world food security - an objective that now features among the priorities of the international agenda - the G8 leaders meeting in L'Aquila, fully aware of the aggravation of hunger in the world as a result of the economic and financial crises, said that they would adopt a two-pronged approach: boosting agricultural production and emergency food aid. With the number of people suffering from hunger and poverty now exceeding one billion, this move is more than ever necessary.
Over and above the $US 10 billion which they undertook last year to make available for this dual purpose, the G8, extended to include all the countries and organisations represented in L'Aquila, undertook to make $US 20 billion available over three years. The European Union has welcomed this “L'Aquila Food Security Initiative”, which is included in the joint statement, as it wished (see EUROPE 9936).
“We cannot accept and we will not accept that 15% of the world's population suffers from hunger. We have reached an agreement on a new initiative on global food security which will support rural development in poor countries. The EU will contribute €3 billion to this,” said European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. At the same time, the EU will continue to operate the food facility, announced at the G8 meeting in Toyako one year ago, until 2011, Barroso said. This facility is worth €1 billion annually and 35 developing countries receive aid from it. Barroso was pleased that the G8 was no longer content just to invest in emergency aid, and that developing countries were now being helped to promote their own agriculture.
“We have to support developing countries in meeting the Millennium Development Objectives. The EU strongly welcomes the G8 initiative to assure food security on a global scale,” said Swedish Prime Minister and President in office of the European Council Fredrik Reinfeldt.
In their joint statement, the signatories underline that they remain deeply concerned by global food security, the impact of the financial and economic crisis and last year's surge in food prices which affects those countries that are least able to face up to the worsening hunger and poverty situation.
Commitments in favour of global security, subscribed to by the G8 in the strict sense of the term, are many to: - stimulate sustainable growth in global food production by promoting more investment in agriculture, including via development aid and with special attention to small farmers; - work with the partner countries and international organisations in crafting a joint proposal on best principles and practices with regard to agricultural investment at international level, in order to combat the growing trend of purchase by rich countries of agricultural land in developing countries; - encourage reform of
international institutional architecture with a view to greater effectiveness of relevant organisations and food aid; - and support regional processes such as the programme for development of agriculture in Africa in order to promote sustainable farming, the development of local markets and of non-agricultural
rural economies. (A.N./transl.rt/jl)