FAO: the number of people suffering hunger has increased [Archives:2006/929/Local News]
SANA'A, March 15 ) Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Director-General Jacques Diouf exposed that despite global commitments affirmed at the 2000 Millennium Summit to eliminate hunger and achieve sustainable food security for all, there were 852 million malnourished people in the world in 2000-2002, including 815 million in developing countries, 28 million in countries in transition and nine million in industrialized countries.
“If this trend continues, only South America and the Caribbean will achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. The goal of halving the number of people suffering hunger will only be achieved by 2150,” Diouf said in a speech delivered Wednesday at the FAO 28th Near East Regional Conference (NERC).
According to World Food Summit targets, Diouf said the Near East region was to reduce its number of malnourished people from 73 million in 1990-1992 to 55 million in 2000-2002 and then to 34 million by 2015.
Regrettably, the number of people suffering hunger and malnutrition increased from 73 million in 1990-1992 to approximately 100 million in 2000-2002. The proportion of malnourished people rose from 13 percent to approximately 15 percent of the total population during the same period.
“Unless strong measures are taken to reverse this alarming trend, particularly through massive agricultural investment, the number of people suffering hunger in the region could reach 143 million by 2015,” Diouf said.
Diouf concluded his speech saying that several Near East countries face serious food shortages largely attributable to internal conflicts, unfavorable weather conditions and earthquakes, as is the case in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and Sudan. He said some countries also have had to deal with invasion of desert locusts.
NERC concludes its sessions today in Sana'a. The conference began Sunday, March 11 with a meeting for the 23 member countries' senior agricultural officials, in addition to observational members and international organizations.
Members discussed several topics including strengthening regional cooperation in controlling Trans-boundary Animal Diseases – particularly the means to fight bird flu diseases, positive and negative impacts of genetic crops, Near East region fisheries and drought mitigation.
Senior agricultural officials concluded their three-day session Tuesday, March 14, approving reports with recommendations to be presented the following day to the ministerial conference, launched in the presence of Prime Minister Abdul Qadir Bajammal and Diouf.
Bajammal highlighted financial and technical support FAO can offer Yemen, especially in preparing studies and research on increasing productivity, quality, marketing and fighting trans-border epidemics, in addition to enhancing FAO's role in Yemen.
He also expressed Yemen's appreciation for FAO support during the last period, pointing to the importance of increasing such support in the upcoming period, particularly on the technical side to achieve the two sides' common goals.
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