ID :
90303
Wed, 11/18/2009 - 10:42
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/90303
The shortlink copeid
MALAYSIAN DPM: EXPEDITE FAO REFORMS TO OVERCOME WORLD HUNGER
From Elmi Rizal Alias
ROME, Nov 18 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Deputy Prime Mininster Muhyiddin Yassin has urged that reforms in the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) be hastened to overcome hunger in the world, which is now affecting more than one billion people.
Muhyiddin said a reformed FAO was very much required to be effective to also
improve global food security.
"We must be bold to be critical and to take corrective action swiftly.
Although the FAO's reform process has started, progress is slow and results are
still not visible," he said when addressing the World Summit on Food Security
here Tuesday.
Muhyiddin was joined by more than 60 heads of state and government in the
three-day global summit starting Monday, aimed at pushing for a new momentum to
eradicate hunger affecting 1.02 billion people.
Also present was Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar.
Muhyiddin also said rich nations were socially and morally responsible to
help poor countries expand and improve their food production.
"They must also assist them to improve production and supply chain
efficiency because it's a collective responsibility of the global community," he
said.
The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that there was a need to set up a global
trading system that was fair and pro-poor to ensure food security for all.
He said developed countries must reduce and eliminate their huge farm
subsidies and distorted support that was displacing production in the developing
countries.
He said to increase farm incomes, investments by rich nations in agriculture
on a long-term basis was equally important.
"However poor countries with scarce financial resources are unable to commit
sufficient funds to increase investments. Therefore a proposal to strengthen
investment in agriculture in poor countries must be packaged with access and
availability of funds.
"International financial institutions must also commit a higher amount of
funds to finance investment in agriculture in developing nations," he added.
In this respect, Muhyiddin said Malaysia welcomed the G8 L'Aquila Joint
Statement of the Global Food Security in July this year, which called for the
mobilisation of US$20 billion to allow small-scale farmers to increase the
production.
However, he said these pledges must be quickly translated into actual
disbursements to developing countries to increase their food productions.
He said the FAO must also ensure that the world shared technology and
techincal expertise in agriculture that could assist poor countries increase
their yields and cropping intensity.
"Countries which have the wealth of knowledge and the technology must be
magnanimous to transfer technology to countries which lack technical expertise,"
he said.
He said to increase agriculture production, farmers must also be assured of
access to quality inputs.
To achieve this, he said Malaysia as chairman of the D8 Organisation for
Economic Cooperation, was commited to achieve the Kuala Lumpur Initiative of
strengthening collaboration in production and distribution of quality
agriculture inputs especially for seed, animal feed and fertilisers to increase
food production and productivity.
To overcome the effects of climate change, Muhyiddin suggested that
developed countries must make firm commitment to reduce Green House Gas (GHG)
emissions to tackle increasing global temperature.
"Malaysia is fully commited to achieve the Millennium Development Goal to
eradicate hunger and poverty. We have invested much to improve the
infrastructure in the agricultural sector to increase food production," he
added.
-- BERNAMA
ROME, Nov 18 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Deputy Prime Mininster Muhyiddin Yassin has urged that reforms in the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) be hastened to overcome hunger in the world, which is now affecting more than one billion people.
Muhyiddin said a reformed FAO was very much required to be effective to also
improve global food security.
"We must be bold to be critical and to take corrective action swiftly.
Although the FAO's reform process has started, progress is slow and results are
still not visible," he said when addressing the World Summit on Food Security
here Tuesday.
Muhyiddin was joined by more than 60 heads of state and government in the
three-day global summit starting Monday, aimed at pushing for a new momentum to
eradicate hunger affecting 1.02 billion people.
Also present was Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar.
Muhyiddin also said rich nations were socially and morally responsible to
help poor countries expand and improve their food production.
"They must also assist them to improve production and supply chain
efficiency because it's a collective responsibility of the global community," he
said.
The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that there was a need to set up a global
trading system that was fair and pro-poor to ensure food security for all.
He said developed countries must reduce and eliminate their huge farm
subsidies and distorted support that was displacing production in the developing
countries.
He said to increase farm incomes, investments by rich nations in agriculture
on a long-term basis was equally important.
"However poor countries with scarce financial resources are unable to commit
sufficient funds to increase investments. Therefore a proposal to strengthen
investment in agriculture in poor countries must be packaged with access and
availability of funds.
"International financial institutions must also commit a higher amount of
funds to finance investment in agriculture in developing nations," he added.
In this respect, Muhyiddin said Malaysia welcomed the G8 L'Aquila Joint
Statement of the Global Food Security in July this year, which called for the
mobilisation of US$20 billion to allow small-scale farmers to increase the
production.
However, he said these pledges must be quickly translated into actual
disbursements to developing countries to increase their food productions.
He said the FAO must also ensure that the world shared technology and
techincal expertise in agriculture that could assist poor countries increase
their yields and cropping intensity.
"Countries which have the wealth of knowledge and the technology must be
magnanimous to transfer technology to countries which lack technical expertise,"
he said.
He said to increase agriculture production, farmers must also be assured of
access to quality inputs.
To achieve this, he said Malaysia as chairman of the D8 Organisation for
Economic Cooperation, was commited to achieve the Kuala Lumpur Initiative of
strengthening collaboration in production and distribution of quality
agriculture inputs especially for seed, animal feed and fertilisers to increase
food production and productivity.
To overcome the effects of climate change, Muhyiddin suggested that
developed countries must make firm commitment to reduce Green House Gas (GHG)
emissions to tackle increasing global temperature.
"Malaysia is fully commited to achieve the Millennium Development Goal to
eradicate hunger and poverty. We have invested much to improve the
infrastructure in the agricultural sector to increase food production," he
added.
-- BERNAMA
