Enabling poor rural people
to overcome poverty



Statement by Jacques Diouf Director-General, FAO delivered by David Harcharik Deputy Director-General, FAO

On the face of it, it might seem inappropriate to be launching a report that focuses on medium and long-term development while the world is still preoccupied with the tragic effects of the tsunami disaster that struck so many Asian countries and claimed so many lives on December 26th. However, I will suggest that publication of the Millennium Project Report could not be more timely.

The tsunami disaster affected rich and poor alike and was a dramatic reminder to all of us that we live in one world. And it threw into stark relief the hidden misery and vulnerability of so many of our fellow human beings living in the developing world. The suffering and destruction struck a chord in the hearts of millions of people in the wealthier countries around the world, and we are witnessing a great outpouring of generosity and solidarity. In no time at all, hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars were pledged.

The big lesson from this outpouring of solidarity is that the willingness to assist those less fortunate in their development effort does exist. At FAO, we have long argued that the means to raise the developing world out of poverty are well within the world society’s reach. What is lacking is the political will. The tsunami showed that the popular will to help and to make sacrifices exists. One only hopes that the strong message sent by the people everywhere will strengthen the political will and commitment for investment in longer-term poverty reduction and sustainable development, building on the momentum now created.

The question is how.

Today’s report gives clear guidance on the way forward. It flags 2005 as a crucial year for stepping-up action if the world is to deliver on the pledges agreed at the Millennium Summit and other international summits and conferences. We welcome the Report’s recommendations on the actions needed to achieve all the Goals.

FAO’s role in the overall effort has been driven by its mandate to promote agriculture, forestry, fisheries and rural development, and to facilitate the achievement of the goal set by world leaders during the World Food Summit and re-iterated during the World Food Summit: five years later, namely to halve the number of hungry people by 2015. Our mandate links us most closely with the first of the MDGs, the reduction of poverty and hunger. We have many times emphasised that there are strong, direct and positive links between improving agricultural productivity, and reduction of hunger and poverty. After all, three-quarters of the world’s poor live in rural areas of developing countries and make their living from agriculture. While not denying the growing importance of poverty in urban areas, the fight against hunger and child malnutrition will be won or lost primarily in the rural areas. FAO’s mandate extends also directly to several of the other MDGs, particularly MDG Seven concerning environmental sustainability, with natural resources being vital for maintaining an adequate food supply capacity and rural livelihoods. Likewise, the Organisation is a crucial partner in the effort to create a fair and rules-based multilateral trading system, which is covered by MDG Eight.

The Millennium Development Goals have set reducing hunger as a separate target to be achieved. And the fact is that if real progress can made in improving nutrition, it will contribute to achievement of all the MDGs:

  • Hunger imposes a heavy cost on individuals, families and whole societies: hundreds of billions of dollars are lost as malnutrition takes a heavy toll on the health, productivity and life expectancy of individuals who suffer from it. Poverty cannot be fought unless we effectively fight hunger and improve nutrition.
  • We cannot hope to achieve the education goal if we fail to consider that poor rural families may be unable to afford to send their children to school, and if they get there, hungry and malnourished children find it hard to study and their learning ability is compromised.
  • We cannot hope to achieve gender equality and empower women to get involved in action to improve their lot, unless we have first ensured that households can fulfil their basic needs.
  • The links between nutrition and child mortality are also important: it has been estimated that about five million child deaths a year can be blamed on hunger and malnutrition, which prevent children fighting off even common childhood diseases.
  • We cannot hope to improve maternal health unless we substantially improve the nutritional status of expecting mothers.
  • Adequate nutrition also plays an important role in the fight against HIV/AIDS: proper nutrition helps delay the progression from HIV to AIDS-related diseases and will improve the performance of the immune system.
  • And with reduced hunger and poverty, rural people are less compelled to encroach on natural resources and fragile environments and able to apply more sustainable technologies.

In all these areas, we know what needs to be done. And we also know the cost of failing to take action: every generation of malnourished children costs the developing world more than 500 billion dollars in deaths and disability.

When the tsunami rose terrifyingly from the depths to claim so many lives, it unleashed not only death and destruction, but also a global outpouring of solidarity.

It would be a fitting memorial to the many thousands who died if their loss resulted in the world waking up to its responsibilities and taking decisive, effective action - this year - to achieve all of the Millennium Development Goals. We have only this one earth, shared by us all.

 

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