Press release number: IFAD 29/01

Rome - 12 October 2001 - The photographic exhibition entitled ''Hunger, Poverty and Food Production'', organized by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) within the framework of the official Italian celebrations of World Food Day, will be inaugurated in Florence at the ''Palazzo Vecchio'' of the Municipality of Florence on Tuesday, 16 October at 6:00 p.m., as part of the meeting on the ''Principal Food Products'' arranged by the Overseas Agronomy Institute (IAO) and the Municipality of Florence. Officials of the three United Nations Agencies whose principal headquarters are located in Rome, namely, IFAD, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and WFP (World Food Programme) participated in the event.

The objective of World Food Day, which commemorates the anniversary of FAO's founding on the 16th of October 1945, is to sensitise public opinion with regard to the grave situation of persons suffering from hunger in the world and to mobilise the food resources needed to help them.

Approximately 1.2 billion people in the world today find themselves in conditions of absolute poverty and are forced to survive on less than one US dollar per day. IFAD, which has been fighting rural poverty in the world for the past twenty-four years, is actively engaged in the collective struggle being waged by the international community to achieve the objective set forth in the Millennium Summit Declaration (adopted in September 2000) to decrease by half - before the year 2015 - the percentage of poor people in the world whose income is less than one US dollar per day, as well as of those persons who are suffering from hunger.

The United Nations and Italy are working to achieve this goal and World Food Day represents an important opportunity to highlight the efforts that are being made as well as the progress that has been achieved until now. The photographic exhibition is an attempt to provide the general public with a visual overview of this world problem and of the global solution.

IFAD has selected forty-three black-and-white photographs dating from 1923 until the present day from the IAO, IFAD, FAO and WFP archives. Vivid emotions can be transmitted for the first time by means of these artistic images which depict the living conditions of poor populations struggling against hunger.

Phenomena such as disease, epidemics, insect attacks and wars have always been an obstacle to the advance of humankind. The agencies of the United Nations are continually at work to help humanity defend itself and overcome these calamities.

Some of the most famous photographers in the world have used their cameras to illustrate the rudimental and varied labour systems that were used from the early 1920's until the present day to increase food production and farm income, as well as to improve living, health and literacy conditions in the agricultural and fisheries sectors among poor rural populations.

A press conference organized by IAO will be held at Palazzo Vecchio on Monday, October 15th, 2001 at 12:00 noon to announce the subjects that will be discussed at this event.

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IFAD, a specialized agency of the United Nations, has been entrusted with a specific mandate to fight against hunger and poverty in the most disadvantaged regions of the world. From 1978 until today, IFAD has financed 584 projects in 114 countries, including Trans-Jordan and the Gaza Strip, for a total sum of approximately USD 7.2 billion, including both loans and donations. Thanks to these projects, approximately 250 million poor people in rural areas have been able to rise up from their poverty condition. IFAD places the majority of its own resources at the disposal of countries with low incomes at extremely favourable conditions, namely, up to forty years for the repayment of the debt, a grace period of ten years and an interest rate equivalent to 0.75% per annum.