SECOND MEETING
DEUXIEME SEANCE
SEGUNDA SESION

(15 November 1979 )

The Second Meeting was opened at 14. 45 hours
Mohamed Sidki Zehni, Chairman of Commission I, presiding

La deuxième séance est ouverte à 14 h 45, sous la présidence de
Mohamed Sidki Zehni, Président de la Commission I

Se abre la segunda sesión a las 14. 45 horas, bajo la presidencia de
Mohamed Sidki Zehni, Presidente de la Comisión I

CHAIRMAN (interpretation from Arabio): First of all, I should like to ask you to allow me to ask the Rapporteur of Plenary to Commission I, Mr. Horatio Mends, to speak, in order to submit to us certain ideas or possibly a report on what has happened in Plenary so far. We have not so far been able to ask him to participate in our work because of his own commitments and I will give him the floor now.

Η. MENDS (Rapporteur from Plenary to Commission I): Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. First of all I would like to take this opportunity to thank all honourable delegates for electing me Rapporteur of this Conference. Although it is a complex and highly responsible assignment, we deem it a great honour to my country and a rewarding personal challenge which I accept with all humility. I shall work assiduously to ensure fulfilment of the objectives of this Twentieth Session of the FAO Conference.

Mr. Chairman, it is my intention to listen attentively to the various statements delivered during the general debates of the Plenary, extraot suggestions and proposals which have particular relevance to the issues before this Commission, and bring them for your consideration as often as practicáble. I must, however, apologise that from the discussions so far it has not been possible to follow this formula for this afternoon's presentation in relation to the items before you. I shall therefore give you a brief overview of the ideas expressed in these statements for your consideration.

In addition to His Holiness Pope John Paul II and His Excellency Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, President of the Republic of Zambia, who addressed the Conference on Monday, 31 Heads of Delegations have also delivered statements as of yesterday evening. This does not however include the excellent, comprehensive and keynote address delivered by the Director-General.

All these statements seriously underscore a harrowing assessment of rather deteriorating agricultural production capabilities of the developing countries and I have noted with great concern the daily increase in the number of the hungry and malnourished. The thrust of these speeches was towards a global strategy towards the reduction of the twin spectre of hunger and malnutrition. In this connexion the programmes and strategy delineated in the Director-General' s Programme of Work for the next biennium and the strategies for the medium term have been wholly acclaimed by all the speakers.

Specifically delegations recommend that developing countries formulate national programmes for increasing food production, commit more resources to provide incentives in rural areas to improve agrarian incomes; intensify efforts to bring about a new international economic order to stall the present condition of global hunger.

There should also be more intensive utilisation of productive resources, particularly land, adequate investment resources for irrigation and increased use of fertilizers and stabilisation of international fertiliser prices. FAO Should initiate an active study of the energy problem and its implications on agricultural production. FAO through its relations with other international organisations should seek means of increasing the flow of financial resources from international organisations such as IFAD and the Morid Bank to agricultural improvement in the developing countries. FAO again in collaboration with other agencies should formulate an international scheme for providing appropriate tools to small farmers for food production.

TCDC and EC DC, that is Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries and Economic Cooperation among Developing Countries, in the field of agriculture, should be strengthened at regional and sub-regional levels. It was further suggested that FAO develop a timely action programme as a complement to the Early Warning System and promote corrective measures which will help avoid human tragedy and crop losses. FAO should formulate a Global Man and Water Development Technology for the 1980s.

On Forestry, the delegations welcomed the Programmes proposed by FAO as a step in the right direction but stressed that the programmes should form part of the project package for effective rural development efforts and control of soil degradation. FAO was also requested to initiate active follow-up action on the Djakarta Convention in the area of forestry. Great concern was also expressed about the problems of access to foreign markets of commodities from the developing countries due to trade protectionism. In particular developed countries were called upon to try and improve their trade relations with developing countries by relaxing these trade barriers. To justify even greater attention being paid to the development of agrarian policies and

agricultural production, it has been proposed that a day of every year, possibly a week, beginning on the anniversary of FAO, that is 16 October, be declared World Day of Food and agriculture, and the Director-General has therefore been called upon to prepare a draft resolution on this subject for the consideration of your Commission.

Finally I dare say it has been amply stressed that the developed countries have the resources and means to assist the developing countries to stabilize and accelerate their food production efforts and improve their economic and social structures. This, it was felt, can and must be done as a moral obligation in the unceasing quest to conquer hunger, malnutrition and rural poverty. The developed countries, in the various statements, have also affirmed cooperation with FAO and other international agencies and through bilateral arrangements in sharing experiences, technologies, research and training facilities for increased food production and general agricultural improvements in the developing countries.

I shall be addressing your Commission from time to time as you progress along the lines of your agenda and report on the general issues touched upon in the discussions in the Plenary. Thank you very much.

CHAIRMAN (interpretation from Arabio): Thank you very much Mr. Rapporteur for this concise and very clear report, and I trust that Mr. Horatio Mends is going to be able to make it possible for us to follow very carefully what happens in Plenary and this is certainly going to enrich our ideas. On behalf of all of you I would again like to thank him and express the hope that we shall be meeting with him again very soon.