NETHERLANDS - PAYS-BAS - PAISES BAJOS

His Excellency Wim Kok, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Many speakers before me, including Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali, the Director-General Mr. Jacques Diouf, and my Irish colleague on behalf of the European Union, have stated what the most salient reasons for our Summit are: 800 million people do not have enough to eat, even more people suffer from malnutrition, and by the time FAO is 100 years old, this planet will have to feed 10 billion people, day in, day out. Food for all is what the Summit is pushing for. Yet, as we gather here in Rome, how elusive food security still remains is painfully demonstrated in Eastern Zaire, where over a million people risk starvation, not for any lack of food supplies, but because the supplies cannot get to them. For many, help will come too late.

Concrete plans are under way to reach those who can still be saved. My Government is prepared to contribute to a multinational force, depending on the implementation of the mandate. We are prepared to give, through the World Food Programme and other agencies, all other aid which is required. However, emergency assistance is not enough. The drama now unfolding near the Great Lakes of Africa clearly shows the need for structural solutions: prevention of hunger by economic and social development, by sustaining the earth's capacity to feed the people, by stemming population growth and by sharing scarce resources.

A tremendous joint effort is required to achieve our common goal of food for all. A more equal distribution of food is a must. If we are to make real progress, the problem of global food production must be placed in a wider context and perspective. It is an illusion to think that we will be able to increase world food security if the present pace of population growth is sustained. Implementation of what we agreed at the population conference in Cairo in 1994 is therefore indispensable.

Food security is a responsibility that concerns all of us. Firstly, at the national level, governments must make sustainable, balanced economic growth the keystone of their policies. Nobody should be excluded from economic progress. More jobs and growth of income are necessary. Poverty alleviation is a key to fighting hunger and malnutrition.

Food security also requires action at the international level. We should aim at an economic climate conducive to international trade and investments, enhancing employment and purchasing power in regions with food deficits, enabling them to buy food elsewhere. In order to make enough food available where it is required, we need free trade and international cooperation.

In recent years, significant steps have been taken in the direction of free trade on the international markets for agricultural products. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) agreement of 1994 was a milestone. What we need now is the implementation of the measures that have been agreed upon as well as new ones, including further liberalization. The Netherlands would like the least developed countries to be given free access to the markets for all of their products.

Currently, much debate is given to changing Europe's agricultural policy. It will have to put more emphasis on the environment and on the interests of consumers and producers outside the European Union. This would be a positive step for countries with prospects for expanding their agricultural production. At the same time, we have to be aware of the needs of countries that may encounter problems in the short term if food prices rise. The Netherlands believes that the decision taken in Marrakech on aid to such countries should be implemented vigorously in full.

The United Nations has a crucial role to play in increasing food security. It is the only platform in the world where peace and security, population, the environment and food security, our concerns here today, can be discussed in relation to each other. The Netherlands is strongly committed to the United Nations family. In order to deal with all these issues, we need to strengthen the United Nations. However, strengthening the system also requires a willingness to reform. Part of such a reform is a reduction of the number of institutions, committees and organizations concerned with food problems. If we want to be effective, we should be willing to streamline all these fora, both in Rome and in the field, and tie them in with those of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and WTO, challenging these organizations to help secure access to Food for All.

Know-how and technology are key words in solving global food security problems. We cannot count on the cultivation of large areas of new land in the future. The achievement of Food for All will largely depend on our ability to increase productivity per acre of agricultural land in a sustainable way. We know the limitations, due to shortages of water and to erosion of arable land. Know-how and technology should bridge the gap, for instance by investing in soil fertility in a sustainable way. We also need investment, both public and private, in agricultural infrastructure, education, research and natural resources. Increasingly, know-how and technology should be generated locally. Local capacity-building is the crux. The Netherlands wants to contribute to the development of know-how and help to increase its availability, for example, through the Agricultural University of Wageningen.

It is up to each country to make every effort to contribute to the reduction of hunger and malnutrition as symptoms of extreme poverty. The developed countries carry a particular responsibility with regard to those countries that cannot deal with these problems without outside assistance. We cannot ignore an estimated billion people living in abject poverty. International solidarity is crucial. The Plan of Action duly underscores this point. The Netherlands, for its part, is prepared to shoulder its responsibilities. We will continue to devote at least 0.8 percent of our GNP to development cooperation.

We are facing the daunting task of securing Food for All. Together we can and must live up to the promise of this Summit. Let us show the political will to do so.