PAPUA NEW GUINEA - PAPOUASIE-NOUVELLE-GUINEE - PAPUA NUEVA GUINEA

Mr. Utula U. Samana, Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea

I am greatly honoured to represent Papua New Guinea as the Special Envoy of the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Sir Julius Chan, and to participate in this extremely important summit on the most basic need - food for human consumption and survival.

At the very outset let me, on behalf of my delegation, express our deep appreciation and gratitude to the Director-General of FAO, Dr. Jacques Diouf, for his impeccable leadership, wise guidance and foresight in organizing this Summit. It is a Summit of historic significance focused on the most important and appropriate theme - Food for All - considering the plights of the marginalized and dispossessed communities of the world. I wish to also convey my Government's best wishes and gratitude to the Government and people of Italy for their warm hospitality and the opportunity to visit their historic and ancient city, Rome, the seat of one of Europe's cradles of civilization.

Papua New Guinea concurs with the findings of FAO, depicting the critical social, political and economic factors that progressively inhibit the majority of the world's citizens from acquiring productive technologies to enhance food production or to be able to have access to food sources; if they do, the question of having the purchasing power to obtain the basic food requirements lingers on.

The fact that one-sixth of the world's 5.9 billion population - or 841 million people - are undernourished and continue to live in conditions of abject poverty while others are immersed in wealth, and that children are dying from hunger in this century of great strides in technological and scientific achievements is a serious concern of immense social and political potency - more than enough to invoke human conscience. If not, human civilization has lost its mark in upholding the virtues of humanity.

The Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action, therefore, sets the global framework at an opportune time thanks to the tireless leadership and efforts of FAO and all those who have worked relentlessly towards the staging of this important Summit. The Declaration calls for concerted and determined actions of world leaders, governments and actors at all levels to work in harmony and solidarity to redress institutional and structural distortions, undertake practical actions to resolve this acute problem of food insecurity, to create an environment - a political, social and economic environment - conducive to enhancing people's capacities, capacities of individuals and families to feed, house and improve their living standards.

This call inevitably imposes a moral imperative for the international community, for all of us gathered here to take collective action and to renew our efforts towards the eradication of poverty and to commit ourselves at the international, regional and national levels in pursuing sound policies and strategies tailored towards alleviating the current deplorable conditions faced by our respective peoples. Achieving food security in this sense is a fundamental exercise aimed at improving the welfare of the marginalized. It is also a critical factor in ensuring social and political stability in the national and international context.

My Government, therefore, believes that this Summit and its Plan of Action should provide the desired impetus to lift the profile of agriculture in the national agenda. In Papua New Guinea, 75 percent of the people are rural-based subsistence farmers whose major preoccupation is food production for basic sustenance with limited but expanding cash cropping and local and international trading.

One of the most important features of Papua New Guinean agriculture, especially in the informal sector, is that women play a key and leading role in food production, food processing and food marketing and distribution. Their efforts are seriously hindered by lack of transportation and communication, infrastructure and accessibility to needed credit, information and appropriate technologies. Specific policy support and administrative mechanisms are required to facilitate the development of women in general and, in particular, efforts to improve the technical and management capacities of women through training, acquisition of technology and entrepreneurial skills-development.

Papua New Guinean governments over the years since independence have continued to recognize the importance of women's active participation in the socio-economic and political life of our nation. Consistent with our country's constitutional objectives, specific policy initiatives have been undertaken to sensitize the key decision-makers at the executive government and bureaucratic level to give equal emphasis to the empowerment of women and encourage their direct involvement in decision-making at all levels in support of women's expanding responsibilities in the development and management of economic resources. Given women's immediate role in food marketing and production in the context of many developing countries, we would strongly recommend that the international community give the highest priority, within the framework of the World Food Summit Plan of Action, to the development of specific programmes and establishing institutional mechanisms to support women's efforts in food production and marketing, and to address such critical issues as women's access to credit, technology and infrastructural support.

The World Food Summit Plan of Action, which we have just adopted, will be incomplete if there is no specific focus and priority given to women's role as food producers, food processors, food marketers and distributors. Their labour and sweat and daily struggle in harsh conditions to provide food for their families must be rewarded in a fair and just manner. This would be Papua New Guinea's perception, given the critical role our women play in the food sector. To eradicate poverty and to ensure long-term food security and self-sufficiency, women in developing countries must be placed at the centre of decision-making, planning and programming at the international, regional and national levels in our efforts to reach the objective of food security for the betterment of our current and future generations.

The long-term objective of the Government of Papua New Guinea is to improve the development capacities of the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors in the economy by formulating relevant policies and strategies to enhance productivity on a sustainable basis in an integrated manner. Papua New Guinea has made significant progress in developing its food production systems as its population grows at 2.3 percent per annum. Current initiatives undertaken within the food sector include programmes to enhance the development of traditional staple crops, fruits and vegetables and livestock products. We are most grateful for the assistance of FAO, through its Technical Cooperation Programme, in facilitating the establishment of a National Agricultural Research Institute in Papua New Guinea for the purpose of undertaking relevant and appropriate research and development initiatives in the food sector.

This is a major initiative of the Government, dedicated to supporting food and livestock research and development and technology for development aimed at improving farmers' productive capacities at all levels. The major thrust of this effort is to take advantage of Papua New Guinea's unique biodiversity and to develop traditional crop varieties that have agro-industrial potential. The formation of the National Agricultural Research Institute is most timely and would play a critical role in translating the World Food Summit Plan of Action into specific country strategies for development of the food sector.

One of the most important elements of Papua New Guinea's government policy emphasizes integral human development through the promotion of people's social and cultural heritage. Consistent with this policy, the Government has shaped the legislative framework and strategies that provide for the sustainable use of forest resources which is a critical factor in the maintenance of subsistence energy in meeting the construction, cultural, economic and social requirements of the rural population. The forest provides the habitat for most of the country's unique and diverse flora and fauna and also protects vital water catchments that prevent soil erosion and thus sustain the natural resource base in the long term. Investment into research and development, innovations in technology and genuine efforts in improving management and cultivation practices directed at supporting farmers' efforts are the key elements in any policy that is likely to succeed. This also includes a deliberate attempt to develop rural infrastructure, transportation and communication facilities to enhance accessibility and mobility and, in the long run, assist our farmers to be competitive.

In conclusion, I wish to reiterate the Papua New Guinean Government's wholehearted support for the Rome Declaration on World Food Security, and we further pledge our support for the World Food Summit Plan of Action and look forward, in cooperation with the international community and through regional and bilateral cooperation, to achieving transparency and equity in trade and investment in the food industry. At the domestic level, we commit ourselves to the promotion of a conducive political and economic environment through an effective constitutional and legislative process that will empower and encourage our people to participate directly in the socio-economic life of our respective countries.

World peace and security can only be guaranteed in the long term in a secure environment. Our commitments and our efforts in securing food for all are fundamental and concomitant to achieving the goals of international peace and security.