TONGA

The Honourable Baron Vaea of Houma, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga

The call to all people of goodwill was heard even in the most remote parts of the South Pacific, to get together here in Rome, the eternal city. Given the imperative of the message that too many people of the world are still without their share of our daily bread, the call could not be denied.

Such a situation can no longer be tolerated and is a blight on all humanity. It also detracts from the progress we have made in our social, scientific and economic endeavours. It is also a sad reflection on our efforts to move together towards a global village where all cannot only claim a place in the sun and where our children might be allowed a place to develop and practice their individual talents but also be free and safe in the knowledge that their basic needs in food and nourishment will be secured and sustainable on the table at each meal time.

That 800 million people still cannot count on adequate food fully justifies the urgent call that has issued forth from the Director-General of FAO and to which the international community has responded so well. I would like to add my voice to the many who have already highly commended him for his vision and concern.

Food sufficiency is problematic enough as we in the Pacific Islands battle droughts, hurricanes, inadequate and high salinity water supplies and a host of other pressing challenges, without having to look over our shoulders at political shortcomings which have forced some of us to forego the plough for other priorities.

There can be no justification for acts that endanger our people, particularly the most vulnerable in our societies, the women and children. Women in whose hands we entrust the nourishment of our young, who also play such a prominent role in passing on the threads of our culture to the generations of the future. Unless we, the international community find more effective and appropriate means of settling our differences, I fear another 20 years may come and go, while the quest that we have set ourselves at this World Food Summit in 1996, could continue to elude us. Speaking on behalf of my country, I am pleased to report that food shortages have been for the most part eliminated. Adequate protein however still has to be supplemented through imports. It is a basic fact of life that the small pacific island states who share a large percentage of the world's tuna resources, are net importers of tin fish, tin meat and other products.

We continue to seek a solution to this paradox and I am encouraged that the international financial institutions are prepared to support our efforts and strengthen our national fishing capabilities so that we can contribute towards a better diet for our people and for the wider global community.

Our major trade is in agriculture. We do not have the means to produce in larger quantities due to limited agricultural land but opportunities do exist to exploit niche markets where we have a comparative advantage because of our favourable climate and fertile soils. Better post-harvest facilities will also enable us to export to our maximum capacity, with probable canning now under consideration to overcome and to comply with quarantine conditions imposed on us by importing countries.

While FAO oversees our campaign strategy against starvation, malnutrition and insufficient food supply needs, as well as responsibilities, to be borne by the larger and more affluent of the community of nations, facilitating the resources available through the international community, even the smallest of the smaller of our sea-locked island countries have our respective roles to play to ensure that we can do our best within our national borders, and in the regional context, to meet the targets that we have set for ourselves today in Rome.

We have the means, the technology and the skills. I only pray that we can find the resolve and the unity of purpose to amend the unfortunate existing situation and to turn it around to make it a better world where none shall go hungry.