It is an honor and a pleasure for me to address this unique gathering that has been called to assess the progress we have made since the historic World Food Summit of 1996, and to re-dedicate ourselves to the noble goals set at that Summit. I would first like to thank the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and its Director General Mr. Jacques Diouf, for this important and remarkable initiative. I wish also to express my appreciation to him for inviting us to share with you our thoughts on the problems of hunger and malnutrition in our world and, in particular, in Africa.

At the 1996 World Food Summit, the leaders of the world agreed that the conditions of poverty and hunger that affected nearly a billion people at the time was unacceptable and that the world needed to take urgent action to change it. World leaders agreed in particular that it was morally unacceptable that in an era of material abundance, a large section of humanity should continue to be condemned to a life of hunger and destitution. This was the basis for the universal consensus reached at the time on the need for collective global action to reduce by half the number of hungry people by the year 2015

Although the international community, in its various declarations, has recognized the right to adequate nourishment as a basic human right - and although the 1996 World Food Summit clearly laid out the goals and the means for achieving it - we are forced to acknowledge that at the beginning of the 21^st Century, the World is still far from achieving this objective. While it is true that some countries have made significant breakthroughs in improving their food security in the last five years, many others have not done as well. Indeed, the right to food is far from being realized for a significant portion of the world's peoples.

The case of Africa is particularly disturbing. Since the e World Food Summit of 1996, the number of people on the continent who are undernourished has actually increased. It is now estimated that close to 200 million people, or 34 percent of the population, falls in this category. This compares to 10 percent in East Asia, and 11 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean. A number of factors have conspired to bring about this situation.

In some of our countries, political conflicts and wars have disrupted rural livelihoods and agricultural production, leading to hunger and malnutrition. In other instances, poor systems of governance and inadequate policies are to blame. And in an increasing number of our countries, the HIV/AIDS pandemic has compounded the problem of food insecurity. In addition, there are the enduring problems of adverse weather conditions, over-dependence on rain-fed agriculture, inadequate access to land, especially by women, serious land degradation, and poor management of natural resources.

The current food crisis that we are witnessing in Southern Africa vividly illustrates the structural problems faced by many of our countries. Drought, floods and economic instability are threatening the food security of more than 10 million people spread across six countries in the region. As a consequence, thousands of children are suffering from severe malnutrition; schools have had to be closed; and it is also feared that malnutrition might lead people to be even more susceptible to diseases. The high prevalence of HIV/AIDS - especially among the economically active segments of the population -- is also taking its toll, Ieaving many people more vulnerable to food shortages and malnutrition. The situation is indeed one of grave concern, requiring the concerted action of the international community to avert a major catastrophe.

The international community will need to continue to work closely and collaboratively not only to tackle special situations such as those in Southern Africa today but also to address the structural problems that lie behind the problem of food insecurity in many of our countries. Permit me, in this regard, to say a few words on the actions that the African Development Bank is taking to promote agricultural and rural development a food security on the Continent.

As affirmed in its 1999 Vision Statement, poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth are at present the overarching objectives of all Bank activities. Given that the vast majority of the poor in Africa make their livelihoods in the rural sector, agricultural and rural development -- along with investments in the social sectors such as education and health - have been given the highest priorities in our operations in the recent past. Since the 1996 World Food Summit, approvals fur these sectors have, for example, reached $ 2.6 billion or 28 percent of total Bank Group approvals over this period.

The Bank's interventions in these sectors aim to in prove food security and reduce poverty by not only helping improve the productivity of farmers through the introduction of new technologies -- but also improving rural conditions to enable rural producers increase their incomes. A central focus of our operations has thus been improving the state of rural infrastructure such as roads, including feeder roads, market centers and storage facilities, rural water supply, and rural electrification. This is required to improve market access for farmers and to enable effective participation of the private sector in food production.

The Bank has also adopted participatory approaches both in the design and implementation of its projects and programs, to ensure that its interventions are sustained in the long run. Indeed, in our rural development projects we foster a community-based and community-driven approach to development. And as part of this process, we have supported the decentralization of decision-making processes to enable rural communities to have a real say in matters that affect their livelihoods. In addition, the Bank has sought to address the critical gaps occasioned by the lack of capacity, especially for producers and traders of food and agricultural products and their organizations.

The Bank is keenly aware of the need for close cooperation with our development partners - particularly the FAO, IFAD, and the World Bank - to enable all of us to make a significant impact in improving food security on our continent. In this regard, an important area of cooperation is the Special Program for Food Security (SPFS). This pilot program aims at removing the specific constraints that have been identified as preventing the attainment of food security. It is now being implemented in eight African countries and is jointly financed by the ADB, FAO and other donors. The Bank has provided US$ 8 million for these pilot programs and we are monitoring its progress closely to learn the lessons that could usefully be replicated in other countries.

In looking ahead, it is clear that many challenges will need to be tackled to allow the World to reach the goal of halving the number of hungry people by 2015. Although some encouraging steps have been taken, there is a need to intensify our efforts in many countries - particularly in Africa - as these will face serious difficulties in m meeting this goal.

In the future, increases in food production will have to come increasingly from more intensive production systems on existing agricultural land, accompanied by measures to sustain its productivity. Sustained improvement in food security will also require farmers to have continued access to new technologies. Land tenure systems will also need to be reformed to provide for land entitlement for rural farmers and independent access by women to land. It is also vital that investments are made so as to improve access to affordable infrastructures such as water, irrigation, electricity and telecommunications.

Africa's efforts at agricultural development will need to be supported by the international community if it is to succeed. In particular, it is essential that industrial countries reverse the decline in official development assistance and also remove the subsidies and tariffs that stand in the way of increased agricultural exports. In this regard, the NEPAD initiative has proposed a new partnership with the donor community - based on shared principles and mutual accountability -- to re-launch and put on a secure basis Africa's future development efforts. The initiative deserves the full support of the international community.

In closing, let me state that white the challenges o f improving food security and reducing hunger in the world are formidable, they are certainly not beyond our means. The world has the knowledge and the resources to halve the number of hungry people by 2015, if not earlier. What is required is the will to work jointly and in partnership to achieve this goal. We at the African Development Bank stand ready to work with our regional and non-regional partners to make this goal a reality in Africa.