EUROPE/ITALY - Conclusion of the High-Level Conference on World Food Security in Rome, with substantial allocations of funds to meet the most urgent needs; many questions remain

Rome (Agenzia Fides) – The High-Level Conference on World Food Security sponsored by the FAO in Rome from June 3 to 5, has finally concluded. It has been an intense meeting that has had to address many urgent issues on a worldwide level and during which differing perspectives and interests have come into play. In three days, it was impossible to reach a clear solution to every single one of the questions posed. Making 181 nations and 43 Heads of State come to an agreement is not the easiest task. And yet, it is now clearer what the main problems facing humanity are – beginning with the vast majority of countries who are among the impoverished and developing nations – and thus, what measures should be taken. Even the means of prevention have become clearer, as well. The production of biofuels – i.e. of fuels not manufactured from petrol, but from cereals and other agricultural products – the protectionism of the West with their own agricultural production, and the issue of financial speculation on the world market, have not been addressed in a direct manner and with concrete decisions.
At the same time, however, there have been some important points made: the goal of trying to decrease poverty and starvation levels by 2015, the need to double agricultural production by 2050 in order to meet the needs of the growing world population. The significant finance decisions made by various countries and international organizations in order to respond “here and now” to the needs of the poorest areas, keeping in mind the most alarming statistic that has come out in this three-day event: that 862 million people suffer from malnutrition and starvation.
The final document, approved by acclamation, reflects these conflicts and desires. It has been the fruit of an arduous labor that has lasted until the late evening hours of Thursday, June 5. The document closes with a reiteration saying that they, “firmly resolve to use all means to alleviate the suffering caused by the current crisis, to stimulate food production and to increase investment in agriculture, to address obstacles to food access and to use the planet’s resources sustainably, for present and future generations.”
Of course, the most significant results from the Conference are the immediate measures to be taken in responding to the raging food crisis that is especially affecting Asia and Africa. There still remains the Latin American opposition to re-open the debate on biofuels, which many analysts say is among the causes responsible for the current food crisis. There is also a perplexity that persists among many organizations of civil society and especially among farmers in the southern hemisphere, who would have liked to have seen a discussion not only on economic aid, but also on the distribution of those resources and, therefore, on the management of development projects.
In the end, over 8 billion dollars (which is no small amount) have been allocated and it has been determined that the issue of biofuels should be researched more in depth, in order to verify its real impact on the environment and on agriculture. Spain has offered to host a follow-up Conference to the Rome Summit this autumn to assess the progress of things. The list of contributions is as follows:

United States of America: 1.5 billion dollars
Islamic Development Bank: 1.5 billion dollars
UN CERF: 100 million dollars
Japan: 150 million dollars
African Development Bank: 1 billion dollars
Kuwait: 100 million dollars
Netherlands: 75 million dollars
New Zealand: 7.5 million dollars
Spain: 773 million dollars
United Kingdom: 590 million dollars
Venezuela: 100 million dollars
World Bank: 1.2 billion dollars
(Mtp) (Agenzia Fides 6/6/2008)