pr som opening 12 march 2012
TRANSCRIPT
8/2/2019 Pr Som Opening 12 March 2012
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FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
PRESS RELEASEFOR INFORMATION
MEDIA
NOT AN OFFICIAL
RECORD
Members of the Asia
and the Pacific region:Afghanistan
Australia
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Cambodia
China
Cook Islands
DPR KoreaFiji
France
India
Indonesia
Iran
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kiribati
Lao PDR
Malaysia
Maldives
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nauru
Nepal
New Zealand
Niue
Pakistan
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Republic of Korea
Russian Federation
Samoa
Sri Lanka
Solomon Islands
ThailandTimor-Leste
Tonga
Tuvalu
United States of America
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vietnam
Regional Office for Asia and the
PacificMaliwan Mansion
39 Phra Atit Road
Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Tel: (66 2) 697 4000Cable: FOODAGRI BANGKOKFacsimile: (66 2) 697 4445
E-Mail: [email protected]
RAP 12/03
FAO: Hunger becoming more complex in Asia and the Pacific
Hanoi, Vietnam, 12 March 2012 – With food prices twice as high as a decade ago, feeding
nearly 600 million people suffering from hunger and malnutrition in the Asia-Pacific region
is becoming more difficult, according to the regional representative of the Food and
Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, which opened a major regional
conference in Hanoi today.
“Eradicating hunger has become more complex and challenging in this region,’’ Hiroyuki
Konuma, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative of FAO, told over 300
delegates, representatives and observers from 38 countries.
Rising and volatile food prices, climate change impacts, frequent natural disasters, trade policies,soaring crude oil prices and the growing use of food crops for biofuels are factors complicating
the fight against hunger, Konuma said.
“Food security and poverty reduction are relevant and urgent issues as 65 percent of those living
in hunger and poverty in the world are in the Asia-Pacific region,’’ said Viet Nam’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat in his opening remarks to the bi-annual FAO
regional conference.
The Asia-Pacific region is home to 578 million of the world’s 925 million people who are
malnourished, representing almost no change in the absolute number of hungry people in 20
years despite rapid economic growth in most countries. Of that total, 91 percent live in just six
countries: India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Hunger and malnutrition are responsible for the deaths of roughly 3.3 million children under the
age of five each year. To feed the projected world population in 2050, sustainable food
production will have to increase by 60 percent globally, and by 77 percent in developing
countries.
Accomplishing that “will require huge investments in the agricultural sector,” Konuma said, withfunds devoted to research and infrastructure development, agricultural extension, training, post-
harvest loss reduction, and effective and sustainable natural resource management.
Equally important will be a paradigm shift in food production advocated by FAO that promotes
agricultural diversification, conservation of natural resources and working in greater harmony
with ecosystems.
Polices also matter, including promotion of pro-poor agriculture and rural development,
strengthening farmer cooperatives and organizations, inclusive development, especially for
women, and solidarity within and between countries.
The Hanoi meeting will be the first regional conference attended by Jose Graziano da Silva sinceits election as FAO Director-General.
Participants include representatives of seven UN organizations, six inter-governmental
organizations, 28 civil society groups and special observers from Singapore, Brunei and the Holy
See.
For further information please contact:
Diderik de Vleeschauwer, FAO Information Officer at [email protected] or Viet
Nam cel +84 125 305 0667
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