Opinion

Decisive Push in Preparation for the FAO Summit on Food Security

Brasilia, 17 April - In a speech inaugurating the 30th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil told participating delegations that he had been convinced by the FAO Director General to participate in the upcoming "Summit on Food Security", to take place from 3 to 5 June this year at FAO headquarters in Rome.

The support of President Lula arrived at a particularly appropriate moment, as the steep rise of food prices is causing political and social conflict in several regions of the world, in some cases even resulting in hunger riots. Said the Brazilian President, "I am going to Rome with the intention of moving the debate forward with the seriousness that the subject requires."

Lula noted that food security must be part of the permanent policies of all countries and that it is necessary that those that are in better conditions make concessions in favor of the poorest countries of the world. In relation to the upcoming summit of Rome, the Brazilian President affirmed that FAO has a fundamental role in articulating the challenges and opportunities that countries face. "That debate must be made in a rational way, without emotion or ideological slants, neither left nor right. Scientific arguments are needed so that people can discuss the solutions that are being offered to the world in the coming years," said Lula.

FAO Director General Jacques Diouf also addressed the meeting and was accompanied at the table of honor by Brazilian Minister of External Relations Celso Amorim, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply Reinhold Stephanes, Minister of Agrarian Development Guilherme Cassel and Independent FAO Council President Mohammed Saeid Noori-Naeini, as well as other high authorities of the country host and FAO.

The participating delegates welcomed the invitation from the FAO chief that all countries of the Region be represented in this Summit on Food Security by their Heads of State. "It will be a special occasion to adopt the policies, the strategies and the programs necessary to confront the great challenges that, in the wake of the price increases, raises questions about agricultural production, mainly in the poor countries", affirmed Diouf.

Contacts: Lucas Tavares, telephone (55 61) 8415 1392, email: lucas.tavares@fao.org
Isabela Dutra, telephone (55 61) 8415 2537, email: isabela.dutra@fao.org
German Rojas (Information Officer of the Regional Conference), telephone: (55 61) 8415 1201, email: german.rojas@fao.org