ROME, CROATIAN PRESIDENT ATTENDS IT ROME, June 10 (Hina) - The death of every child due to the hunger in the world is a defeat of the humankind, said participants in the opening ceremony of the UN World Food Summit in Rome on
Monday.
ROME, June 10 (Hina) - The death of every child due to the hunger in
the world is a defeat of the humankind, said participants in the
opening ceremony of the UN World Food Summit in Rome on Monday. #L#
Opening the summit, which has drawn officials from 183 countries
and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Italian
President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi said it was necessary to carry out a
programme adopted six years ago by the FAO summit on reducing the
number of hungry people in the world from 800 million to 400 million
by 2015.
Currently every four seconds one person dies of starvation in the
world.
FAO Secretary-General Jacques Diouf criticised the most developed
countries for failing to send delegations with top officials to the
Rome event. Of 29 most developed countries, only two - Italy and
Spain - are represented by Premiers Silvio Berlusconi and Jose
Aznar respectively.
However, the hunger-stricken African nations have not also sent
high-ranking officials, and this situation reflects the mutual
distrust, Diouf said.
He also reproached countries for failing to meet the commitments
they assumed at the FAO summit six years ago.
Measures have been taken against terrorism, illegal immigration,
but nothing has been taken against hunger, he complained.
According to FAO data, there are 815 million people stricken by
hunger, and 777 million of them live in developing countries, 27
million in countries in transition and 11 million in industrially
developed states.
To eliminate hunger is a moral obligation, human right and it is in
the interest of all countries. If poor countries may have greater
possibilities for purchase, it will be to the benefit of the
developed ones. A programme for the fight against hunger should be
based on three fundamental things: to provide food for everybody,
health insurance and education. It is necessary to make it possible
for people to be able to produce food instead of receiving aid, the
FAO Secretary-General said.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed the summit and presented
some data about this problem.
In the world one billion people have no drinking water but use the
polluted water, Annan said calling on the relevant factors to help
create a world programme to eradicate hunger.
The Vatican's State Secretary Cardinal Angelo Sodano relayed the
message Pope John Paul II forwarded to this event.
Croatia's President Stjepan Mesic, who is attending the summit,
will deliver a speech on Monday afternoon.
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