Call for action on starving millions

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33694, 18 November 1974, Page 17

Call for action on starving millions

tN.Z P A -Reuter—Copyright

ROME, November 17. The World Food Conference closed today with a final .ssion in which the 1000 delegates approved more than 20 esolutions ranging from tsetse fly eradication to water management.

But there were few hard commitments at the 12-day conference to feed the more than 500 m people going hungry in the world.

i Leading delegates from the 130 countries taking part emphasised that only the future would tell what had been achieved. The conference chairman (Mr Giuseppe Medici of Italy) said in a closing speech that the success of the meeting depended on member states translating plans into action. For the United States, Mrs Anne Armstrong said that the meeting had concluded “with a degree of accomplishment few would have envisioned.”

But Algeria — representing the non-aligned nations — said that “it would be presumptuous to declare that all our objectives and hopes have been met.” Fann fund Referring to the conference’s call to establish a major fund to finance farm investment in developing countries, Algeria eaid that the initiative would have to come from the developed nations.

The United States, France and West Germany have already said that they do not yet intend putting any money into the fund. The fund was seen by the conference as the main longterm weapon for doing away with financing poor countries to grow their own food. There was also doubt about the value of another major resolution — to provide about 10m tonnes of international food aid over each of the next three yeans.

The United States has made it clear it does not see thL as a commitment to increase its own multi-lateral food aid. The conference recommended the establishment of a World Food Council under United Nations auspices to

[supervise anti-hunger (strategy. i Agreement on the council, I a ministerial-level body to be elected by the L'nited Nations General Assembly, | came after hours of wrangling between industrialised and developing countries in committee.

The council will be responsible to the General Assembly through its Economic and Social Council. lt*s secretariat will be based in Rome and drawn from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.

The council will be responsible for co-ordinating and strengthening existing international agencies working in the field of agricultural development. UKI.C.E.F. aid The United Nations Children’s Fund is to launch an emergency feeding programme for more than 200,000 children and mothers in two Indian states hit by floods and food shortages. The cast of the scheme in Western Assam and the CoOch Behar district of West Bengal will be between SUS2m and SUS2.Sm. It is the first time the Indian Government has approached an international agency for help in the

people. U.N.I.C.E.F. ks to provide food, medicines and clothing for the children and mother. The programme is to last about six months.