Chairperson
My Delegation welcomes the Ministerial Dialogue with the UN System and other relevant International Organisations. We thank the information shared on the UN Organizations systems in relation to CSD ? 16 thematic issues.
The UN system is to respond to the real needs of the people depending on specific needs of a particular country. For the UN system to be effective, we believe, they have to act in a coordinated and integrated manner. The UN system can also play a role in alerting
member states on their obligations, concerning different adopted international instruments.
With reference to the thematic issues of the CSD ? 16, namely, Agriculture, Rural Development, Land, Drought, Desertification and Africa, there is a need to develop a coherent strategy to deal with those issues in a more holistic manner, if the problem of food crisis is to be effectively addressed.
Capacity building at the country and regional level continue to be crucial, and if coordinated, it could play a significant role and make a positive impact. In the case of Africa, more research needs to be done to identify crops that can withstand different climatic conditions on the continent. Namibia being an arid and semi arid country, can greatly benefit from such research. Capacity to strengthen national and regional early warning mechanisms, as well as sharing information at the international level, are crucial.
In order to ensure sustainable development, indigenous knowledge in agriculture, food production, and water resource management, has to be recognized as a base on which support and assistance can be rendered.
The UN system is in a better position to have clear target interventions to support the rural poor, farmers and women to increase food production. Women being the majority in food production chain, if trained to deal with the new technologies in both agricultural and environmental management sectors, food crisis could be mitigated.
Information dissemination and advocacy to create awareness on issues of biodiversity, climatic change and its impact such as floods, drought, and desertification is very important to enable coordination, not only at the regional and national level, but also at the community level. Therefore, the UN system can compliment national programmes in the area of advocacy.
The UN system can also play a role in building capacity on resource mobilization and management. It is important to bring to light the negative impact of unfair trade on agricultural products. It is equally important to have agreed international instruments on food, agricultural production, and trade.
I thank you
