UNCCD
Mr. Chairman,
About 75% of the poor live in rural areas. The current food crisis became a global concern when it hit cities, where whereas food crisis has been endemic for many years surviving on agro-pastoral activities. They are also suffering under the scourges of hunger. Therefore, efforts to combat persistent hunger and poverty must address agriculture and rural development.
At the World Summit on Sustainable Development, UNCCD has been identified as an important tool for poverty eradication. In fact, the Convention can also be labelled as a tool for rural development since its implementation takes place at national, sub regional and regional levels, more precisely in rural areas of this planet. The General Assembly has also recognized that the UNCCD is a tool to be used to achieve MDGs, in particular as they relate to poverty and hunger.
We know and Panellists can confirm that the map of poverty and hunger almost coincide with that of degraded lands. We also know that hunger and abject poverty are the result of national and global policy failures in particular looking at the size of the decline of investments going to rural development and agriculture during past decades.
Mr. Chairman,
Investments have deserted the rural world. It is time to reverse this dangerous trend, it is time to increase funding towards rural development and agriculture. This has been basically a call made by the recent Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD and do hope that CSD will do the same.
Thank you.
About 75% of the poor live in rural areas. The current food crisis became a global concern when it hit cities, where whereas food crisis has been endemic for many years surviving on agro-pastoral activities. They are also suffering under the scourges of hunger. Therefore, efforts to combat persistent hunger and poverty must address agriculture and rural development.
At the World Summit on Sustainable Development, UNCCD has been identified as an important tool for poverty eradication. In fact, the Convention can also be labelled as a tool for rural development since its implementation takes place at national, sub regional and regional levels, more precisely in rural areas of this planet. The General Assembly has also recognized that the UNCCD is a tool to be used to achieve MDGs, in particular as they relate to poverty and hunger.
We know and Panellists can confirm that the map of poverty and hunger almost coincide with that of degraded lands. We also know that hunger and abject poverty are the result of national and global policy failures in particular looking at the size of the decline of investments going to rural development and agriculture during past decades.
Mr. Chairman,
Investments have deserted the rural world. It is time to reverse this dangerous trend, it is time to increase funding towards rural development and agriculture. This has been basically a call made by the recent Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD and do hope that CSD will do the same.
Thank you.