United States of America
Chairperson, thank you for the opportunity to offer a statement on behalf of the United
States Government in this regional discussion regarding Africa. The United States Government
commends CSD for its emphasis on Africa in this session and we wish to emphasize the
importance of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) within the African agricultural and
food system--which is of vital importance to African development prospects and the welfare of
African people. We also wish to comment on implementation of some of the policy prescriptions
of CSD-17 which dealt with agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification and
Africa. Finally, we will emphasize some of the important interrelationships with additional topics
of CSD- 18, especially chemicals, and transportation.
Sustainable Consumption and Production: First, we recognize the essential
importance and interconnections of the CSD-18 topic of sustainable consumption and production
with sustainable agriculture (the topic of CSD-16-17) and food and nutrition security, the
Secretary General?s high priority. Perhaps no other area of consumption is more important to
Africans than food at this time when about half of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa is food
insecure or hungry, when every year 5-6 million children die from malnutrition before their fifth
birthday, and when 60 percent of the population depends on agriculture for its livelihood.
Current African maternal and child malnutrition rates are indicators of an unsustainable
agriculture and food system with respect to meeting African needs.
? The Obama Administration?s global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future,
we believe is critical to addressing global hunger and making production and
consumption truly sustainable for Africa.
? The full inclusion of women will promote achieving sustainable consumption and
production through global food security and a better quality of life.
? Women are disproportionately hungry, ill-nourished, and under-resourced in general,
especially in agriculture where they play a major role. Investing in women and their
access to critical resources pertinent to food security, the productivity and sustainability
of the agriculture and food sector and other economic enterprises will benefit the whole
of society.
U.S. Implementation of Sustainable Agriculture Measures (CSD-16-17): The
Obama Administration requested a FY 2011 budget percent increase of 30 percent for
global agriculture and nutrition programs over the 2010 base request, excluding Critical
Priority Countries--an important step forward.
? The request reflects a coordinated, government-wide strategy that expands
support for both bilateral and multilateral assistance programs.
? Agriculture and nutrition programs are one of our highest priorities and will
require resources that address the scale of a problem affecting a billion people
very directly and millions more globally.
? The global community must redress the drop in agriculture?s share of
development assistance from 18 percent in 1979 to just 3.5 percent in 2008.
? By establishing new relationships with existing partners, such as the World Bank
Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, NEPAD, CAADP and by finding
new local partners, we will fulfill our commitments to embrace a new, goaloriented,
evidence-based approach to achieving food security.
? We will support country-led plans and priorities in countries committed to
policies that are conducive to rapid development progress.
? These policies include embracing a strategic and robust research agenda that
promotes innovation in science and technology.
? Second, we are supporting entrepreneurial, market-based approaches to
agricultural growth.
? Third, we are making targeted investments to meet the unique needs of women
who make up the majority of the farming labor in our countries of focus. The
American ideal of gender equality permeates through our approaches to economic
development as we intentionally target our work to meet the unique needs of
women. Half of African farmers are female. In order to make the most of our
food security funds, we must focus on these women who are leaders of agriculture
in Africa.
African Implementation of Comprehensive National Agriculture Plans: Action is
also happening at the country level. The coordinated effort of multiple stakeholders behind a
country-led process is a central principle of the global effort. In July of 2009, only one country
in Africa, Rwanda, had a comprehensive national agriculture plan. Today there are 17, and by
the end of June there will be 25. Several of these will be translated into technically reviewed and
costed investment plans around which donors can organize and coordinate funding. The
progress is not only in Africa but also in Latin America and Asia, effectively reversing the
declining trend of investment from the 1980s until 2008.
Chemicals: Africa with its growing population needs to increase agricultural production (for
food and in some cases biofuel, fiber or pharmaceutical) and industrialization. As pointed out at the
RIM, the use of chemicals, particularly fertilizers and pesticides in the agricultural sector will
increase. A heightened need for capacity building at all levels related to safe management, use and
disposal of chemicals will be necessary.
? We welcome contributions of institutions such as the New Partnership for Africa?s
Development (NEPAD), the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Ministerial
Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), the African Ministerial Conference on Water
(AMCOW) to strengthening policies and strategies for implementation and enforcement of
environmentally sound management of chemicals.
Transport: Recognizing the critical importance of strengthening transportation
infrastructure and capacity throughout the African continent, the USG Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC) is partnering with 11 African governments on transport projects. These
include developing farm-to-market roads, modernizing seaports to enable cargo shipments and
airports to permit export of perishable, high-value products.
? Examples are Benin?s Compact including modernization of the Port of Coutonou;
? Burkina Faso where access to markets is being enhanced through investments in the road
network;
? Cap Verde where improved infrastructure will support increased economic activity and
provide access to markets;
? Ghana where feeder roads are being rehabilitated, highways and trunk roads are being
upgraded, and the Lake Volta Ferry Service will be upgraded to facilitate growth of
agriculture in the Afram Basin region.
? I don?t have time to mention all of the MCC transportation initiatives with eleven African
partner compact countries, but I would invite you to visit the Millennium Challenge
Corporation website for more details (http://www.mcc.gov/).
In summary, the U.S. Government welcomes this opportunity to join in the African Regional
Discussion and we look forward to working together to review this important set of issues in the
context of sustainable development.
States Government in this regional discussion regarding Africa. The United States Government
commends CSD for its emphasis on Africa in this session and we wish to emphasize the
importance of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) within the African agricultural and
food system--which is of vital importance to African development prospects and the welfare of
African people. We also wish to comment on implementation of some of the policy prescriptions
of CSD-17 which dealt with agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification and
Africa. Finally, we will emphasize some of the important interrelationships with additional topics
of CSD- 18, especially chemicals, and transportation.
Sustainable Consumption and Production: First, we recognize the essential
importance and interconnections of the CSD-18 topic of sustainable consumption and production
with sustainable agriculture (the topic of CSD-16-17) and food and nutrition security, the
Secretary General?s high priority. Perhaps no other area of consumption is more important to
Africans than food at this time when about half of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa is food
insecure or hungry, when every year 5-6 million children die from malnutrition before their fifth
birthday, and when 60 percent of the population depends on agriculture for its livelihood.
Current African maternal and child malnutrition rates are indicators of an unsustainable
agriculture and food system with respect to meeting African needs.
? The Obama Administration?s global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future,
we believe is critical to addressing global hunger and making production and
consumption truly sustainable for Africa.
? The full inclusion of women will promote achieving sustainable consumption and
production through global food security and a better quality of life.
? Women are disproportionately hungry, ill-nourished, and under-resourced in general,
especially in agriculture where they play a major role. Investing in women and their
access to critical resources pertinent to food security, the productivity and sustainability
of the agriculture and food sector and other economic enterprises will benefit the whole
of society.
U.S. Implementation of Sustainable Agriculture Measures (CSD-16-17): The
Obama Administration requested a FY 2011 budget percent increase of 30 percent for
global agriculture and nutrition programs over the 2010 base request, excluding Critical
Priority Countries--an important step forward.
? The request reflects a coordinated, government-wide strategy that expands
support for both bilateral and multilateral assistance programs.
? Agriculture and nutrition programs are one of our highest priorities and will
require resources that address the scale of a problem affecting a billion people
very directly and millions more globally.
? The global community must redress the drop in agriculture?s share of
development assistance from 18 percent in 1979 to just 3.5 percent in 2008.
? By establishing new relationships with existing partners, such as the World Bank
Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, NEPAD, CAADP and by finding
new local partners, we will fulfill our commitments to embrace a new, goaloriented,
evidence-based approach to achieving food security.
? We will support country-led plans and priorities in countries committed to
policies that are conducive to rapid development progress.
? These policies include embracing a strategic and robust research agenda that
promotes innovation in science and technology.
? Second, we are supporting entrepreneurial, market-based approaches to
agricultural growth.
? Third, we are making targeted investments to meet the unique needs of women
who make up the majority of the farming labor in our countries of focus. The
American ideal of gender equality permeates through our approaches to economic
development as we intentionally target our work to meet the unique needs of
women. Half of African farmers are female. In order to make the most of our
food security funds, we must focus on these women who are leaders of agriculture
in Africa.
African Implementation of Comprehensive National Agriculture Plans: Action is
also happening at the country level. The coordinated effort of multiple stakeholders behind a
country-led process is a central principle of the global effort. In July of 2009, only one country
in Africa, Rwanda, had a comprehensive national agriculture plan. Today there are 17, and by
the end of June there will be 25. Several of these will be translated into technically reviewed and
costed investment plans around which donors can organize and coordinate funding. The
progress is not only in Africa but also in Latin America and Asia, effectively reversing the
declining trend of investment from the 1980s until 2008.
Chemicals: Africa with its growing population needs to increase agricultural production (for
food and in some cases biofuel, fiber or pharmaceutical) and industrialization. As pointed out at the
RIM, the use of chemicals, particularly fertilizers and pesticides in the agricultural sector will
increase. A heightened need for capacity building at all levels related to safe management, use and
disposal of chemicals will be necessary.
? We welcome contributions of institutions such as the New Partnership for Africa?s
Development (NEPAD), the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Ministerial
Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), the African Ministerial Conference on Water
(AMCOW) to strengthening policies and strategies for implementation and enforcement of
environmentally sound management of chemicals.
Transport: Recognizing the critical importance of strengthening transportation
infrastructure and capacity throughout the African continent, the USG Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC) is partnering with 11 African governments on transport projects. These
include developing farm-to-market roads, modernizing seaports to enable cargo shipments and
airports to permit export of perishable, high-value products.
? Examples are Benin?s Compact including modernization of the Port of Coutonou;
? Burkina Faso where access to markets is being enhanced through investments in the road
network;
? Cap Verde where improved infrastructure will support increased economic activity and
provide access to markets;
? Ghana where feeder roads are being rehabilitated, highways and trunk roads are being
upgraded, and the Lake Volta Ferry Service will be upgraded to facilitate growth of
agriculture in the Afram Basin region.
? I don?t have time to mention all of the MCC transportation initiatives with eleven African
partner compact countries, but I would invite you to visit the Millennium Challenge
Corporation website for more details (http://www.mcc.gov/).
In summary, the U.S. Government welcomes this opportunity to join in the African Regional
Discussion and we look forward to working together to review this important set of issues in the
context of sustainable development.
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