Venezuela, along with Argentina, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Bolivia, criticised the final declaration of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Summit in Rome on Thursday, arguing that the document failed to identify the true causes of rising food prices, such as agricultural subsidies and unequal trade policies imposed by developed countries.
The declaration at the summit, which saw some 6.5 billion dollars pledged to boost agricultural production in developing countries, vowed to cut “by half the number of undernourished people by no later than 2015.”
However, the Latin American nations objected to the lack of concrete measures within the document and its failure to mention the need to cut subsidies and tariffs in developed nations.
“The main reason for the rise in food prices isn’t growing demand from the Indian and Chinese markets, or the rise in petroleum prices,” she countered, “The main reason is that food has been turned into yet another object of market speculation.”
The key factors weakening local economics in developing countries are free trade treaties and the flooding of markets by US produce Urbaneja [Venezuelan ambassador to the FAO, Gladys Urbaneja Duran] said.
Another key debate at the summit was the question of bio-fuels. Bio-fuels are promoted by the US as an alternative to fossil fuels; however, others argued that bio-fuel production, as well as being environmentally damaging, diverts vast amounts of land and resources from food production and will exacerbate the food crisis.
The declaration simply stated that bio-fuels present both “challenges and opportunities” and called for further research.
Whoa! Half by by 2015, don’t rush too much and anyway it’s a pledge and we know what they are worth, Make Poverty History? Via BoRev.Net the LA Times depicted these troublemakers (with the help of an anonymous African delegate, oh those nasty reds want to starve poor African kiddies)-
Led by Argentina, Cuba and Venezuela, a veritable revolt by much of Latin America dragged negotiations hours past the original deadline and frayed the nerves of numerous participants.
One delegate from Africa chided her colleagues for creating the “appearance of grandstanding . . . as people are dying.”
But the Latin American delegates said the declaration was merely paying lip service to the urgent starvation crisis. These delegates noted that the final document did not condemn subsidies maintained by wealthy nations nor did it challenge the price-aggravating control exercised by big agricultural companies.
Argentina and Venezuela argued that the market-based policies being promoted at the conference risked exacerbating poverty and hunger in Latin America. Argentina was especially forceful in objecting to language in the final document that criticizes export restrictions similar to those it has imposed.
Another point of irreconcilable dispute was biofuels. The U.S. delegation, led by Agriculture Secretary Edward T. Schafer, welcomed the declaration’s support for further study — timid language compared with the restrictions that some countries had sought.
FAO Secretary-General Jacques Diouf said the gap between supporters and opponents of biofuels was too wide to bridge. The declaration reflected “the minimum common denominator,” he said.
So erm basically a few band aids on a gaping wound and the US stalls the biofuel reckoning, yep we’ll drive our SUV’s while you po’ folks starve to death. Could they at least have efficiency standards of shitty old Europe or is that communism or something? Still, I’m sure the sex workers of Rome all had a bumper week, so there’s some good news.
Ten Percent 