UN summit approves new approach to hunger fight

[November 16, 2009]  ROME (AP) -- World leaders at a food summit on Monday rallied around a new strategy to fight global hunger and help poor countries feed themselves, but failed to pledge funds sought by the U.N.

The summit approved its final declaration during its first hours in a show of broad consensus. Countries pledged to substantially increase aid to agriculture in developing nations, so that the world's 1 billion hungry can become more self-sufficient.

The summit did not commit to a specific figure of $44 billion a year for agricultural aid that the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says will be necessary in the coming decades.

The agency, which is hosting the three-day summit at its Rome headquarters, had also hoped countries would adopt 2025 as a deadline to eradicate hunger. But the declaration instead focused on a pledge set nine years ago to halve the number of hungry people by 2015.

Shortly before delegates approved the declaration, the U.N. chief called on rich and powerful countries to tackle "unacceptable" global hunger.

"The world has more than enough food," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told delegates at the meeting in Rome. "Yet, today, more than 1 billion people are hungry. This is unacceptable."

Pope Benedict XVI will be among the speakers Monday, adding his moral authority to what U.N. officials hope will be a solid start to a change in aid policies at a time when hunger affects one in six people on the planet.

So far, helping the world's hungry has largely entailed wealthy nations sending food assistance rather than technology, irrigation help, fertilizer or high-yield seed that could assist local farmers, livestock herders and fishermen. Much of this food assistance is purchased from the wealthy nations' own farmers.

But FAO says the best way to stop hunger is to help the needy help themselves.

This approach "lies at the core of food security," Ban said. "Our job is not just to feed the hungry, but to empower the hungry to feed themselves."

The summit is being held at a time "when the international community recognizes it has neglected agriculture for many years," the FAO said Sunday. "Sustained investment in agriculture -- especially small-holder agriculture -- is acknowledged as the key to food security."

The gathering hopes to build momentum on a shift toward more aid to agriculture that was first laid out in July at a Group of Eight summit in L'Aquila, central Italy. There, leaders of developed nations pledged to spend $20 billion in the next three years to help farmers in poor countries.

[Associated Press; By FRANCES D'EMILIO]

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