Note to Correspondents

WORLD FOOD DAY OBSERVANCE ON 18 OCTOBER

World Food Day, which officially falls today (16 October), is to be marked by a one-hour ceremony at United Nations Headquarters in New York on Thursday,

18 October.

It will take place in Conference Room 2 from 12 noon to 1 p.m.� The theme of the event will be �Fight Hunger to Reduce Poverty.� Taking part will be United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan; the President of the General Assembly,

Han Seung-soo (Republic of Korea); the Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Jacques Diouf; and George McGovern, former United States Senator and United States Ambassador to FAO, who will deliver the keynote address.

Background

The need to advance poverty-reduction efforts by confronting the chronic hunger faced by 800 million people will be the focus of the observance.� The existence of such widespread hunger, according to Secretary-General Annan, is not only �ethically unacceptable�, it affects the stability and development of many parts of the world.� �The problems of hunger and poverty give rise to tensions among people, often leading to civil strife.� The eradication of hunger and poverty is thus fundamental for enduring peace and political stability, as well as the sustainable defence of their fundamental rights.�

At the World Food Summit in 1996, countries agreed that they would take the necessary steps to reduce the ranks of the �food insecure� to 400 million by 2015.� Yet five years later, the FAO reports that, at the current rate, that target will not be met.� According to FAO, the number of the world�s undernourished is falling by only 6 million people a year, far below the goal of 20 million.

Calling for action to �resolve this global embarrassment that stares us in the face�, General Assembly President Han called for increased collaboration among governments, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and community activists �to create a world where hunger and poverty will cease to preoccupy us and haunt us�.

�While hunger is a consequence of poverty, the opposite is also true�, according to FAO Director-General Diouf.� �Hunger causes poverty. Undernourishment not only debilitates people.� It weakens nations.� A nation of hungry individuals cannot grow and prosper.�

(more)

�� - 2 - �� Note No. 5685

�� 16 October 2001

Mr. Diouf warned that the global community, while making a serious effort to focus on the world�s poor, �has so far failed to attach sufficient importance to fighting against hunger�.� He said the problem was not a lack of food.� �The world now has enough food to feed every man, woman and child on the globe.� If all the food produced in the world were shared equally among its inhabitants, every living person would have a daily intake of 2,760 calories, more than enough to lead a healthy and productive life.�� Instead, he said, the problem was access to food.� He urged greater investments in health care, education, communications and infrastructure in rural areas.

�� Note:� For further information, please contact Michael Hage, FAO New York Liaison Office, (212) 963-0989; or Dan Shepard, Department of Public Information, (212) 963-7704, fax (212) 963-1186, e-mail [email protected].

* *** *