Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Rome and Geneva, 2 December 1998
N° 4

The Inter-Parliamentary Union's Conference on " Attaining the World Food Summit's Objectives through a Sustainable Development Strategy " concluded its deliberations with presentations by Mrs. Dulce Maria Sauri Riancho, General Co-ordinator of Mexico's Programme for Women, and French Professor Marcel Mazoyer, Chair of the Faculty of Comparative Agriculture and Agriculture Development of the National Institute of Agriculture, on " Access to food: poverty eradication, safety nets and food assistance ".

Professor Mazoyer called poverty the real reason for hunger in the world. In his words " .. hunger is a violent form of underconsumption ". Mrs. Sauri Riancho referred to the relationship between hunger and poverty, the latter perpetuating the former. " The new profile of hunger ", she said, " included social, economic and political conflicts ".. Both presenters referred to the key role of women in agriculture, the existing gender inequalities and the need to empower women to overcome the prevailing situation of poverty and hunger. " To understand the importance of women ", said Mrs. Sauri Riancho, one must know that " 75 per cent of the world's poor live in rural areas ".

The last topic of the Conference brought about 47 interventions, the most numerous in the three-day meeting. Parliamentarians echoed the views of the presenters and many of them reiterated that food production does not eliminate hunger; other equally important elements to attain food security include access to food and appropriate distribution. Among proposals which were made to redress the situation, were calls for the facilitation of credits for the rural poor, and especially for women, the establishment of fairer and more equitable trade arrangements as well as an equitable distribution of genetic resources. Parliamentarians also addressed the ethical dimension, calling for the right to food as a basic human right.

The Conference participants will approve the final document on 2 December. The Conference's conclusions will be presented to the IPU Council for endorsement and will become the blueprint for legislative action by national parliaments in support of the World Food Summit's recommendations.

A press conference will be held at FAO Headquarters (Iran Room) on 2 December at 12.30 where the Conference President, Mr. Antonio Martino, the IPU Secretary General, Mr. Anders Johnsson, and FAO's Assistant Director-General, Incisa de Camerana, and Mrs. Kay Killingsworth, Special Adviser for the World Food Summit Follow-up, will present the Conference's conclusions.