The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will soon host a global meeting to review progress towards ending hunger. The meeting, the 'World Food Summit: five years later' aims to track progress achieved since the 1996 World Food Summit and consider ways to accelerate the process.
The summit was originally scheduled for 5-9 November but has been delayed in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks in the United States.
"The purpose of this event is to give new impetus to worldwide efforts on behalf of hungry people," said Dr Jacques Diouf, Director-General of FAO. "We must raise both the political will and the financial resources to fight hunger. The international community has repeatedly declared that it is dedicated to the eradication of poverty. Eliminating hunger is a vital first step."
According to the FAO current data indicates that the number of undernourished is falling at an average rate of only 6 million each year, far below the rate of 22 million per year needed to reach the World Food Summit target. Although headway has been made and some striking success stories exist in individual countries and communities, much remains to be done.
World leaders will be requested to outline the measures needed to achieve the goal, and make suggestions on how to accelerate progress. They are also expected to consider how to increase resources available for agricultural and rural development.
At the World Food Summit in 1996, representatives of 185 nations and the European Community pledged to work towards eradicating hunger. As an essential first step, they set a target of reducing the number of hungry people by half by 2015.
The World Food Summit will take place from the 10 to 13 June 2002. The venue must be confirmed.