ITALY:NOT WITHOUT difficulty, the United Nations' much-hyped, three-day World Food Summit closed in Rome last night with a final document that is strong on good intentions but limited in actual proposals.
Called by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation to address the rapid rise in world food prices, the summit had hoped to produce a convincing final document that would prove crucial in "eliminating hunger and securing food for all".
In the end, the summit produced a final, generic document which merely reaffirmed a common commitment to "eliminate hunger and guarantee food for all, today and tomorrow".
Throughout the day, the summit had risked an embarrassing failure as delegates struggled to plot a common path to secure food supplies in the face of rising demand and rising prices.
With issues as complex as world trade policies, agricultural subsidies and bio-fuels dominating the discussions, such difficulties among delegates from 183 countries were hardly surprising.
Even though the meeting was dominated by dramatic calls for urgent action to deal with a crisis that threatens 862 million people with starvation, delegates found it hard to agree on policy initiatives.
Argentina, Cuba, Venezuela, some Caribbean islands and Russia were all reportedly keen to have specific interests protected by the final document.
Argentina and Russia argued strongly for their right to adopt trade barriers.
The Argentine delegation declared itself in disagreement with the final communique.
In an address to the summit yesterday, Irish Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith said "rising food prices have had a dramatic effect on the food security of individuals".
Pointing out that food bills account for 60-80 per cent of income in the developing world, the Minister called on the international community to put food security at the very top of its agenda.
Noting that Ireland's Overseas Development Aid (ODA) will reach the target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income by 2012, the Minister added: "a central part of the international response has to be support for sustainable agricultural production in Africa and other food-deficit regions".
The Minister pointed out that while rising food prices caused serious hardship, they also offered the possibility of income generation if the agricultural sectors of individual countries are able to respond.
While the difficulties about agreeing a final document might suggest that the summit has been a relative failure, many commentators argue that the summit has served a worthy purpose by focusing world attention on poor farmers and on the starving. In a sense, a summit such as this rarely produces promises of aid but it can reshape the agenda of international debate.
For example, the issue of world hunger is now likely to feature prominently at the July Group of Eight world summit in Japan with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon due to issue an action plan by the end of June.
"Hunger is on the march. It is now at the top of the global agenda and it's none too soon," said Josette Sheeran, head of the UN's World Food Programme.