Food insecurity poses scary problems for humanity – Rodrigues-Birkett tells OAS forum

Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett has warned an Organisation of American States (OAS) forum that food insecurity poses scary problems for humanity, and could unfold more quickly than expected.
Rodrigues-Birkett made the remarks as member countries of the OAS meet in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where they underscored the need for action to improve food security in the Americas, including current and future proposals to provide their citizens with access to abundant, safe, and nutritious food.
The Guyanese minister said part of the problem is the gap between food production and demand due to the nature of international food trade and price volatility. She said her delegation had therefore urged the OAS to strengthen coordination with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) to promote research and development, strengthen national capacities, and promote science, technology, and innovation.
The heads of delegation of Haiti, Nicaragua, United States, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Honduras, Panama, St Kitts and Nevis, Dominican Republic, and Grenada gave an overview of existing obstacles to food security, noting steps taken by their countries to combat malnutrition and chronic hunger. The member state representatives also pledged to seek regional solutions, through the OAS.
Meanwhile, Haiti’s Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Lamothe thanked the countries of the region for helping his country deal with the devastating effects of the earthquake that struck in January 2010. After a massive effort, he said, “We are now beginning to sense a new breath of life in Haiti. The government that I am honoured to lead has set itself a basic priority of fighting extreme poverty.”

The Haitian prime minister also spoke about his government’s plans to eradicate illiteracy, and, as regards food security, said “It is also undoubtedly one of the major goals we have set ourselves in our country, together with the elimination of poverty and inequalities that affect our population.”
Nicaragua Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Denis Moncada described the issue of food security as “especially important for the government of Nicaragua, given its impact on health, nutrition, and in the economic, social, political, and cultural arenas in our country, and on the protection of Mother Earth, which leads us to ‘living well’, the material and spiritual balance in harmony with nature, with itself, and with others.”  Ambassador Moncada stressed the urgent need to confront the threat posed by food insecurity and the need for sovereignty in that area.
United States Permanent Representative to the OAS Ambassador Carmen spoke about her country’s efforts to tackle world hunger, the obstacles that this challenge presents, and possible avenues to solution in the Americas. She explained that the United States was deeply committed to food security, noting that, shortly after taking office, President Obama spoke about tackling global hunger and food security as one of the top priorities of his administration.
Real food security, explained Ambassador Lomellin, depends on eliminating barriers to trade in agricultural products. The United States representative concluded by expressing her hope that the Assembly would mark a turning point to guide member states to return to their core values and to work together.
Trinidad and Tobago Permanent Representative to the OAS Ambassador Neil Parsan said that food security was ultimately the responsibility of each national government, and should be reflected as a priority in the budgets of each country. He said the issue of food security, combined with the intrinsic vulnerability of the region, constitutes a serious threat to the wellbeing of its peoples. The Caribbean diplomat lamented his country’s high level of dependence on foreign food sources, but was optimistic about the future. Trinidad and Tobago remained optimistic that, with national, hemispheric, and international action, “We can ensure that our citizens have reliable access to the food they need,” Ambassador Parsan stated.
Suriname Permanent Representative to the OAS Niermala Hindori-Badrising said that the issue of food security and access to food should be a priority in national and international policies. In that regard, she said that food security in the region depended on prices and their impact on the accessibility to food, especially for the most vulnerable groups, which explains why the region was the most unequal in the world. The Surinamese diplomat added that one measure to solve this problem was regional and international cooperation, and an obvious need to invest in agricultural technology. According to Ambassador Hindori-Badrising, priority must be given to public-private partnership to promote these policies. She predicted that food security-related issues would continue to occupy the agenda of countries.