FAO Summit : Tunisian President renews call on international community to finance UN World Solidarity Fund
Tunis, June 3, 2008 (TunisiaOnline) --President Ben Ali renewed his call to the international community to contribute to “financing the World Solidarity Fund established by the United Nations upon Tunisia's proposal as a mechanism to curb poverty and need, by adopting the initiative we launched on April 28, 2008 for the allocation of one dollar for every oil barrel, to increase the resources of this Fund and use them to combat hunger in the world”.
Tunisia 's President repeated his call in an address delivered on his behalf by the Prime Minister, Mr Mohamed Ghannouchi on Tuesday in Rome on the occasion of the FAO high- level Conference on World Food Security.
Addressing the challenges posed by climate change and its consequences on the rise of energy and basic food prices, the Tunisian Head of State stressed the importance of the “right to food which lies at the core of the right to life”, President Ben Ali said that “no dignity and no stability can be preserved unless food is provided to all”.
He also exhorted all the concerned organisations to take the necessary measures in order to deal with this issue. “These measures include in particular bringing under control the prices of basic food products, exploring the possibility to set preferential tariffs for international transportation of food cargoes, and offering countries suffering from food deficit, immediate assistance in the form of seeds, fertilizers, fodder, and other farming material”, he added.
Calling for the need to provide financial support to those countries, the Tunisian President stressed the need “for reducing taxes and customs duties on imported food products”.
The Head of State also voiced the hope that the negotiations on the liberalization of trade, within the framework of the World Trade Organization, will come out with adequate solutions that will make international trade more equitable, and offer developing countries and small farmers, access to foreign markets.”
“Scientific research remains the prime path to help adapt to climate change, by intensifying research programs as part of multilateral cooperation, in order to increase agricultural production while improving its performance, said President Ben Ali.
He also stressed the fact that “Tunisia has always set food security at the forefront of its national priorities”, adding that “during the past couple of decades, the agricultural sector has contributed to promoting economic growth, bringing down the poverty rate to 3,8% against 12% in the 1980's , achieving an unprecedented increase in self –sufficiency rates, while consolidating food security”.
Tunisia , concluded President Ben Ali “is sparing no effort to ensure the success of the Millennium goals, to preserve the fundamental right to sufficient and healthy food for each individual all over the world”.
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