FAO Summit : Tunisian President renews call on international community to finance UN World Solidarity Fund
In an address delivered on his behalf by Prime Minister, Mr Mohamed Ghannouchi in Rome On June 3, 2008, on the occasion of the FAO high- level Conference on World Food Security, President Ben Ali renewed his call to the international community to contribute to the financing of the World Solidarity Fund established by the United Nations upon Tunisia's proposal, as a mechanism to curb poverty and need.
The United Nations World Solidarity Fund was set up in 2002, following an initiative from the Tunisian president who called for its creation in 1999 (www.solidarity-fund.org)
In his address President Ben Ali called on the international community to allocate one dollar for every oil barrel, in order “to increase the resources of this Fund and use them to combat hunger in the world”. Stressing the fact that “the right of food lies at the core of the right to life”, President Ben Ali also warned that “no dignity and no stability can be preserved unless food is provided to all”.
President Ben Ali's call was part of a speech in which he highlighted the adverse effects of the rise in energy and basic food prices, and underlined the need for financial support to the counties affected by the scourge of hunger.
The “one dollars-per barrel” initiative by President Ben Ali was announced last April. The Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, recently endorsed this initiative and urged the international community to start looking for ways of implementing it. Several countries and groupings, such as China , the Movement of the non-aligned and the “Group 77” , also hailed the Tunisian initiative.
The World Solidarity Fund is directly inspired from Tunisia's own National Solidarity Fund (FSN), also known to Tunisians as the “26-26 Fund”, following its banking account number. The FSN was set up in 1993 following an impromptu presidential visit to a needy area. The visit, which potently struck the country's solidarity chord, prompted Tunisians from all walks of life to generously contribute to the Fund. (www.26-26.org).
Since then, the Fund which receives donations, mostly from Tunisian citizens and enterprises, has significantly contributed to integrating the poorest segment of Tunisia's population into social and economic life. Tunisia's national poverty rate has dropped in recent years to a 3.8% level. Most of the donations to the “26-26 Fund” are made on December 9 of each year, celebrated in the country as “National Solidarity Day”.
According to the latest UN estimates, about 862 million people throughout the world suffer from hunger and more than 30 billion dollars are needed each year to curb the effects of famine, especially on the African continent.
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