African officials discuss food insecurity at UN

African ministers took to the podium of the United Nations General Assembly on September 28 to highlight the precarious situation arising from food insecurity and the slow-down in development due to the global economic crisis.According to Tanzania’s foreign minister, Bernard Kamillius Membe (in photo), food insecurity had deteriorated and the vulnerability of many developing countries increased since the country’s president Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete spoke about the issue at the UN a year ago.
“We must work collectively to address food insecurity,” he told the 67th Assembly on the fourth day of its annual General Debate at UN Headquarters in New York. “We must increase food production and productivity on a sustainable basis, strengthen agricultural systems and establish early warning mechanisms as we also must develop effective responses to calamities such as those in the horn of Africa and the Sahel region.”
Mr Membe noted that the world's economy still remains fragile after the financial crisis of 2008, compounding the challenges of sustainable development. “This situation is further exacerbated by the effects of climate change, population growth, poverty, unemployment, hunger, diseases, growing economic inequalities within and among countries as well as lack of rule of law and violations of human rights,”he said.
“I know for sure that the global economic crisis is far from over,” he said. “Many reports are predicting the re-occurrence of the crisis which will certainly affect the flow of aid, trade, FDIs (foreign direct investment) and remittances to developing countries.” He also reiterated the African demand for expansion of the 15-member Security Council to include two permanent members from the continent with veto powers.
Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister, Djibrill Yipènè Bassolé, said his country had suffered a food crisis this year because of a bad rainy season. “The cereal shortage has been exacerbated by a massive influx of tens of thousands of refugees from Mali, sometimes accompanied by their cattle,” he said.
Instability in northern Mali, where Islamic militants have seized control, imposing strict Sharia law, has caused more than 260,000 refugees to flee to neighbouring countries, further straining the already fragile social and economic infrastructure