North-South inequity deplored
North-South inequity deplored
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto, in his capacity as chairman
of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), deplored the uneven economic
relations between industrial countries in the North and
developing nations in the South despite the end of the Cold War.
"As of today, there are no signs of improvement of global
economy or of North-South relations," Soeharto said.
President Soeharto opened the two-day NAM ministerial meeting
on food and agriculture on the tourist island of Bali yesterday.
The President also said he was concerned with the global
economy, with its rampant disguised forms of protectionism, low
prices of commodities, lack of access to technology and a heavy
debt-servicing burden.
"All these have worsened the economic conditions of the least
developed countries whose populations are trapped in poverty,
with millions suffering from hunger," he said.
Food remains the primary issue for a segment of the world's
population, especially those living in developing countries, he
said.
Soeharto noted, however, that food security among the
developing economies is "still not satisfactory" despite the
efforts of the countries' leaders and experts.
As an example, he cited 21 sub-Saharan countries, where the
food supply remains precarious.
Quoting reports, he said the number of people suffering from
hunger and malnutrition in Africa soared from 80 million in 1970
to 150 million in 1992.
He said the conference was expected to address the issues of
creating a sufficient food supply and raising people's purchasing
power to meet their food demands and food security.
Soeharto was awarded a special medal by the Food and
Agricultural Organization (FAO) in 1986 for promoting food and
agricultural development in Indonesia, which became self-
sufficient in rice in 1984 after being the world's largest rice
importer.
Rice is the staple food of 90 percent of Indonesia's
population, the world's fourth largest.
Hunger
FAO Director General Jacques Diof warned the NAM meeting that
about 800 million people across the world are deprived of
adequate food supplies.
The number of people without adequate food supplies is equal
to 20 percent of the total population of developing countries and
37 percent of sub-Saharan Africa, he said.
About 192 million of that number were children under five
years old, he added.
Diof, a former Senegalese ambassador to the United Nations,
also warned that hunger can easily trigger "major political and
social unrest."
He also remarked that people emaciated by hunger are not
greatly concerned with democracy, human rights or protection of
the environment. (hdj)