Urgent changes in global agricultural policies are needed to meet the threats of soaring food and energy prices, UN General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim said Friday.
Reducing subsidies, lifting tariffs and other trade barriers would stimulate food production and offer a route to development for 180 million small farmers in Africa, Srgjan Kerim told delegates from more than 40 member states attending a plenary meeting on the two global crises.
The president added that an urgent and mandatory step at the global level was to ensure a successful outcome to the Doha Round of international trade talks.
"The food crisis therefore offers a win-win opportunity for the international community to collectively agree to policies that promote trade efficiency while also boosting agricultural production and reducing the vulnerability of the poorest around the world," Kerim stressed.
The rise in food and oil prices could severely weaken the economies of up to 75 developing countries, Kerim said, quoting research by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He added that the World Bank estimated that rising costs could reduce the gross domestic product (GDP) of up to 50 countries by 3 to 10 percent, pushing at least 100 million people into poverty.
Kerim called on the 192-member assembly to adopt a resolution on the current economic threats, saying they require "an immediate, coherent and coordinated response with the UN system playing a central role."
Source: Xinhua
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