UN to set up taskforce to deal with food crisis - Ban

Accra, April 20, GNA - The United Nations is to put in place a high-powered taskforce as a response to dealing with the global food crisis, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, the Secretary General announced on Sunday. Speaking at the opening session of the UNCTAD XII conference in Accra, Mr Ban said the taskforce would deal with the long-term food security, agricultural policies, financing, markets and all causes of the crisis.

World prices of food have gone up by half and are rising on daily basis, leading to protest in Haiti, Egypt, Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso, among other countries. "We need a real world and not the world of economic theories .....I will work into this right now with a sense of urgency," Mr Ban said, and urged the international committee to redouble efforts in addressing the situation.

Mr Ban said global economic growth could suffer if the food crisis was not handled with the seriousness it deserved. High oil prices, which have resulted in increasing transportation cost, the continuous fall in the value of the US dollar as well as changes in the global consumption pattern, are some of the reasons being cited for the crisis.

"One thing is certain, the world has consumed more than it has produced," Mr Ban said.

To respond to the crisis, the World Food programme intends to raise 750 million dollars annually to feed 73 million people in 80 countries. Efforts must also be made to increase agricultural production, improve market efficiency and launch a green agricultural revolution in Africa.

"We must make no mistakes, the problem is big. If we offer the right aid the solutions will come."

On globalisation, Mr Ban said while the process had chalked some successes transforming the economies of some developing countries, it has also led to the marginalisation of the majority of the people. "The poorest of the world poor are not being pulled along and there is the need for fresh thinking and fresh approaches." Mr Ban urged the rich countries to assist the poorer ones through initiatives such as aid to trade, which is a better to bring out of poverty.

He also touched on the Millennium Development Goals and warned that the world risked losing the progress that had been made in the past seven years in attainment of the goals. "We risk going back to square one and we need to redouble efforts or betray the promises that we made to our people," he said.

In this connection, Mr Ban said a high level meeting on the MDGs would be beheld on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the UN. On the Doha Rounds of Trade Negotiations, which have taken so long to conclude, Mr Ban said there was the urgent need to see the successful conclusion of the round.