Food and Agriculture in Global Perspective. Discussions in the Committee of the Whole of the United Nations

292 Pages·1980·3.4 MB·English

by  Toivo Miljan, Ervin Laszlo and Joel Kurtzman (Eds.)

PERGAMON ON THE NEW INTERNATIONAL
POLICY ECONOMIC ORDER
STUDIES
UNITAR/CEESTEM Library on NIEO
Laszlo/Kurtzman EUROPE AND THE NEW INTERNATIONAL
ECONOMIC ORDER
Laszlo/Kurtzman POLITICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES OF
THE NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER
Laszlo/Kurtzman THE STRUCTURE OF THE WORLD ECONOMY
AND THE NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER
Laszlo/Kurtzman/Tlkhomirov THE SOVIET UNION, EASTERN
EUROPE AND THE NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER
Laszlo/Lozoya et al. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER
Laszlo/Lozoya et al. THE OBSTACLES CONFRONTING THE
NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER
Laszlo/Loxoya et al. WORLD LEADERSHIP AND THE NEW
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER
Laszlo et al. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE NEW INTERNATIONAL
ECONOMIC ORDER
Lozoya/Bhattacharya THE FINANCIAL ISSUES OF THE NEW
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER
Lozoya/Estevez/Green et al. ALTERNATIVE VIEWS OF THE
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER: A Survey and Analysis
of Major Academic Research Reports
Lozoya et al. AFRICA, MIDDLE EAST AND THE NEW
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER
Lozoya et al. ASIA AND THE NEW INTERNATIONAL
ECONOMIC ORDER
Lozoya et al. INTERNATIONAL TRADE, INDUSTRALIZATION
AND THE NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER
Lozoya et al. LA TIN AMERICA AND THE NEW
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER
Lozoya et al. THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES OF THE
NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER
Food and
Agriculture in
Global Perspective
Discussions in the
Committee of the
Whole of the
United Nations
Edited by
Toivo Miljan
with the cooperation of
Ervin Laszlo
Joel Kurtzman
A volume in the New International
Economic Order (NIEO) Library
Published for UNITAR and the
Center for Economic and Social
Studies of the Third World (OEESTEM)
Pergamon Press
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Copyright © 1980 UNITAR
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
United Nations. Committee of the Whole.
Food and agriculture in global perspective.
(Pergamon policy studies)
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
I. Food supply. 2. Agriculture—Economic aspects.
3. Food relief. I. Miljan, Toivo. II. Laszlo,
Ervin, I932- III. Kurtzman, Joel. IV. Title.
HD9000.5.U43 I979 338.Γ9 79-23163
ISBN 0-08-025550-7
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Printed in the United States of America
Second Printing 1981
Foreword
The unfortunate reality is that as much as 40 percent of
the world's population still must struggle at the edge of pov-
erty. Poor sanitation and health care, lack of suitable hous-
ing, unemployment, impoverishment and undernourishment are
realities which face the world's millions, indeed billions,
daily. These perennial problems have so far defied solution in
spite of the fact that the world is rich enough and well en-
dowed enough to feed, clothe, house, and offer employment to
populations even in greater numbers than we currently have.
To solve these problems various United Nations fora have
been created and in 1978 the Committee of the Whole was estab-
lished by the General Assembly (Res. 22/174) to negotiate
issues crucial to the New International Economic Order and the
future well being of mankind. In March of 1979 the Committee
of the Whole met to discuss the world's situation with respect
to Food and Agriculture. Under the Chairmanship of Mr. Thorvald
Stoltenberg of Norway, the Committee met to look at strategies
for feeding the world's hungry. Various bold and energetic
programmes were presented during the Committee's meetings by
the member States to achieve a more equitable distribution of
the world's Food and Agricultural resources. This volume, one
of sixteen on various aspects of the New International Economic
Order, under the general editorial directorship of Professor
Ervin Laszlo of UNITAR, documents the historic activities of
the Committee of the Whole's Food and Agriculture deliberations,
and it serves to illustrate the world's resolve to eradicate
hunger.
Hunger is a complex and difficult problem and it is highly
unlikely that it can be solved in the discussions and delibera-
tions of only one committee within the United Nations alone.
Yet it is a problem which must be solved and solved quickly.
Each day that passes sees scores of people not only driven to
vii
viii FOREWORD
despair but also to death through starvation. Each day also
sadly sees thousands of children unable to develop and thrive
and live out normal, healthy lifespans for want of food. To
eradicate these problems, once and for all, is the purpose of
the deliberations presented in this volume, and to that end
the account of those deliberations is presented by UNITAR for
the benefit of all.
Davidson Nicol
Executive Director
Foreword
The Committee of the Whole was established by the 32nd
General Assembly as a high-level political committee with the
purpose of providing necessary impetus to the negotiations for
a New International Economic Order. These negotiations - known
as the North/South dialogue - had for almost two years to a
great extent been conducted outside the United Nations at the
Conference on International Economic Cooperation (CIEC) in Paris.
To many countries, not least developing countries, the outcome
of the Paris negotiations was disappointing. The need was there-
fore felt to bring the dialogue firmly back to the UN system so
that all Member Countries could participate actively in the
efforts to shape a new and more equitable world order. To em-
phasize the importance of these efforts the Committee of the
Whole was made responsible directly to the General Assembly.
The Committee was to deal in a comprehensive manner with
the questions relating to the establishment of the NIEO until
the 1980 Special Session of the General Assembly. It was as-
sumed that from the very outset the Committee would take up
substantive issues, discuss and negotiate in a constructive
manner and produce practical and action-oriented conclusions.
Unfortunately, differences of view about some aspects of
the Committee's role hampered its work during its first year of
existence. Thanks not least to the resolute efforts and skill
of my predecessor as Chairman, Mr. Idriss Jazairy, to whom I
would here like to pay a special tribute, a clarification of
the mandate of the Committee was reached towards the end of
1978. The Committee thus moved into a new phase of constructive
discussion and negotiation, the first result of which was the
text adopted in January 1979 on the transfer of resources to
developing countries.
When the Committee at the March session took up the prob-
lems of food production and agriculture it was the first time
ix
χ FOREWORD
that any committee under the General Assembly had devoted a
full session to these questions. Food and agriculture is a
subject matter of major importance, not only on its own merits
but also in the wider perspective of the North/South dialogue.
The political nature of problems like reaching the set targets
for food production and contributing to a more equitable food
distribution and consumption is becoming increasingly clear. I
am convinced that the Committee of the Whole at its March ses-
sion contributed both to bringing these problems into the centre
of development discussions and to pinpointing some areas of
urgent concern. By doing so, the Committee's competence to
negotiate and adopt decisions on outstanding economic issues of
global dimensions was also demonstrated.
As Chairman of the Committee of the Whole I am deeply con-
cerned about where to go from here in terms of the follow-up of
the conclusions reached at the March session. The World Confer-
ence on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, which was held
in July of this year, represented a new and positive step forward.
However, further efforts on the part of Governments and of United
Nations organs of a more technical nature are clearly called
for. I do hope that the headway we made at the March session
will prove valuable in tackling the many formidable challenges
still ahead.
As Chairman of the Committee of the Whole I have done -
and intend to continue to do my utmost - to see that the Com-
mittee functions according to its mandate on North/South rela-
tions within the United Nations system. At the same time I
have tried to make it clear beyond any doubt that we are engaged
in a common effort where all parts of the United Nations system
have a role to play and where cooperation and mutual support
are of the utmost importance. The role of the Committee re-
quires that all Governments as well as officials working in the
United Nations system pay very special and urgent attention to
its work. Furthermore, I see a need to establish a much greater
public awareness of the Committee's work and of the issues in
which it is engaged. I am convinced that this study will contri-
bute to this end and would like to express my appreciation to
Mr. Toivo Miljan for his dedicated work and to thank UNITAR for
having undertaken this study.
Thorvald Stoltenberg
Chairman
Committee of the Whole
Introduction—
A World Without
Hunger
The slow progress in agriculture has impeded the narrowing
of the wide gaps between rich and poor countries that is envis-
aged under the New International Economic Order. The consequent
slow growth of incomes in the developing countries has affected
the developed countries as well. It has limited the markets
for their exports, and has thus restricted incomes and employ-
ment in these countries. Shortages and high prices of food and
agricultural products in world markets have also added to in-
flationary pressures in the developing countries, hampering
their efforts to achieve the economic growth required to over-
come their employment problems.
The majority of the people in the developing countries,
indeed the vast majority of the world's poorest people, live in
rural areas and derive their meagre employment and livelihood
from agriculture. The slow progress in agricultural production
in these countries has therefore been a major constraint on the
reduction of poverty, and on the achievement of the basic social
as well as economic goals of development.*
THE ROLE OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
ON FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
Two statements characterize the work of the Committee of
the Whole on food and agriculture. The first Chairman of the
Committee, Mr. Idriss Jazairy once observed, "The New Inter-
national Economic Order implies a continuous process rather
than an act to be accomplished in a determined period of time."
*Nurul Islam, Assistant Director-General, Economic and Social
Policy Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, speaking to COW on 19 March 1979.
xi
xii INTRODUCTION
Two hundred years ago the German poet Goethe raised the proposi-
tion, "The question to ask is not whether we are perfectly
agreed, but whether we are proceeding from a common basis of
sentiment.11 There can be no doubt that the common basis of
sentiment to build a world without hunger was strongly expressed
in the statements by all the participants in the COW delibera-
tions on food and agriculture. But, there is equally no doubt
that there was not perfect agreement on the methods whereby to
wipe out hunger. But, again, there was a common sentiment that
there exists a high degree of inter-relationship between hunger
and the structures of national and international economies and
that concerted international political action is necessary to
eradicate hunger, its causes and effects, from the earth.
Clearly the continuous process that is the NIEO continues, and
COW is an active participant in it.
The General Assembly of the United Nations by Resolution
32/174 established the Committee of the Whole to assist it in
the establishment of the New International Economic Order (see
appendix). The mandate of the Committee was clarified during
the 33rd Session of the General Assembly by the President of
the Assembly; "Consultations held with the Member States on the
question of the clarification of the mandate of the Committee
Established under General Assembly Resolution 32/174 led me to
the conclusion that in fulfilling its mandate as set out in
resolution 32/174, operative paragraph 4, essentially under
subparagraphs (b) and (c), the Committee will negotiate with a
view to its adopting guidelines on central policy issues as
well as achieving agreement on the resolution of fundamental or
crucial issues underlying problems related to international
economic co-operation. The results of the negotiations will be
expressed in the form of action-oriented agreed conclusions of
the Committee addressed, in accordance with paragraph 5 of re-
solution 32/174, through the General Assembly, to States and
international organizations concerned."
At its second session the COW dealt with the problems of
food and agriculture in an integrating manner and arrived at a
set of Agreed Conclusions on these issues. The Committee iden-
tified inter alia specific questions to be further considered
at the World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development
in July 1979, The World Food Council meeting in September 1979
and in the New International Wheat Agreement and the new Food
Aid Convention. Through its discussions and Agreed Conclusions
the Committee also made a valuable contribution to the elabora-
tion of the International Development Strategy.
From the documentation - the statements of inter-national
agencies and States Members and the reference documentation
provided by the international agencies - presented in edited
form in this collection, as well as from the Agreed Conclusions
it is clear that the Committee of the Whole is fulfilling its
functions in accordance with its mandate to negotiate funda-
INTRODUCTION xiii
mental issues underlying problems related to international eco-
nomic cooperation. To the question, posed by Chairman Thorvald
Stoltenberg in his introductory address to the Committee, "Can
the Committee of the Whole be of assistance in renewing the
goals and objectives for food and agriculture in the light of
the increasing interdependence in the world today?" the docu-
mentation gathered in this collection answers a resounding "Yes".
The Committee did not replicate the work of the specialized
agencies within the United Nations system in the field of food
and agriculture; rather it established a basic framework - a
unifying idea - which brought together the expert work of the
different international agencies and the views of the different
States Members in the Agreed Conclusions of the committee on
Some Aspects Concerning Food and Agriculture.
THE NEGOTIATIONS ON FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
The Mexico Declaration of the World Food Council was used
as a reference text by all sides during the negotiations, and
provided a basis for a common language on controversial issues.
A comparison of the Agreed Conclusions text and the Mexico
Declaration shows progress in several areas:
The COW test calls for the Governing Council of IFAD
to decide on replenishment of its resources at the
end of 1980 and states that the Council should con-
sider the need for an increase in real terms of the
resources of the Fund.
- The COW text appeals to donors to increase their con-
tributions to the Special Account for the Action Pro-
gramme for Prevention of Food Losses.
The COW text asks that donor countries support the
FAO programme to assist developing coastal states in
developing their fisheries within their economic zones.
The COW text urges that special consideration be given
to the establishment of adequate provisions for special
international assistance to developing countries in
establishing food reserves.
- The COW text recommends the developing countries'
proposal that a reserve stock financing fund be kept
under consideration.
- The COW text makes a plea for the resumption of nego-
tiations on the New International Wheat Agreement in
order to stabilize the cereal markets.
The COW text urges that maximum efforts be made to
create conditions which would allow for the early
conclusion of a new Food Aid Convention.