Swords into ploughshares, words into action!

Toespraak | 24-04-2009

Opening Statement by Ms. Gerda Verburg, Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Chairperson of the 17th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-17) at the FAO Commission on Agriculture Rome, 23 April 2009.

Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honor and pleasure for me to be here at the FAO Commission on Agriculture. I am here in my capacity as Chairperson of the 17th session of the Commission for Sustainable Development.

Both this Committee and the Commission on Sustainable Development are meeting at a critical juncture. The world is facing multiple crises in the form of poverty, food crisis, economic recession, environmental degradation and climate change. Which are threatening world's population in its existence.

Global policy makers have great responsibility during the upcoming session of the CSD to come up with innovative policies and solutions in overcome these crises. This will be critical to help the affected population in developing countries, especially the most vulnerable ones who are the hardest hit by present crises.

What are the problems?

You probably know the facts. We live in a world in which the average income per capita is higher than any time in the past. Enough food is being produced to feed everyone! And yet nearly a billion people still live on less than $ 1 dollar a day. Most of them depend on agriculture for their daily livelihoods. And more than 800 million people are suffering from hunger and malnutrition.

Worldwide our governments made the commitment to reduce the number of people living in poverty by 50% in 2015. The achievement of this first Millennium Development Goal is further away than ever.

In today's unfavorable context of financial turmoil and high food prices, there is a general view that food prices would ease during this year. The bad news is that the food prices will most likely remain well above their pre-2007 level. Also their volatility will even get higher.

There are a number of causes for the high food prices, such as less available farm land, droughts, growing demand for bio-fuels and changing consumption patterns. But one overarching message is clear: we have neglected agriculture too much for too many years.

At the same time we are confronted with ever rising trends in energy consumption and climate change. They are and should be a major concern to us as well, as they will have a huge impact on our future.

Reports show that we use far more of our natural resources than our planet can regenerate. Some reports indicate even four times! And, let us not forget the competing claims for water. Agriculture is the main user, about 70%, of our fresh water resources.

So, we all have to face these dilemmas, including the dilemma of competing claims on natural resources - land, water and biodiversity - for the production of food, feed and bio-fuels.

Due to the energy crisis and the climate problems, the political and international focus seems to be mainly on bio-fuels. How important bio-fuels may be, I feel they are only a limited part of the solution towards a more sustainable future. We need to base our economies more on renewable sources, not only for the use of energy, but also for producing materials. This is what we call a bio-based economy.

An important development is second generation bio fuels, using side streams and thus preventing deterioration of nature and less conflict with the food production. Biomass from agriculture, forestry, and waste products from the food-industry can nowadays be refined into non-food applications like chemicals and materials or energy. Therefore new alliances can be created between for example the food & agriculture and the chemistry.

In the future, with a growing world population, growing world consumption, growing use of water, growing carbon-emissions, we have to use our resources and residues as smart and as sustainable as we can.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Swords into ploughshares, words into action! With this UN motto I will ask Member States in CSD-17 to go beyond generalities. Only when we can come forward with concrete deliverables and concrete action we achieve Millennium Development Goal 1 and 7: to reduce by half the number of people living in poverty and to ensure environmental sustainability by 2015.

Let us not underestimate the challenges we are facing. Realizing a sustainable Green Revolution needs modernizing agriculture by using the best farmer knowledge and the best agricultural science. This can only be achieved if it is done in a sustainable way through sustainable production chains and re-use of natural resources. We have to face the competing claims for water and energy.

Revolution calls for revolution in ideas, revolution in technologies, revolution in policies, market access and financial means. It calls for new, creative and innovative thinking. But, moreover it calls for concrete deliverables and actions to be implemented.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Looking at CSD-17, I am motivated by all the challenges we face; in agriculture, rural development, drought, water, land, the food crisis. My deepest hope is that countries will make the sustainable agricultural and rural development agenda central to achieving sustainable development and reducing poverty. This CSD should aim at providing not only concrete and tangible solutions, but even more focus on concrete deliverables.

In my opinion answers and solutions can be found along a five track approach. They will be helpful in addressing the issues and challenges faced by agricultural development, water management and rural livelihoods.

First and foremost, we have to respond by substantially investing more in sustainable agriculture again, especially in Africa. Capacity building, research, training and extension services should be one of the pillars of a green revolution. Here we need a paradigm shift in a way that you can make use of the application of the latest scientific knowledge and experience. But, made available based on local conditions.

Secondly, by creating an enabling environment. At the end only the private sector can do it. Entrepreneurship should be the focus. Governments should set conditions and frameworks for attracting private investments.

Thirdly, by developing sustainable production chains. Developing a safe and sustainable food chain, from production, processing and marketing to us as consumers.

Fourthly, by improving market access, especially for developing countries. Not only developing local and regional markets, but also providing more market access for products from developing countries.

The fifth track is food security and emergency food aid. For example via enhanced safety nets for the most vulnerable people and increased lending possibilities, for example via micro credits.

As a last issue I would like to focus on the role of governance. Governments can and should take a leading role in facilitating and promoting sustainable technological innovations. For instance through investing more in public-private partnerships.

In order to ensure a long-term response, the goals of poverty eradication, food security and sustainable natural resource management need to be seen as inter-linked and addressed in a more coherent manner.

Being here at the FAO Commission of Agriculture, I would like to underline that this seventeenth session of CSD provides a unique and timely platform to tackle the challenges at hand. Its role is more important than ever.

In the beginning of February the Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting was in New York. During that meeting the Bureau of CSD-17 and its Secretariat has ensured to give ample opportunities for discussion of the themes in this CSD session. These are: agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification and Africa. This has allowed us to come up with a Chair's negotiating text that will be negotiated in the CSD-17 in May. I am sure the outcome will contribute to the agenda by accelerating implementation of sustainable agriculture and rural development into practice.

Outcomes of both intersessional meetings Bangkok and Windhoek provided a good basis for discussion during the IPM.

The Chair's negotiating text is the balanced result of the different contributions from Governments, the UN system and Major Groups, during the IPM. And it took into account the Secretary General's reports, reports from the CSD intersessional Meetings in Bangkok and Windhoek and other relevant inputs. The Chair's negotiating text will be the basis for the negotiations at CSD-17, that will start on the first day.

The policy actions in the text are structured around the five track approach I mentioned earlier. Some key issues in the text are: thinking beyond the multiple crisis, investing in institutions, like extension and markets, making a homegrown green revolution reality by sharing knowledge and getting new technology available in all countries, scale up success stories, increase international support and develop a safe and sustainable food chain, from production, processing and marketing to the consumers.

The Chair's negotiating text as well as all documents and outcomes of intersessional meetings are all accessible at the CSD web page.

Let me now turn to the upcoming seventeenth session of the CSD. As you know, this is the policy year and on the basis of the Chair's negotiating text, global policy makers will make policy decisions and solutions for the implementation of the thematic cluster.

We are fully aware of the fact that the CSD has to become more effective and relevant to address the crises our world is facing. Towards this aim and to give notable push to accelerate the implementation of the agreed policy actions, the Bureau has introduced an innovative approach in the organization of work. This approach is based on interactive discussions in three ministerial round tables during the High-level segment, avoiding reading formal written statements.

These three interactive ministerial round tables will be organized on the following themes:

• Responding to Food Crisis through Sustainable Development,
• Realizing Green Revolution in Africa, and
• Integrated Management of Land and Water Resources for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development.

Outcomes of these round tables will lead to a shared vision to advance the agenda of sustainable agriculture and rural development.

Other innovations include: dialogues of ministers with the major groups; with the policy research community; and jointly with the heads of UN agencies and heads of Governing Councils/Executive Boards of UN Organizations where mutual cooperation will be discussed.

Let me emphasize that, in the midst of multiple crises being faced today, we need to become even more determined to advance the implementation of sustainable development agenda. This requires us to bring the principles of sustainable development at the heart of our efforts. And we need to work strongly on translating commitments into concrete measures and actions.

Having briefed you on the CSD process, I would very much like to hear from you how we can enhance cooperation, so that the CSD outcome can be used in your work. At the same time I would like to receive feedback from you on the lessons learned in implementing various policy measures. Such a process will not only enrich the global policy formulation process on sustainable development issues, but will speed up the implementation of these decisions.

Only together we can assure that our common aspirations for the implementation of a fundamentally changed agricultural policy and green economy can become a reality for the benefit of our children and grand children.

Swords into ploughshares, words into action!

Thank you.