3 June 2008: In his address to the High-Level Conference on World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy, which convened from 3-5 June 2008, in Rome, Italy, the Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Supachai Panitchpakdi, criticized subsidized exports from the developed world, noting that many former net […]
3 June 2008: In his address to the High-Level Conference on
World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy, which
convened from 3-5 June 2008, in Rome, Italy, the Secretary-General of the UN
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Supachai Panitchpakdi, criticized
subsidized exports from the developed world, noting that many former net
exporters of food in Africa, Asia and Latin America are now net importers as a
result of the market distortions caused by the subsidies.
“We at UNCTAD believe that the current food crisis is
ultimately a development crisis,” he said, adding that current high prices
provide a good opportunity to phase-out agricultural support and subsidies in
the developed world through the Doha Round of world trade negotiations.
Panitchpakdi also called for increasing official development assistance to the
agricultural sector and financing the necessary infrastructure, especially
transport and logistics networks, for transporting food. [Statement]