In speech to FAO, Pope lists obstacles to elimination of world hunger

June 11, 2015

In a June 11 address to representatives of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Pope Francis said that “we must respond to the imperative of access to necessary food is a right for all.”

“Human rights permit no exclusions,” the Pope said. He welcomed the fact that the number of people in the world who lack adequate food has dropped, but said the ultimate goal must be the complete elimination of hunger.

Commenting on the challenges that continue to face the FAO, the Pope noted that as much as one-third of all the food produced today is wasted. That problem, he observed, is aggravated by the “non-alimentary use of agricultural products,” particularly for biofuels.

Next the Pope spoke of price fluctuations, which “impede the poorest from making plans or keeping a minimum nutrition.” He remarked that financial speculation is an important element in price volatility, complicating the problems already caused by unsuccessful harvests or natural and man-made disasters. The FAO, the Pontiff said, should work to develop “effective resilience, specifically reinforcing communities' capacities to cope with crises-- natural ones or those caused by human action.”

A solution to world hunger must include an effective campaign to stimulate local agricultural production in countries that suffer from “chronic hunger,” the Pope said. Foreign aid may be helpful in emergencies, he observed, but it “does not always reach the right hands,” and it may slow the growth of local production.

 

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Further information:

• Pope to Participants of FAO's 39th Conference: Responding to the Imperative of Right of All to Food (VIS)