ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL HEARS FROM GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

ON HOW TO ADDRESS RURAL POVERTY

Introductory Statements Delivered by Under-Secretary-General

For Economic and Social Affairs, Vice-Chairman of Committee for Development Policy

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 1 July (UN Information Service) -- The Economic and Social Council continued its high-level segment this morning, hearing introductory statements from the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Nitin Desai, as well as the Vice-Chairman of the Committee for Development Policy, Eugenio Figueroa, on poverty, the Millennium Development Goals, and economic and rural development.

Introducing the report of the Secretary-General on “Promoting an integrated approach to rural development in developing countries for poverty eradication and sustainable development”, Mr. Desai said not enough attention had been focused on rural and agricultural development issues.  The Economic and Social Council was attempting to highlight the need to address rural development in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Mr. Figueroa stressed that the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals would not be possible without development making a substantial impact on rural poverty, since three quarters of the extreme poor in the world lived in rural areas.  Today, economic growth worldwide was faltering, pushing millions more into poverty and causing tens of thousands of children to die from malnutrition and deprivation.  The rural poor could be seen as caught in a vicious circle or “poverty trap”.

The Economic and Social Council also heard from government ministers and officials on current rural development challenges, national initiatives and regional priorities.

Juli Minoves-Triquell, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Andorra, stressed the importance of rural development leading to the improvement in productivity within the agricultural sector to ensure food security.  Lack of food security often led to violence and conflict.  The Security Council and the Economic and Social Council must, therefore, work together in addressing issues of rural development, security and peace -– issues that were inextricably interlinked.

Paula Lehtomaki, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development of Finland, emphasized that women carried great potential to advance rural development and must be given the opportunity to contribute.  Their right to take part in the decision-making processes must be promoted at all levels, as well as their equal right to cultivate, control and manage land.  That would have a major impact on the sustainable development of rural livelihoods. 

Jan O. Karlsson, Minister for Development Cooperation, Migration and Asylum Policy of Sweden, stressed the need for developed countries to address certain contradictions and achieve coherency in their policies.  How could one explain the right of companies to patents taking precedence over the human right to good health?  At present, one half of the world had the medicines and the other a majority of the patients.  Another contradiction was that development assistance was given to the agriculture sector at the same time as national subsidies were given, making it impossible for poor farmers to compete.

Kashiram Rana, Minister for Rural Development of India, highlighted some important developments in India, including the decentralization of local governance and development through peoples’ institutions in rural areas.  It was, however, emphasized that in order to support efforts at the national level, a conducive international climate was imperative.  Developed countries had committed themselves to make 0.7 per cent of the gross national product (GNP) as official development assistance (ODA) and must live up to their promises

Maria Eugenia Brizuela de Avila, Minster for Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, said national endeavours must have the support of the international community through opening markets to products of developing countries and ending subsidies in developed countries.  She also reminded donors of the importance of supporting not only the least developed countries, but also to support programmes for the intermediate-income countries facing particular problems as they emerged.

Rosa Elena Simeon Negrin, Minister of Science Technology and Environment of Cuba, said that agricultural reforms could not be underestimated as a force for economic and social development in developing and poor countries.  Such reforms must be integrated, including both economic and social factors, as well as taking into consideration the environmental sustainability.

Valli Moosa, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism of South Africa, said that rural populations had a particular place in the programme of action of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).  He stressed that the most important factor for rural development in Africa lay in the elimination of agricultural subsidies in developed countries.  As long as cows in Switzerland continued to earn a larger daily salary than African workers -– poverty eradication would not be fully accomplished.

Also addressing the Economic and Social Council were Mohamed Bennouna, Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations; Mario Baccini, Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Italy, speaking on behalf of the European Union; Yuri V. Fedotov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation; Shinako Tsuchiya, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan; Antonio Ruiz Garcia, Vice-Minister of Rural Development of Mexico; Miguel von Hoegen, Secretary for Programming and Planning of the Presidency of Guatemala; Ovidiu Ionescu, Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry of Romania; Ivan Simonovic, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Croatia; and Tom Kitt, Minister of State for Overseas Development and Human Rights of Ireland.

The Economic and Social Council will reconvene at 3 p.m. today to continue its high-level segment.

Statements

NITIN DESAI, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, introducing the report of the Secretary-General on “Promoting an integrated approach to rural development in developing countries for poverty eradication and sustainable development” (document E/2003/51), said that, although the importance of rural and agricultural development issues had been reflected in various international summits, particularly at Johannesburg, there was a sense that they had not been directly addressed for some time.  Thus, the current meeting, which was focused on rural and agricultural development, could be seen to cut across issues, connecting many of the Millennium Development Goals in areas such as poverty and hunger, sustainable development, agriculture, natural resources, education and health, among others.  Moreover, one of the primary roles of the Economic and Social Council was to get the various agencies of the United Nations system working together effectively.

The report of the Secretary-General, he said, advocated bringing a territorial approach to rural and agricultural development, rather than a sectoral approach.  The importance of that approach was particularly acute in terms of fragile environments.  For example, in order to protect the savannah lands of Africa, it was necessary to also protect the livelihood of the Masai tribesmen who lived there, and vice versa.  It was also important to recognize the links between the local and global spheres; for example, one could not improve the livelihoods of local coffee farmers without looking at what it was possible to accomplish in the global market for coffee.

In addition to the importance of acknowledging the role played by women in rural and agricultural development, he said, the changing age structure of the rural population must be addressed.  More and more, the young were leaving rural areas and the average age of rural populations was increasing.  Finally, he said that he looked forward to the discussion to follow during this session of the Council.

EUGENIO FIGUEROA, Vice-Chairman of the Committee for Development Policy, said the Committee had deliberated on the role of rural development in developing countries for poverty reduction and sustainable development.  During the deliberations, the Committee had recognized that the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals would not be possible without development making a substantial impact on rural poverty, since three quarters of the extreme poor in the world lived in rural areas.  It was even more imperative to focus on the eradication of rural poverty now that economic growth worldwide was faltering, pushing millions more into poverty and causing tens of thousands of children to die from malnutrition and deprivation.

Among the major causes of the persistence of rural poverty in most developing countries were stagnant economic growth in rural areas, inadequate investment in human capital, agricultural technology and infrastructure, and inadequacies in institutional mechanisms that addressed the needs of the rural poor.  The rural poor could be seen as caught in a vicious circle or “poverty trap”.  In this context, the Committee wished to stress the need for enhancing rural employment and income generating so as to create the conditions for decent living in rural areas.  The gender dimension must be taken into special consideration, as women and girls often constituted a majority of the rural population and, therefore, stood to be the most important contributors to, as well as beneficiaries of, accelerated rural development. 

The impact of rural poverty on health, education, migration, agriculture, the environment and access to credit were highlighted. In conclusion, Mr. Figueroa said that in its report, the Committee for Development Policy listed a set of recommendations for priority attention.  It was a challenge to work out realistic solutions for effective rural poverty alleviation; it was a challenge for Governments and the international community to make the choices and take the actions necessary to promote and sustain rural development and poverty reduction.

MOHAMED BENNOUNA, Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said that the focus on rural and agricultural development of this session of the Council was appropriate given the considerable impact which rural areas had on national economic choices and strategies for social and economic development.  An integrated approach, which would involve the contribution of all relevant stockholders, required the adoption of projects and initiatives in favour of the rural world in all sectors, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, social services, human and natural resources, financial services and environmental protection.  Such a strategy involved the establishment of an appropriate administrative reform focused on decentralization of governmental prerogatives directly linked to resource management and the reinforcement of local capacities, as well as the adoption of innovative agricultural and food policies aimed at increasing agricultural productivity, diversifying production and improving the means of subsistence of rural populations.  The development of rural areas required support from the international community.

Given the irreversibility of globalization and with the intent of accomplishing the Millennium Development Goals, it was urgent to create an international macroeconomic environment conducive to rural development and poverty eradication, he said.  In the area of trade, there was a need for better market access for the products of developing countries and for the financing of rural development, including the substantial reduction of tariffs and non-tariff barriers and agricultural subsidies in developed countries.

He also said that in order to achieve rural and agricultural development in terms of internationally agreed goals, it was necessary to devote financing to this area.  Thus, there must be improved mobilization among international organizations, bilateral donors, international financial institutions and regional banks for development.  Other areas that must be addressed included reducing the decline in official development, reducing the debt burden of developing countries and increasing South-South cooperation.

JULI MINOVES TRIQUELL, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Andorra, said that the participation of small States in the Economic and Social Council had been one of the first challenges faced by Andorra.  However, Andorra had been able to stand for election at the General Assembly for a seat in the Council.  After three years as a member of the Council, he encouraged other small States to stand for election to the Council to make their concerns known to the international community.  Concerning rural development, it was stressed that an integrated approach was necessary for sustainable development.  One of the goals of rural development must be the improvement of efficiency and productivity within the agricultural sector to ensure food security.  It was noted that the deaths witnessed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had resulted from the lack of food security following conflicts.  In this connection, Andorra believed that the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council must work together in addressing issues of development and peace, since these issues were inextricably interlinked.

Another important aspect of rural development was investment in education and health.  The international community must fight harder against the HIV/AIDS pandemic.  Access to education and health services was a major challenge in rural societies, further marginalizing rural people and preventing their economic development.  Sharing some of the history of Andorra’s economic development, he said that previously its economy had been based solely on agriculture.  However, the Government had realized the need for diversification, and had later expanded its economy to cover tertiary sectors.  Andorra’s economic development had certainly benefited from having developed and rich neighbouring States.  Therefore, it was now the turn of countries like Andorra to help other developing countries in their economic development.  In concluding, he said that development was a challenge that humankind must meet.

MARIO BACCINI, Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Italy, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that the European Union’s development policy was based on the principle of sustainable, equitable and participatory human and social development with the main objective of reducing and eradicating poverty.  As poverty and hunger were predominantly rural problems, sustainable rural development and food security had been retained as one of the six priority sectors in the European Union Declaration on the Development Policy of November 2000.  Rural development efficiency and sustainability could only be achieved through long-term strategies prepared and implemented on a participatory basis that reflected the priorities to rural poor people.

The European Union, he said, emphasized the multidimensional aspects of rural poverty and the need for an integrated approach to the development of rural areas, particularly related to the challenges of low productivity; low income and consumption; inequalities in ownership and access to productive assets; low health education and nutrition status; environmental degradation; vulnerability to risk; gender inequality; and weak political power.  Of particular importance were the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Among the main issues impacting rural development, he said, were globalization, HIV/AIDS, the national policies of developing countries, decentralization, conflict and insecurity and environmental problems and natural disasters.  In conclusion, the six policy areas considered to be of particular importance were to promote broad-based rural economic growth; to ensure more equitable access to productive assets, markets and services; to support human and social development; to ensure sustainable natural resource management; to reduce vulnerability to risk; and to build more effective accountable, decentralized and participatory institutions.  In this context, the ownership of government-led policy inserted in a strategic framework like the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and the Sector-wide Approaches should be fully recognized and systematically promoted.

PAULA LEHTOMAKI, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development of Finland, said integrated rural development had been neglected for too long.  Rural poverty had extensive social and economic implications.  Multiple constraints hampered rural development and called for a range of measures in many sectors and for partnership at all levels.  National strategies for poverty reduction needed to address all the diverse forms of rural development better.  This was the main responsibility of national Governments.  Good domestic policies and their implementation were important as was the creation of enabling environments for efficient delivery of the policies.  Efforts must be made to ensure that also the views of rural populations were heard in policy making.

She emphasized that women carried great potential to advance rural development and must be given the opportunity to contribute.  Their right to take part in the decision-making processes must be promoted at all levels.  Also women must have the equal right not only to cultivate the land but also to control and manage it.  That would have a major impact on the sustainable development of rural livelihoods.  It was stressed that rural development could not be achieved at the country level alone, but active international cooperation was needed.  It had become clear that global trade and its rules were heavily influencing the possibilities of developing countries to improve their living conditions.  All countries, including the developing countries, must be in conditions to fully benefit from the world trading system and the expansion of trade.  Increased market access, substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support and all forms of export subsidization were essential. 

YURI V. FEDOTOV, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, said that the solution of complex problems related to rural development and poverty eradication required the effective combination of the collective efforts of all organizations of the United Nations system and other international forums, as well as a special focus on the local community level in national policy making.  Moreover, a comprehensive approach to rural development should take into account all three pillars of sustainable development –- economic, environmental and social pillars.

The correct combination of external assistance with national efforts was a matter of crucial importance for the international community to address, he said.  In this light, the Council should play a coordinating role to ensure control over the proper use of resources and to focus efforts on priority issues in specific countries.  Thus, targeted external assistance should also be viewed trough the prism of the creation of macroeconomic conditions conducive to the development of the agricultural sector.  Assistance should also be provided for the creation of effective market infrastructures.

The practical lessons learned by countries at various stages of their historical development should also be taken into account, he said.  In the Russian example, the increase in private investment in the agricultural sector over the last few years had resulted in a considerable growth of agricultural production.  Russia’s experience also showed that sustainable rural development could not be ensured without the development of rural territories and human settlements, the promotion of employment in agriculture, and improvement in the quality of education and agricultural work.

SHINAKO TSUCHIYA, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan, said growth was an indispensable element for the reduction of world poverty.  While rural areas of developing countries were home to three quarters of the world’s poor, she was convinced that robust, broad-based, and equitable economic growth was needed to fight the poverty of such rural areas.  In order to realize growth and good rural development, it was necessary to improve, in each area, agricultural productivity, the health and sanitation situation, women’s social role and the level of education in a balanced manner.  It was also important to strengthen cooperation among rural communities and to create opportunities for local products to gain access to urban markets.  For that purpose, in addition to a nation-based approach, it was essential to realize a “community empowerment” approach based on good governance, targeting and aiming to strengthen communities.

In the process of development of rural areas in Japan, various measures had been taken not only at the national level, but also at the grass roots level.  In the field of agricultural development, policies for the establishment and development of Agricultural Cooperatives had played an important role.  Through this system, each agricultural household enjoyed various benefits in areas ranging from professional activities to daily life, such as the common purchase and use of machinery, local technical assistance, and mutual insurance.  However, national policies were not enough and Japan had therefore contributed in various ways to rural development in developing countries.  In the field of national education, Japan had committed in June of last year more than $2 billion in financial assistance over a five-year period for low-income countries.  Moreover, Japan had been conducting various technical cooperation programmes.  To realize rural development, international trade also played a role.  Japan had been actively striving to improve its market access vis-à-vis the least developed countries.  Japan also recognized the importance of bringing the WTO Doha development agenda to a successful conclusion by settling all the issues related to developing countries in an appropriate way.

ANTONIO RUIZ GARCIA, Vice-Minister of Rural Development of Mexico, highlighted four aspects of rural development in Mexican policy, including economic development, the development of physical capital, investment in human capital and the development of social capital.  Highlighting some aspects of the Mexican experience, he said that Mexico supported differentiation within different rural areas and that of the 4 million rural households in Mexico, at least 80 per cent had a minimum of one family member living outside the rural area.  Also, some 600,000 Mexican families had been lifted out of extreme poverty within recent years.

It was important for Mexico to concentrate on the production of high labour, value-added products that were competitive internationally, he said, such as the production of fruit crops.  The process of integration had made it possible to promote exports from Mexico to the rest of the world, as shown by the fact that only 50 per cent of fruit exports went to relatively near markets in the United States and Canada.  There was also a need to develop infrastructures and to promote human settlements in rural areas to combat the huge dispersion of the population in rural areas, which made it difficult to provide social services.  The incorporation of such elements into Mexico’s rural development policy reflected the Government’s acceptance of the territorial approach, as laid out in the Secretary-General’s report.

JAN O. KARLSSON, Minister for Development Cooperation, Migration and Asylum Policy of Sweden, took the opportunity to commend the Secretary-General for an excellent report on rural development.  For several years, there had been a decline in support for rural development even though most poor people lived in rural areas.  It was also distressing that 75 per cent of the rural poor were women.  That discussion of the Economic and Social Council was bringing the international community back to an essential basic – the need to focus on rural development.

Rural development also required policies to focus on issues such as access to water, land and technology, as well as investment in infrastructure.  Water scarcity was a serious threat and each society must decide how to make the most efficient use of water.  Another issue of concern was the devastating effect of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, particularly in Africa.  The successful prevention of HIV/AIDS must be a first priority and must include serious attention to reproductive health.  This naturally led to another priority which was the empowerment of women and their right to reproductive health.

It was stressed that richer countries needed to consider the consequences of their own policies.  The Millennium Development Goals were important and had been agreed on, however there were several interesting contradictions within the developing world that needed addressing.  One of these contradiction was the right of companies to patents, and on the other hand, the human right to good health.  At present, one half of the world had the medicines and the other a majority of the patients.  Another contradiction was that on the one hand development assistance was given to the agriculture sector, whilst on the other hand, subsidies were given that made it impossible for poor farmers to compete.  On the one hand, the belief in free trade, and on the other, the protection of developed countries’ markets.  Coherence was about dealing with such contradictions.  For several decades, donor countries had held developing countries accountable.  In this new era, developed countries must also be held accountable.  The face of poverty was that of the rural woman.  She was the reminder of what should be the point of departure for rural development and poverty alleviation. 

MIGUEL VON HOEGEN, Secretary for Programming and Planning of the Presidency of Guatemala, said that Guatemala’s experience in combating rural poverty could be of interest to many countries.  Guatemala had endorsed its poverty eradication strategy in 2001.  That policy was discussed in citizen participation bodies in Guatemala, which were organized at five different levels:  community; municipal; departmental; regional; and national.  Furthermore, Guatemala had instituted a legal framework without precedence anywhere in Latin America and it continued to push for an increased tax burden at the national level, so as to render viable its poverty eradication programmes.

Among the other aspects of Guatemala’s rural development and poverty eradication strategy, which he highlighted, was that at the regional level it was necessary to implement programmes to redistribute land and wealth in the country.  Guatemala had one of Latin America’s highest levels of wealth concentration.  Guatemala also intended to concentrate efforts upon the rural manufacturing sector, as the level of income of families in this sector was higher than those employed in the agricultural sector.  Finally, he stressed that access to markets must be ensured and that the removal of agricultural subsidies was necessary to provide a future for rural development.

KASHIRAM RANA, Minster of Rural Development of India, highlighted some important developments in India including the decentralization of local governance and development through peoples’ institutions in rural areas.  These local bodies had 3.4 million elected representatives, of which one third were women.  This was the world’s largest single representative-base and also the world's largest experiment in local democracy.  The people themselves were involved not only in making demands but also in taking decisions on how to realize their needs and on how to improve their lives in communities.  In addition, the Prime Minister’s Rural Roads Programme initiated two years ago to provide road connectivity to unconnected habitations in the rural areas by the year of 2007 had created a substantial road network, adding to all round economic activities and prosperity.

It was, however, emphasized that in order to support efforts at the national level, a conducive international climate was imperative.  It was important to initiate steps for implementation of the measures agreed in the Monterrey Conference in this regard.  Developed countries had committed themselves to make 0.7 per cent of the GNP as official development assistance but the current levels were far below the agreed target.  He called on developed countries to fulfil their commitments in this regard.  Without addressing rural poverty and without significant improvements in rural health and education, sustainable development would not be possible.  This could only be possible when and if developed countries fulfilled their commitments.

MARIA EUGENIA BRIZUELA DE AVILA, Minister for Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, said that rural development was a key element in attempts to enable a majority population sector characterized by high vulnerability.  The promotion of local development policies was thus based on an emphasis on local development policy and highlighted the promotion of territorial approach, taking advantage of synergies between different sectors.  National endeavours, she said, must have the support of the international community through opening markets to products of developing countries and ending subsidies in developed countries.  In this respect, a free trade agreement with the United States provided a sign of hope for the people of El Salvador.

Furthermore, he said, concentrating on rural development implied a series of collateral benefits such as the empowerment of women and protection of the environment.  It also had an impact on the issue of migration.  High levels of continued solidarity between members of families who emigrated and those who stayed behind led those who left to provide financial support by sending money home.  This has been so profitable that the Government cultivated ties with expatriate groups.  Finally, she cited factors that had affected El Salvador’s market and economic outlook such as the fall in the price of coffee and natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricane Mitch, which had exacerbated the problem.  She also told donors not to forget to support programmes for the intermediate-income countries facing particular problems as they emerged. 

ROSA ELENA SIMEON NEGRIN, Minister of Science, Technology and Health of Cuba, informed the Economic and Social Council about Cuba’s attempts to undergo an agricultural reform.   Agricultural reforms could not be underestimated as a force

for economic and social development in developing and poor countries.  She stressed that rural development was an integral part of any national development strategy and could not be separated from the economic, cultural and social development of countries.  Concern was raised about environmental degradation and it was highlighted that only integrated policies would lead to an eco-system based approach that would have long-term sustainability and would benefit both people and the environment.  In this connection, it was stressed that ODA needed to be strengthened, as well as international cooperation, in general.

Activities undertaken by the Cuban Government had led to legal land tenure and improved access to credit and markets, including access to free education up to university levels and access to health care.  Small farmers and the rural poor therefore had access to the basic necessities for development.  In recent years, the Cuban Government had also integrated cities into projects of urban agriculture.  Cuba believed that rural development including environmental actions must be based on the fundamental underpinnings of Agenda 21, the implementation of the plan adopted in Johannesburg, and the Rio Declaration. 

VALLI MOOSA, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism of South Africa, said that the rural population had a particular place in the programme of action of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).  The NEPAD, which committed African countries to improving their governance policies and structures, could only be sustainable if it was built upon pre-existing potential.  In the case of agriculture, NEPAD recognized that diversification and value adding were key concepts in promoting growth in agriculture, but it was far greater market access that was a prerequisite of future growth.  And while NEPAD was essentially a partnership between Africans themselves, the international community did however have a role to play in assisting Africans to help themselves.

Thus, he said, while it was important to address issues such as debt relief and the provision of official development aid, the most important factor for rural development in Africa lay in the elimination of agricultural subsidies in developed countries.  As long as cows in Switzerland continued to earn a larger daily salary than African workers, he said, rural development and poverty eradication would not be fully accomplished.

OVIDIU IONESCU, State Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry of Romania, said that within the national strategy for economic development of Romania, the main objective represented the establishing of a functional market economy compatible with the principles, norms, mechanisms, institutions and policies of the European Union.  Romania was promoting an agriculture and forestry policy.  Re-launching the agriculture and forestry would be achieved by creating the premises of a sustainable system of rural development.  That would happen through the promotion of a broad programme of rural development at a country level; ensuring a favourable environment for increasing the value of natural resources; and the establishment of competitive structures able to promote and implement agricultural programmes.

Romania had elaborated a National Plan for Agriculture and Rural Development which was based on the sustainable development of a competitive agri-food sector by modernizing and improving the processing and marketing of agricultural and fishery products; increasing living standards in the rural areas; development of the rural economy; and development of human resources.

IVAN SIMONOVIC, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Croatia, said that although Croatia was not currently a member of the Council, it remained very committed to the successful work of the Economic and Social Council.  The current theme on rural development was extremely relevant to Croatia.  The forces of globalization had the potential to make everyone better off, he said, but they could also enable the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer, unless economic, political and social institutions were developed to spread the benefit of globalization on a more equal basis.  Thus, accelerated rural development was essential to achieve the internationally agreed development goals.  Moreover, rural development required the sustainable use of resources such as land, water and forests, as well as the empowerment and incorporation of women into the process of development.

As a former communist country, he said, Croatia had had to overcome a painful transitional process involving agrarian reforms to overcome the structural and systematic limitations inherited from the past.  After deciding to follow European Union policy in agricultural development, becoming a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and signing 32 free trade agreements with other countries, the burden was now on Croatia’s agricultural sector to either streamline its production capabilities and output or face being overrun by competitors from European Union countries.  As rural development became an increasingly important element of the common agricultural policy of the European Union, the rural development programme in Croatia must be consistent with the actual and future policies of the European Union.

TOM KITT, Minister of State for Overseas Development and Human Rights of Ireland, said that among the aspects key to the Council’s discussion of rural and agricultural development were the need for peace and security, the heavy toll of HIV/AIDS, as well as the need for a fair world trade order, for research and development and for partnership.  For instance, there could be no meaningful discussion of rural development in situations where armies were rampaging and people fleeing the land, just as progress in rural development could not be achieved where the agricultural workforce was being decimated by disease, leaving orphans and grandparents to tend the land.

Furthermore, he said that the debate on the global trade system and the marginalization of poor developing countries needed to progress beyond a ritual denunciation of subsidies and closed markets to be accompanied by a comprehensive programme of investment in agriculture and trade capacity building.  In addition, support for research should be increased as agricultural services should address problems faced on a daily basis and should not promote technologies and inputs devised elsewhere, which were often not adaptable to particular environments.  Finally, he said that a Task Force had been established to advise on how best Ireland could renew its support for rural development and agriculture in its developing country partners.

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