& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Global Perspective
***On 16 October 1994 FAO will celebrate 49 years of service to human-kind and in Bangladesh preparations are already well advanced by the Ministry of Agriculture's national Committee for the celebration on that date of World Food Day — the theme for this current year
being WATER FOR LIFE. ****
***Nowhere else is ther£ an accumulation of global information, on food and agriculture that compares with FAO's. Not only does the Organization have the widest information bases, but all countries have free access to them.***
IT was on the same date tn 1945 at the Chateau Fron tenac, tn Quebec Canada that representatives of 34 nations signed the Constitution of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Progressively, over the years, membership has grown to its current level of 171 nations and preparations are already being initiated for tlir celebration of FAO's 50th Anniversary in October 1995 in Quebec City which Is expected to include an International Symposium and Ministerial Meeting In which it is hoped all Member Nations would participate
As the first ‘ socialised agency of the United Nations to be established, and also the largest, FAO employs a staff pf more than 6.000 people. In addition to hundreds of consultants hired on short-term contracts. About one-half of the professional staff come from developing countries: similarly nearly half of the professionals serve in the field, and in regional and country offices.
Since Its inception. 49 years ago. the Organization has provided practical assistance to nearly all its member nations helping them identify, formulate, execute, monitor and evaluate more than 15.000 projects. Today FAO's Field Programme includes some 2.000 projects, worth over US $2,000 million, for the benefit of 140 countries. As a specialised agency (FAO is not a landing agency) almost the entire FAO field programme — about 95% — comprises pro-lects funded through other agencies or governments.
suaily funding is either con-’.ribute^ by those UN agencies through which multilateral funds from donor nations are
channelled or alternatively are made available through FAO trust-fund arrangements di rectly with the donor govern-rtients concerned.
The vision of FAO's founding members, of enabling all the world's peoples to eat well and have a satisfactory standard of living remains as valid an objective today as in 1945. The four tasks assigned to FAO in its Constitution to assist Member Nations in the achievement of that objective are: collecting, analysing interpreting and disseminating
information on nutrition, food and agriculture: providing Member Nations with a forum for dialogue and joint Work with a view, to drawing up common polices in these areas: providing them with policy advice and recommendations for elaborating and implementing their national policies and finally, furnishing them, if requested, with technical advice.
During five decades, much has been achieved. World agricultural production has grown at a rate never before attained
in history. Global policies and approaches have been devel oped to deal with global problems. And international actions on many fronts and In many countries of the’ world have certainly mitigated distress and saved millions of lives. The world community can indeed derive some satisfaction from its achievements during this period. However, as we all prepare later this week, to celebrate yet another World Food Day and as we look forward to FAO’s 50th Anniversary next year, it has to be
concluded that the hopes of FAO's Member Nations are still far from fulfilment. Although progress Is indeed being made in reducing the Impact of malnutrition. hundreds of millions of people are still under nourished. „
In his efforts to gear FAO towards meeting the challenges of the Third Millennium the Director-General of FAO. Dr Jacques Diouf has . called for a new and relentless
"War on Hunger" proposing bold measures
— to increase agricultural
output, making effective use of scientific and tech nical progress.
— to safeguard natural re sources on which human ity depends for its very own survival: and
— to ensure a socially fairer distribution of the fruits of growth.
All individual countries, regional groups and International agencies have been called upon to play their role.
First and foremost, governments of developing countries will have to adopt effi-. elent policies and programmes to foster agricultural production. They need to reallocate their means, however meagre, to invest In agricultural and rural development.
Second, international financing institutions and bilateral agencies will have to redirect their funds In favour of the agricultural and rural sector Including investment in basic infrastructure.
. Third, industrialised nations should encourage easier access to their markets for agricultural commodities from developing countries.
From the FAO side a major new programme, on Food Production and Food Security will give priority to lotg-in-come. food-deficit countries and will foeps on practical pro-
tects at field level Already in support of this Initiative. FAO and UNDP have announced a concerted global drive to achieve sustainable food secu rtty — recognising the pressing need to develop resilient farming and agro forestry systems that can support higher yields incorporating agro-eco logical methods to enhance soil fertility. Improve water management and manage pests through Integrated approa ches.'
Priority will also be given to another new FAO programme
to gear up response to emergencies faced by Member Nations from transboundary movements of pests and diseases of both plants and animals initially focusing on rinderpest and desert locusts.
Other FAO programmes are a|so being strengthened to meet the new challenges in the fields of genetic resources, forestry and fisheries with emphasis on the use of proven technology to raise the performance of production systems whilst also addressing environmental concerns to ensure the conservation and enhancement of the natural resource base. Water of course, la one of these resources and while its quantity remains finite. the quality of water Is diminishing — in some areas rapidly. Hence the need to highlight these Issues and the choice of "Water for Life" as the theme for this year's World Food Day.