The European Commission (EC) and the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) of the United Nations have agreed on a strategic
partnership to reduce poverty in developing countries.
The partnership aims to help these countries reduce poverty and
achieve the UN's Millennium Development Goal, said a press release
from the EC, the executive body of the European Union, on
Monday.
The Millennium Development Goal calls for substantial improvements
by 2015 compared with 1990 in poverty and hunger reduction, primary
education, women's equality, child mortality, maternal health,
disease control, environmental protection and a global partnership
for development.
"The strategic partnership we have signed today will further
consolidate this long and well-established mutual cooperation and
reinforce the quality of our collaboration in the pursuit of a
common goal," said European Commissioner for Development and
Humanitarian Aid Poul Nielson.
FAO director-general Jacques Diouf said that by working together
the two organizations can address the challenge of reducing chronic
hunger and under-nourishment that currently afflict more than 840
million people in the world.
Specific attention will initially focus on fostering close
collaboration in five specific areas: food security, sustainable
rural development and agricultural policies, food safety and
quality, natural resources management and statistical cooperation
and information exchange, the EC press release said.
Cooperation between the EC and the FAO dates back to 1991 so far
resulting in the implementation of 116 projects with a budget of
approximately 108 million euros (US$129.6 million).
Most of the projects have provided technical assistance to
developing countries in the field of food security, agriculture,
forestry and fisheries.
(Xinhua News Agency September 14, 2004)