41st session of FAO conference in Rome |27 June 2019

Minister Bastienne delivering his speech

Countries responsible of meeting SDGs, says Minister Bastienne

As much as world peace is a major ingredient which underlies the progress of mankind, each member state invariably bears the responsibility of meeting the sustainable development goals to the best of its ability.

Fisheries and Agriculture Minister Charles Bastienne said this in his speech delivered on Tuesday at the ongoing 41st session of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Conference which is taking place in Rome, Italy.

The conference was officially launched on June 22 and is expected to end on June 29, 2019.

Principal secretary for agriculture, Antoine-Marie Moustache is accompanying the minister on this overseas mission.

Minister Bastienne said as a small island developing state (Sids), Seychelles is spared of the miseries of migration of people in search of better lives.

But the Sids of the world, he said, face huge challenges which are disproportionate to their size.

“They are highly vulnerable to the many man-made and natural calamities both within and outside their frontiers. These impact strongly on their natural resources. The natural resources of Sids such as land, water and qualified human resources are most limited, hindering efforts towards a more appreciable level of food and nutrition security. Obesity and cardio-vascular diseases plague our labour force. External food dependence in excess of 80% by weight gives a false sense of security,” said Minister Bastienne,

He, however, noted that Seychelles as a Sids is nonetheless determined to make a difference in the lives of its people and to meet their aspirations of adequate food and good nutrition.

“The launch of a comprehensive agriculture plan in October 2018, does justice to the long Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) process and the eventual national agricultural investment plan. It crowns further the role of partnership towards meeting the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

“I have set targets to raise national food production for both crops and livestock to meet 50% of national consumption by 2021. Currently, local production averages some 20% of the national consumption level. Progress will come with a helping hand. I am very appreciative to our organisation for the portfolio of support through the Country Programming Framework 2018-2021, in addressing the many gaps in natural resources management towards a better national food and nutrition security. On this note, I call on the FAO to relook at the current mode by which donor funds are being distributed and used for technical assistance, as I am sure that in many instances technical assistance do not get to fruition and remain just plans as they do not impact directly on the lives of our people,” said Minister Bastienne.

He also thanked the many international organisations present at the conference such as the International Fund for Agricultural Development (Ifad), the European Union, the Kuwaiti and African Development Banks, Southern African Development Community (Sadc) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) for their help.

Minister Bastienne also congratulated Chinese vice minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs Qu Dongyu who was elected as the new head of the FAO and added that he counts on him to deliver on his promises to take the organisation to greater heights. Equally, the minister thanked Dr Da Silva, the outgoing FAO director general, for the great work he has done over the last eight years.

Mr Qu is the first Chinese official to be chosen as the head of the FAO, in the over 70-year-long history of the UN food agency. His election took place during the ongoing 41 session of the FAO conference, which has gathered representatives from all of the agency's 194 member states at the headquarters in the Italian capital.

He received 108 votes out of 191 totally cast, obtaining the majority in one single round of voting. He won over other two candidates, namely French agronomist Catherine Geslain-Laneelle, a former executive director of the European Food Safety Authority, and Georgia's ex-minister for Agriculture Davit Kirvalidze.

Two of the original five candidates – one from India and one from Cameroon – had pulled out from the run in the days before the vote.

Mr Qu, 56, has pledged to work at the best of his efforts "for the people and the farmers" in his four-year mandate.

"As FAO's new director general, I will be committed to the original inspirations, mandate, and mission of the organisation," Mr Qu told the assembly immediately after being elected.

"(I will) Take my responsibility at the supervision of conferences... in a rule-based approach, and I will uphold the principles of fairness, openness, justice, and transparency, remaining impartial and neutral."

He added that he was very grateful to his motherland. "Without (China's) forty years of successful reforms and opened-up policy, I would not have been who I am," he said.

The new DG will start serving his term on August 1, replacing Brazilian Jose Graziano Da Silva, who has led the agency for two consecutive terms since he was elected in 2011. His mandate will last until July 31, 2023.