Opening remarks by the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva at the opening of the exhibition to mark the International Year of the Potato 2008

Mr. Deputy Executive Secretary
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a pleasure to welcome you all. Allow me, first of all, to express my appreciation to our colleagues in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe for highlighting not only the International Year of the Potato, but for bringing attention to some of the most urgent challenges facing the international community – the global food crisis and the need to step up efforts to realize the Millennium Development Goals.

Even before the food crisis began, 800 million people suffered from chronic hunger and under-nutrition. This number has now risen to a staggering 923 million. The crisis not only undercuts the work towards achieving the MDGs, but it threatens to undo hard-won development gains. And the current financial crisis may compound the challenge by undermining commitments to provide more aid and other financial resources.

Over the past months, the international community has come together to demonstrate resolve and to launch new initiatives. The United Nations High-Level Task Force on the Global Food Crisis has compiled a Comprehensive Framework for Action that sets out both short and long-term measures. It stresses the importance of initiatives to boost agricultural production and productivity in a sustainable manner. It is estimated that food and agricultural production must expand by up to 60% to meet the needs of our growing and rapidly urbanizing populations. Cultivation of potatoes is very much part of those comprehensive efforts for greater food security through productivity gains. As the world’s number one non-grain commodity, sustainable potato-based systems enhance the well-being of both producers and consumers.

The General Assembly’s recent High-level Events on Africa’s Needs and on the MDGs generated an estimated $16 billion in new pledges for development, including some $1.6 billion to bolster food security. Now, we must sustain this momentum, and the Financing for Development Conference in Doha next month represents another opportunity to build on these accomplishments.

This exhibition shows how the entire United Nations system works together, based on individual strengths and expertise, to provide support for those most in need. And I thank the ECE for playing a most valuable part in these collective efforts. These displays provide not only information, but also inspiration to continue strengthening that work.

I imagine that being here, close to the cafeteria and just before lunchtime, looking at potatoes, may have made some among us hungry. I hope that it has also increased your appetite for doubling our efforts for food security and for development. The lives and livelihoods of millions of our most vulnerable fellow human beings depend on it.

Thank you very much.