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PREPARED BY: Mr. BRICENO Cesar Chair, General Assembly Plenary Meeting Rome Model UN 2013; AND Mr. INFANTE Francisco Director, General Assembly Plenary Meeting Rome Model UN 2013
Csar Eduardo Briceno Atencio has worked since very young age with a large number of Nongovernmental organizations, and he is deeply committed with the United Nation development programs for youth, specifically in his country of origin, Venezuela, where he has participated in several different Models of United Nations, obtaining remarkable results in each edition. Cesar Briceno has been pursuing a humanitarian career, having studied Human Rights defense and instruction, and political sciences. He is continuously looking to broad his horizons as to the international cooperation and development field refers, ethical volunteering could sum up what he considers of himself.
Hello, I'm Francisco Infante and I will be directing the General Assembly in RomeMUN 2013. I am a fourth year student at John Cabot University in Rome, where I study Political Science. Ive participated in Model United Nations conferences since I was 17 years old, enjoying the experience since secondary school. Having lived in several different countries, and now residing in Italy, I have come to appreciate different cultures, which in turns stimulated an interest in politics and history. I believe that MUN is a great exercise through which to approach both current and past problems, and through which to explore and develop potential solutions to these issues. The theme of RomeMUN 2013, Making 2015 possible is of crucial importance to the world, and will
VERY IMPORTANT: PLEASE REMIND THAT EACH COUNTRY HAS TO PRESENT A COPY OF THE POSITION PAPER ABOUT THE TWO AGENDA TOPICS OF THIS COMMITTEE BY MARCH 1ST , EMAILING IT AS ATTACHMENT IN WORD FORMAT TO position_paper@romemun.org ALL THE INDICATIONS ABOUT HOW TO PREPARE A POSITION PAPER IS NOT IN THIS GUIDE BUT IN THE DELEGATE GUIDE (AVAILABLE ON ROMEMUN FORUM)
COUNTRIES REPRESENTED IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ROMEMUN 2013 EDITION Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo (Republic of the) Costa Rica Cte dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic
Honduras HOLY SEE Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao Peoples Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia (Federated States of) Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar
Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa SOUTH SUDAN Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Switzerland Sweden Syria Tajikistan Thailand The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Timor Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United of Republic of Tanzania United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam
AGENDA TOPIC A
TARGET 1.A + 1.B - POVERTY ISSUE (REF. 2.A - SCHOOLING)
Halve the proportion of people whose income is less than 1$ per day Full employment for all
Poverty
-Mahatma Gandhi.
INTRODUCTION
Before even intending to approach this vast subject, it is necessary to redefine the real concepts that have been globally accepted, therefore legitimated, of poverty. It is imperative to analyze its direct consequences all over the world, which may be as multiple as the causes of this terrible condition that constraint many of the worlds policy makers including the nongovernmental actors- from reaching an equilibrated development in many of the affected areas, such as the labor market accessibility and the permanent reduction of financial opportunities. It is thus time to consider some of the new responses, regarding the world economic crisis consequences, to help the most undeveloped areas face these critical consequences. Some of these efforts will focus on the induction of communities for an assisted self-improving process, sustainable alternatives for increasing occupation levels and local projects of micro-scale economy markets.
FOLLOW-UP TO THE FOURTH UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON THE LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
The General Assembly has sustained a rich debate regarding this subject over the past 10 years, according to the importance that represents every item of the United Nations Millennium Campaign, started in 2002. Keeping track of the reports, resolutions and potential solutions presented during all previous summits of the committee, including its ordinary and extraordinary
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http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/worldwide/education-regions/ It makes reference to university degrees, professional preparation or technic programs, among others.
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http://www.un.org/wcm/webdav/site/ldc/shared/A_66_134.pdf
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(i)
Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed countries for the Decade 2011-2020 (resolution 66/213);
(ii)
Ensuring the effective implementation of the functions of the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States and strengthening its capabilities and its effectiveness, as well as the effectiveness of the United Nations system support provided to least developed countries.
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http://www.un.org/en/ga/second/67/ospbil53.pdf http://www.un.org/en/ga
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IMPORTANT FACTS 8
More than 80 percent of the worlds population lives in countries where income differentials are widening. (i) The poorest 40 percent of the worlds population accounts for 5 percent of global income. The richest 20 percent accounts for three-quarters of world income. (ii) According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.
(iii)
Around 27-28 percent of all children in developing countries are estimated to be underweight or stunted. The two regions that account for the bulk of the deficit are South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.(Which holds a tight relation to the target 1.b Hunger)
(iv)
If current trends continue, the Millennium Development Goals target of halving the proportion of underweight children will be missed by 30 million children, largely because of slow progress in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa
(v)
Based on enrollment data, about 72 million children of primary school age in the developing world were not in school in 2005; 57 per cent of them were girls. And these are regarded as optimistic numbers.
(vi)
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Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
http://www.thp.org/learn_more/issues/know_your_world_facts_about_hunger_and_poverty
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3 Billion
80%
Total percent of World Populations that live where income differentials are widening
80%
75%
22,000
1.1 billion
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2.2 billion
1 billion
640 million (1 in 3)
400 million (1 in 5)
270 million (1 in 7)
Total Number of Children who die annually from lack of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation
1.4 million
Year
1820
3 to 1
1913
11 to 1
1950
35 to 1
1973
44 to 1
1992
72 to 1
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POVERTY MEASURES
Poverty can be either absolute or relative, hence, this classification will go according to different categories, ranks, groups, etc. since is also based on the countrys currency as well as the influence of demographic data. Before taking an insight view of this unacceptable reality, it is imperative tha all that ambassadors know and dig consciously into each countrys current situation and background. The limitations as to provide a more extended data regarding each country member of the General Assembly are considerably great, as the guide would not be generally applicable, thus impractical. generally
UNDERSTATING POVERTY
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The official poverty line today is essentially what it takes in today's dollars; adjusted for inflation, to purchase the same poverty-line level of living that was appropriate to a half century ago, in 1955, for that year furnished the basic data for the formula for the very first poverty measure. Updated thereafter only for inflation, the poverty line lost all connection
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http://www.worldbank.org/
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DEFINITIONS
Poverty, as a definition has had a broad approach over the past years, this has granted a considerable debate on how to best define the term. In this sense, many concepts have been exposed to best clarify this condition, it can always be found among them the privation of an income security, economic stability and the probability of lacking personal constant means to meet all basic needs. Poverty may therefore also be defined as the economic state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions to satisfy the needs (according to the Encyclopedia Britannica ). Poverty is associated with the undermining of a range of key human attributes, including health. The poor are exposed to greater personal and environmental health risks, are less well nourished, have less information and are less able to access health care; they thus have a higher risk of illness and disability. Conversely, illness can reduce household savings, lower learning ability, reduce productivity, and lead to a diminished quality of life, thereby perpetuating or even increasing poverty. Poverty is often defined in absolute terms of low income. But in reality, the consequences of poverty exist on a relative scale. The poorest of the poor, around the world, have the worst health. Within countries, the evidence shows that in general the lower an individuals
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CURRENT SITUATION
To understand Poverty, as it has been redefined over the past decade, there are several aspects that need to be taken into account. The main consequences of World economic crisis and World financial crisis, which have become specifically more notable as there is an ongoing deterioration of the labour market, jeopardizing complete areas of the productive sector, being interpreted as a massive decline in employment, related to a narrowing process of small and medium enterprises, as the international corporations continue to extend. Yet there is still no direct responsible, meaning an institutional or juridical person that can be held accountable for the repercussions of the Crisis on the late world poverty levels. It is important to understand the main answers and strategies that need to be taken to face this growing list of consequences, such as the education field or the research programs, which need to be equally reinforced by international subsides or specifically aimed governmental actions that may grant access to the labour market, as well as professional trainings to better handle what is seems to be a long term global depression. Considering the effects of the crisis on the global poverty, Michel Chossudovsky states:
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Before advancing to any further analysis of the current economic -and financial- crisis, there remain some effects on Developing Countries and Emerging Markets that need to be consider as policy responses to the crisis According to Dirk Willem te Velde, the head of the International Economic Development Group, there are three pieces of information that provide fascinating insights into current policy issues related to the global financial crisis.
The Global Crisis: Food, Water and Fuel. Three Fundamental Necessities of Life in Jeopardy from http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-global-crisis-food-water-and-fuel-three-fundamental-necessities-of-life-injeopardy/9191
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Effects of the Global Financial Crisis on Developing Countries and Emerging Markets - Policy responses to the crisis from http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/2613-effects-global-financial-crisis-developing-countries-emergingmarkets-policy-responses-crisis
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AGENDA TOPIC B:
MDG TARGET 1.C HALVING HUNGER
Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
INTRODUCTION
The Millennium Summit of the United Nations, held in the year 2000, set forth the Millennium Development Goals, a series of targets which deal with pressing issues for international development. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger is Goal number one, recognizing that even in this highly-globalized and interconnected world, many still lie in the deepest chasms of poverty and inopportunity. Within Goal 1, Target 1.C sets forth the challenge to Halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. This is then expounded upon, noting the Prevalence of underweight children under five years of age and the proportion of population below minimum level of dietary energy consumption as indicators for monitoring progress. MDG 1.C is particularly relevant due to the spike global food prices since 2009. Although food prices had been falling steadily since the mid 1970s, a general upward trend was started in 2002, and it does not look like it will stop soon. The global financial crisis had made a bad situation worse, severely affecting the access to food in many regions of the world. Progress to end hunger has, in some regions, reached seemingly insurmountable obstacles. One in four children in the developing world are still underweight, a clear mark against one of the indicators set forward by the Millennium Summit. The situation is especially precipitous for
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64/192: Noting the situation of Commodities in the world market and the impact upon the
world food security situation. Recognizing the current economic situation and the negative trends concerning the commodity market.
previous UN efforts and the importance of climate change for agricultural development, amongst other matters.
66/188: Expressing the deep concern for the worsening situation regarding price volatility
in regards to food products. It also stresses the importance of the international financial system in supporting more inclusive and sustainable economic growth in order to facilitate development.
66/215: Declaring the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-
2017), noting the importance of food security in relation to impoverished people and their needs.
66/158: Reaffirming and recalling the UN commitment to the Right to Food, as well as
66/221: Declaring 2013 to be the International Year of Quinoa, recognizing the importance
of Quinoa as a natural food with a high nutritional value and its role in reaching MDG targets.
TOPIC HISTORY
The history of food insecurity and hunger may, upon a cursory examination, seem simple. Hunger is brought about, in an immediate sense, by the mere lack of food. Considering the amount of money and resources at the disposal of states, surely something as basic as the provision of food could be ensured in a simple manner. The reality, however, could not be further from such a statement. The fight against hunger has an extensive history, marked by considerable
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MEAGER BEGINNINGS
The United Nations Charter Article 1, point 3, states: To achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion; Even at this early stage, the UN indirectly acknowledged the right to food, being both a matter of economic and humanitarian character. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, formally recognizes the right to food as part of the right to adequate standard of living. The concept could be directly traced to the Four Freedoms speech given by US President Franklin Roosevelt in the 1941 State of the Union, which spoke about fundamental freedoms that everyone, world-wide, should enjoy, including the freedom from want. Sub-clause 1 of Article 25 reads: Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. The foundation of the World Food Programme in 1961 gave birth to what would become the largest UN humanitarian agency with respects to hunger, giving as much food as possible to those in the most severely affected regions. The WFP started operations in 1963, through the adoption of resolutions by the General Assembly 1741 (XVI) and the FAO.
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A STRONGER FOCUS
The issue with the fight against hunger was that there was no central drive, with policy greatly dispersed, largely leaving each country to deal with issues alone,through bilateral aid, or through charitable institutions and organizations. A major break with this pattern came in 1974. with General Assembly resolution 3180, set during the Twenty-Eighth session, which called for a World Food Conference, to be held in Rome at the FAO. The World Food Conference subsequently adopted the Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition, clearly noting the pressing problems related to the access to food, and laying out general guidelines to combat Hunger at a global level. A key point of the Conference was the foundation of IFAD in 1977, a specialized agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing nations. 1987 then saw the establishment of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, through ECOSOC Resolution 1985/17. This body greatly helped to the overseeing of the 1966 Covenant, as well as helping to demarcate legal issues in relation with its mandate. Although not a UN document, the Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, commonly known as the Protocol of San Salvador, establishes, amongst others, the right to food for the 14 nations that have ratified it since 1988.
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LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
General Assembly Resolution 63/117, of 10 December 2008 adopted the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This is an event of great importance because it establishes formal legal mechanisms for complaints regarding the original Covenant. Effectively, it enables those who feel that those who have had their rights, as enshrined in the document, able to appeal on an international level if their nation is party to the Optional Protocol. As of 2012, only 8 nations are party to the Optional Protocol, when 10 are required to activate it, however, 40 other nations are non-state party signatories. A very recent development is the Food Assistance Convention, which was sealed on 25th April 2012. It has the aim of establishing an international legal framework on food aid that addresses nutritious food as a whole (rather than other previous treaties that dealt with very particular items). Although criticized by the fact that it was elaborated by the countries giving food aid, and as such without the direct input of those who would be most likely to receive aid, it would still generate solid mechanisms for cooperation in information and commitments. It is still to become effective.
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Food insecurity: A situation that exists when people lack secure access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life. It may be caused by the unavailability of food, insufficient purchasing power, inappropriate distribution, or inadequate use of food at the household level. Food insecurity, poor conditions of health and sanitation, and inappropriate care and feeding practices are the major causes of poor nutritional status. Food insecurity may be chronic, seasonal or transitory.
Food security: A situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
Malnutrition: An abnormal physiological condition caused by deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in energy, protein and/or other nutrients. Nutrition security. A situation that exists when secure access to an appropriately nutritious diet is coupled with a sanitary environment,adequate health services and care, in order to ensure a healthy and active life for all household members. Nutrition security differs from food security in that it also
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Undernourishment: Food intake that is insufficient to meet dietary energy requirements continuously. This term is used interchangeably with chronic hunger, or, in this report, hunger.
Undernutrition: The result of undernourishment, poor absorption and/or poor biological use of nutrients consumed. Underweight. Low weight for age in children, and BMI <18.5 in adults, reflecting a current condition resulting from inadequate food intake, past episodes of undernutrition or poor health conditions.
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OBSTACLES
Ultimately the issue must be solved by members states. UN participation is low, except in case of those individuals in extreme situations (refugees, the internally displaced, victims of natural disasters/conflicts). No country would ever adopt the position of being against the eradication of hunger, but there are issues when countries feel that their ability to set their own policy might be constrained. The competence of the state over food policy, and the role of agriculture in the economy varies greatly from country to country to such an extent that to expound on that topic here would be far too elaborate for the purposes of the study guide. Furthermore, nations also differ as to how to commit their food assistance projects, and on their preference for food assistance approaches within the framework of international or regional organizations versus bilateral or multilateral arrangements on a per-case basis. The Global Food Price Monitor, published by the Global Information and Early Warning System of the FAO, notes that food prices are remaining stable or rising as of November 2012. The poor situation of the world economy in recent years has wrecked havoc on food prices, which have risen constantly since the financial crisis and are expected to continue climbing. Staple
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THE FUTURE
In the State of Food Insecurity in the World 2012 Report (SOFI 2012), the FAO, WFP and IFAD re-examined the previous numbers and proportions of undernourished were under-reported especially previous to the 1990s. Therefore, progress has actually been more robust than
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When economies are looked from a local perspective rather than a national or
regional one, very few places in the world are actually food self-sufficient. Food is exchanged for other goods and services in the market, and it is no small wonder that those nations that have the most developed markets are the ones that are the most food secure. Ensuring that the basic conditions for a stable market exist will provide the foundations for a sustainable policy on agricultural development and contribute greatly to ending the problem of hunger. Improved infrastructure is key to the distribution of food. The areas that suffer the
harshest from undernutrition are often those that have very poorly developed transport
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economies, the majority producers of foodstuffs. Likewise, in many economic systems it is the women who care for the day-to-day activity of farming whilst the men seek employment through other means in urban areas. Growth strategies for agriculture must address these issues and seek to specifically target smallholders and women, who have been lacking attention in the past despite their crucial role. The direct participation of the poor in the growth process is instrumental to a
sustainable path to development. Growth must not be measured only along country-wide trends and averages, as these can disguise the fact that poor members of society may be sidelined whilst other parts of the economy progress. The poor must be reached by growth, with specific caution taken to analyze their role within their local economies and achieve market integration. A nutrition-sensitive focus must be taken whilst carrying out agricultural-
economic growth. While any increase in food production or distribution is positive, countries must strive to also expand the availability of nutritional variety in order to allow the poor to diversify their diets. Popular awareness of nutrition must go hand-in-hand with
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undernourishment. At it's most basic it provides a safety net for those who are most vulnerable and may have not gained from economic growth. Depending on the depth and structure of the social protection policies at hand, they may greatly improve the chances for an individual to achieve economic prosperity and correct their personal nutrition situation.
1.C. Under the methodology of result-based development countries and international organizations, as well as the civil and private sectors, can work together to work towards realizable goals along an observable path. Countries need to develop specific goals, in the vein of the MDGs, as much as possible when dealing with these matters, as it is the only way of having a quantifiable approach to progress. The re-examination of into the FAO methodology for data gathering in the SOFI 2012
report provided significant improvement in the efforts to fight hunger. If further improvement could be achieved in this area, then more accurate indicators could be formed in the fight against world hunger. Particular attention must be given to the effects of the recent economic turmoil and the volatility of commodity prices. Developing countries need help specifically on this issue, as they are often unable to conduct proper exercises in gather data.
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sustenance to those disadvantaged which are not being covered by their state in respect to the ICESCR. Formal international inquiry mechanisms would highlight failures in respect to the multiple rights covered by the Covenant, including the right to food as covered under the right to an adequate standard of living.
The entrance into force of the Food Assistance Convention would allow for a much more
efficient international effort in terms of food aid by signatory states. Once it enters into action on the 1st of January 2013, it will give more clear definitions to those that provide, receive, and otherwise participate in the food assistance process. It shall also establish distinct commitments and provide annual reports for a coordinated effort at information sharing within the context of food assistance. The more nations that adhere to the convention, the more effective that it becomes.
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http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/bodies/CFS_sessions/39th_Session/39emerg/MF027_ CFS_39_FINAL_REPORT_compiled_E.pdf FAO. FAOSTAT, the FAO's statistic division's depository of data. http://faostat.fao.org/ FAO. Global Food Price Monitor Rome: FAO. http://www.fao.org/giews/english/gfpm/index.htm FAO. FAO Statistical Yearbook 2012. Rome: FAO, 2012. http://www.fao.org/docrep/015/i2490e/i2490e00.htm FAO. Recent trends in world food commodity prices: costs and benefits. In The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2011. Rome: FAO, 2010. http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/i2330e/i2330e03.pdf FAO. Rome Declaration on World Food Security. Rome: FAO, 1996. http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/w3613e/w3613e00.htm FAO. State of Food Insecurity in the World 2012. Rome: FAO, IFAD, WFP, 2012. http://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/en/
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