Combatting Malnutrition through Sustainable Interventions: EU-ASEAN Relations as a Key Driver 8 November 2011 Brussels

1. The Important Role of International Organizations in Combating Malnutrition and Sustainable Development in the WorldDr. Jiang MingjunDirector GeneralInternational Eco-Safety Cooperation Organization, P.R. China Combatting Malnutrition through Sustainable Interventions: EU-ASEAN Relations as a Key Driver 8 November 2011 Brussels

2. H.E. Mark Eyskens, Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I am glad to join you to attend the conference of “Combating Malnutrition through Sustainable Interventions: EU-ASEAN Relations as a Key Driver” in Brussels. My speech will be “the Important Role of International Organizations in Combating Malnutrition and Sustainable Development in the World”.

3. In accordance with the data released by the UN Population Division, the world population has reached 7 billion in October 2011. By the middle of this century, the number will be more than 9 billion, and will be more than 10 billion by the end of this century. Obviously, the continuous growth of population exerts greater pressure on the supply of food, water and other resources. The price of food has hit the record high, which has increased the living burden on the public and led to protests worldwide, even riots and political instabilities in some countries, which also means the famine population will continue to increase.

4. Population growth and water scarcity are making the earth face food shortage and ecological crises currently. Extreme droughts have caused serious food shortage in the “Horn of Africa” this year. Over 13 million people are desperate in need of food for survival. In the South of Somalia, 45 thousand infants suffer from rapid malnutrition, and 19 thousands of them suffer from severe malnutrition, which causes irreversible damage to children and pregnant women. Malnutrition is also a serious problem in ASEAN countries, where millions of children suffer from malnutrition related illnesses. If the situation does not reverse effectively, it certainly will have negative impacts on the local economic development and political stability. It is estimated that 11% of diseases in the world are related to malnutrition, which affect people’s health, learning ability and self development, as well as human surviving and sustainable development.

5. In general, malnutrition caused by food shortage often happens in poor and less developed countries. Inappropriate use of food addictives and unqualified transportation and storage conditions are all major factors affecting the safety of foods. How shall we eliminate poverty and malnutrition? How shall we make effective use of water resource under the influence of more and more serious droughts? How shall we sustain food production? Those are the challenges to combating malnutrition and sustainable development in the world.

6. The international community has been facing a series of negative problems caused by resources scarcity, population growth and rapid globalization and it has focused on the solutions of them. Governments of various countries have followed the United Nation’ proposal of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to eliminate poverty, hunger, epidemics, illiteracy, environmental worsening and discrimination against women, conducted international cooperation and implemented comprehensive treatments. As new forces in international relations, international organizations also play a critical role to advance the MDGs and global governance. We see international organizations working in poor and less developed countries. They devote themselves to eliminate poverty, hunger, epidemics, illiteracy, environmental worsening and discrimination against women.

7. IESCO was initiated by scientists from China, Russia, USA, India and other nations. IESCO was established as a global international organization in China in July 2006 with the support and involvement of the UN agencies and according to the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. Our objectives are to maintain ecological safety, handle ecological crisis and climate change, respond to the outbreak of natural disasters, and achieve the coordinated development of economy, society, and ecology through the cooperation with political parties, congresses, government agencies and departments and international organizations. Since the establishment 5 years ago, IESCO has paid a close attention to all natural disasters and unexpected ecological crises, and established professional agencies to perform rescues, ecological evaluation and ecological recovery.

8. As an international organization, the experience told us that we can have a unique and important role in sustainable development and combating malnutrition. IESCO is at present the Observers of both the UN Assembly and International Conference of Asia Political Parties, and was granted Special consultative status with the United Nations according to the resolution passed by the UN in July 2011. Moreover, IESCO has is now the strategic partner of UN-HABITAT. In recent years, we shed much light on various kinds of natural disasters and sudden ecological disasters. We have built professional institutions related to the rescuing of disaster, ecological evaluation and renovation. As one of the international organization, IESCO will play a significant role in combating malnutrition through sustainable interventions.

9. Actively Conduct Ecological Safety Education to Raise Awareness of Early Warning of Famine Now, extreme and sudden weathers occur more often; more pest disasters happen more often and more seriously, floods and droughts, mud-rock flow are more and more serious, which is directly threatening the stability of food production. On the other hand, many governments do not function well in natural disasters due to the reasons of ideologies, systems and mechanisms. The UN’s global early warning system warned the possibility of famine in the “Horn of Africa” as early as in August 2010. And its prediction was confirmed in November. However, the failure of the nations and international community to heed the warning has been the cause of delayed response to and not taking preventive measures against the crisis. International Community should learn the lesson from this tragedy and respond to early warnings as early as possible.

10. Preventive measures are the most important in dealing with disasters. On the basis of raising the awareness of the public to prevent and reduce disasters, we need to strengthen our abilities to prevent and reduce the harms caused by natural disasters. Both “the Sixth International Conference of Asian Political Parties” and “the First World Eco-Safety Assembly” held in Cambodia have explicitly required all political parties to include ecological safety and climate change in their agendas; suggested all congresses (parliaments) to legislate the laws of ecological safety; stressed the severe crack down of ecological and food crimes to ensure human living and life safety; and suggested to include ecological safety and climate change into education curriculum and long term national development strategies.

11. Actively Participate in Innovation of Malnutrition Intervention and Promote Technological Development and Extension In addition to the extreme weather, the poor agricultural infrastructures and the backward agricultural policy also contribute to the great famine in the “Horn of Africa”. Although agriculture is still a main industry in most African countries, proper hydro and agricultural infrastructures are not developed, so the success of crops and harvests depends mostly on weather. For example, Kenya is a predominantly arid country and two-thirds of its area is semi-arid or arid. Rain water is unevenly distributed. Kenya's per capita water availability and food availability are worsening. Only by technological innovation, we can utilize water resources, increase harvests, eliminate famines, and reduce environmental destruction. In recent years, IESCO has been working on ecological safety, poverty alleviation, and improvement of human habitat.

12. As early as 2007, IESCO launched JUNCAO projects in Kenya, South Africa, Lesotho and Rwanda, which successfully reduces poverty and provides job opportunities for local residents. The project has received high praise from the governments. Along with China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research and PA International, IESCO launched “combating drought in the South of China” scientific researches in May, 2010. A lot of international organizations have contributed their skills, expertise and experiences to the project. Those ecological researches and promotions are the unique contributions of international organizations to poverty reduction and economic development in the less developed regions.

13. Build Political Stability and Promote Regional Peace Construction Political stability is the prerequisite of production development and poverty elimination. We need long term cooperation among the UN, various countries, especially developed countries and the African Union countries in order to solve the famine in Africa effectively. The region, in particular Somalia, needs stable political environment and an effective government. International organizations can help governments make right decisions, improve infrastructures, strengthen basic social services and raise the capabilities of regional disaster prevention and reduction, increase productivity and grain outputs to ensure food safety and resist large scale famine and malnutrition.

14. Actively Play Roles of International Organizations and Promote Multilevel International Cooperation The world population will reach 7 billion by 2050. We need to fulfill the needs of about 10 billions of people, and keep the balance of ecological system. From the global perspective, the solution of global food crisis and food safety lies on international coordination and cooperation. Other than increasing agricultural investments and productivity, we ought to create a healthy agricultural trade system and a coordinated linkage international system of food prices. Facing the malnutrition, particularly children’s malnutrition, in the “Horn of Africa”, international community has provided a large amount of humanitarian aid to Africa.

15. UNHCR, WFP, UNCIEF, WHO, EU, Germany, France, China and many international organizations are providing food and other aid to the victims. In 2012, IESCO will provide aid and treatments to children and teenagers suffering from HIV/AIDS and malnutrition in two countries (2 in ASEAN, 2 in Africa). I believe there will be more international organizations actively involved in the humanitarian assistance. And international organization will have more important roles to play in combating malnutrition and sustainable development in the world. Wish you the best of health. Thanks!