Remarks to the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa 2013 EU Presidency Seminar
27th June 2013
I am delighted to speak here today at the opening of this seminar on Africa’s Development Future: Land, Hope and Hunger. I pay tribute to The Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa, for focusing on such important themes in the life of Africa and its people, and in Europe’s relationship with Africa. I congratulate Deputy Maureen O’Sullivan and her colleagues on today’s initiative. I am also very pleased to see here in Dublin again the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier de Schutter.
The Irish section of AWEPA, which has over 160 members in the Irish Parliament, has been active since 1984, which were the days of AWEPA’s original anti-apartheid campaign. I have been so pleased to be an early member of AWEPA, along with my friends, and Parliamentarian colleagues Brendan Howlin and Norah Owen, and to have been involved in numerous AWEPA campaigns over the years. I recall how the Irish section, in consultation with African Parliamentarians, established a number of principles on international trade agreements and how we lobbied for these to be inserted at the very heart of Irish aid and trade relationships. We have also worked to advocate for respect for human rights and for human rights to be at the centre of development – not just civil and political rights, but the full spectrum of social, economic and cultural rights.
Ba mhaith liom and deis seo a ghlacadh chun gníomhaígh na Roinne Éireannach den AWEPA a mholadh. Ina measc tá Teachta O’Sullivan atá ina Cheannasaí ar an Roinn Éireannach, le tacaíocht ó Olivia Mitchell TD, atá ina ball de Choiste Feidhmiúcháin an AWEPA. Tá an Teachta Dála nua Michael McNamara tar éis dul isteach i gComhairle Rialaithe an AWEPA, i dteannta le Denis Naughten TD agus Katherine Bulbulia, beirt ball Éireannach den AWEPA a bhfuil ardmheas bainte amach acu. Is mian liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis na cáirde agus na Teachtaí Dála seo ar fad ar son a gcuid oibre thar na blianta agus ar son a mbearta chun todhchaí an AWEPA dhaingniú.
[I would like to take this opportunity to commend today’s activists in the AWEPA Irish Section. This includes Deputy O’Sullivan, as Head of the Irish Section, supported by Olivia Mitchell TD, as a member of the AWEPA Executive Committee. A new MP, Michael McNamara TD, has become a member of the AWEPA Governing Council, along with Denis Naughten TD and Katherine Bulbulia, two greatly respected Irish AWEPA members. I wish to congratulate all these friends, and hard working Irish Parliamentarians on their work over the years and importantly, on their contribution to the AWEPA’s future.]
AWEPA’s mission is to support the realisation of human rights and development in Africa via strengthening democratic institutions. Your efforts in working together to promote development through capacity building, promotion of good governance, increased participation of women, and civil society more generally, in decision-making, are so essential to the deepening of our democracies and the strengthening of citizenship everywhere.
The Right to Development is established in the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action as a ‘universal and inalienable right and an integral part of fundamental human rights.’ Article 8 of that Declaration states explicitly that ‘democracy, development and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are interdependent and mutually reinforcing.’
While the right to develop is universal, we all know that there is no one path to development, and that the involvement of citizens and civil society groups are central to the creation of each nation’s vision and particular development journey. Such journeys must embrace the inherited, contemporary and diverse cultures of a nation and its citizens, and the life wisdom of minorities and indigenous peoples.
It is so important, let me say at the outset, that the learning of coalitions such as AWEPA, takes cognisance of the contribution and new thinking from scholars, economists and leaders in the global south on such issues as governance, economic models and equality.
From my recent visits to Chile, Argentina and Brazil I have seen evidence of new thinking and approaches which are reducing poverty while also reducing inequality. But I know also from my travels, longer ago, to Africa, when I travelled to Somalia during the famine, where communities and local government created innovative and appropriate solutions to problems such as power sharing and conflict resolution. These are not just local issues, of course, they are global issues and we in Europe must also look to them and reflect on such new solutions as emerge from the global south. The creation of mutually supportive partnerships in which all the participants collaborate as equals reflects authentic solidarity.
There is no doubt that the image and reality of much of Africa has changed dramatically in the last decade. Today, the continent’s economic growth rates continue to be strong. The prospects for advancing the transitions to true, equal and sustainable development are perhaps better now than at any time since the early hope-filled years of decolonisation.
Yet, as many African states reach middle-income status World Bank threshold for a Middle Income Country is $1,000 p.a. per capita. 22 countries in 2011., over one in four Africans is undernourished. The reasons why the right to adequate, nutritious food is denied to many on a daily basis are complex and numerous. Some – as pointed out in the 2012 Africa Human Development Report, Towards a food-secure future – include the lack of adequate support for smallholder farmers, poor access to markets, information and knowledge, entrenched discrimination against women, and uncoordinated government policies to address hunger and malnutrition.
The result of all these obstacles is persistent poverty and persistent hunger – two inextricably interlinked scourges of humanity in the age of high technology. Now, broadly speaking, global poverty appears to be falling considerably. Worldwide, the proportion of people suffering from extreme poverty has halved since 1990. World Bank, Global Monitoring Report 2012 p3. This is a welcome on-target achievement of one element of the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG1) However, in sub-Saharan Africa, the geographic focus of Ireland’s aid programme, the number of extremely poor people is rising. Forecasts predict an estimated 400 million Africans in poverty by 2015, up from 290 million in 1990. From World Bank figures, 2012, cited in European Report on Development 2013 (draft)
Concerning global hunger – the twin target of MDG1 – there has also been some welcome improvement. The number of hungry people worldwide has fallen from a billion in 1990 to 870m in 2012. FAO, The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2012 But again, sub-Saharan Africa stands out for worrying reasons: the Global Hunger Index in 2012 reported that five African countries are among the six countries worldwide which have experienced the most severe worsening of hunger since 1990. Global Hunger Index 2012, p4.
The headlines trumpeting African economic growth and dynamic change are welcome. But the purpose of economic growth must be people-centred, and the vital question is whether the gains accumulated from growth will be sufficiently distributed to reduce its poverty levels. This is very much an open question and will be considered in your high-level panel session on whether Africa is ‘growing itself out of hunger’.
An inescapable starting-point is that, notwithstanding signs of economic diversification, the agriculture sector remains the dominant economic activity for many. In some states, agriculture employs up to three-quarters of the workforce, a huge proportion of them women. African Economic Outlook 2012 p20 Most of the worst-off people in Africa are rural dwellers. Therefore their plight is intimately linked with their relationship to Land. There are currently about 200 million young people living in rural sub-Saharan Africa. World Bank, Structural Transformation and Rural Change Revisited. Africa Development Forum Series. 2012.
In addressing hunger effectively, it is so important that these young people and other rural dwellers are enabled to earn a reasonable income, to make a living and an attractive future on the land, and provide for themselves in a fair and dignified manner.
It is through the Land – specifically, the improvement of smallholder agriculture – that the best hope of a future without hunger lies. Agricultural growth that accrues to smallholders, especially women, who make up the great bulk of farm workers, is the most effective means of reducing poverty.
The importance of Agriculture in the continent’s future was inherent in the formation in 2003 of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP). I know that you will hear more about the outcomes later from Dr Bwalya, head of CAADP. Ireland, through Irish Aid, has been a strong supporter of CAADP and agricultural research for development to achieve Hunger and Nutrition Security in the developing world.
Feeding future populations with safe, nutritious food will require increases in productivity in an environmentally sustainable way. Sustainable intensification is the new watchword. Access to land is a critical prerequisite to achieving this potential.
Agricultural land is in demand globally and nowhere more so than in sub-Saharan Africa. Land Matrix. 2012. Transnational Land Deals for Agriculture in the Global South, p10 Food price spikes have incentivised food-importing countries to seek to achieve their food security in a manner which is free from the volatility of world market prices. To do so these countries are often seeking land banks in Africa on which to grow food for export.
The lack of any supranational regulating or monitoring mechanism for land acquisitions has enabled the acreage of transnational land acquisitions to rise from 15 – 20 million hectares in 2009 to more than 70 million in 2012. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for two thirds of this acreage placing millions of local people at increased risk of hunger. The World Water Assessment Programme tells us that:
“Poorly regulated foreign investments in lands that could otherwise be used to feed local populations could potentially have devastating consequences on the fragile state of domestic food security.”
Unfortunately the concern about perceived energy security is also impacting on food insecurity. Worldwide demand for biofuels, largely incentivised by subsidies and quotas, is displacing food production. The International Monetary Fund estimates that the rise in demand for bio-fuels accounted for 70% of the hike in maize prices and 40% of that for soya bean prices between 2006 and 2008. World Water Assessment Programme (2012) Managing Water under Uncertainty and Risk Moreover, the earlier supposed attractiveness of bio-fuels as a possible response to global climate change is increasingly questioned.
The underlying thrusts pushing up demand for land – population growth, climate change, changing diets, fossil fuel-based consumption, water scarcity, soil degradation and the erosion of biodiversity – are well captured in Tim Jackson’s Prosperity without Growth where he catalogues the enormous pressures which these trends are placing on nature and resources.
It is common to hear commentators refer to a ‘New Scramble for Africa’. The International Land Coalition, in its detailed monitoring of the phenomenon, cautions however that it is misleading to equate the current situation with the colonizing period in the late 19th century, because contemporary deals are being negotiated by sovereign African states in the exercise of their own powers. . International Land Coalition et al. April 2011. Commercial Pressures on Land in Africa, Executive Summary, p1.
It seems however that there is near-general agreement that there is a strong correlation between quality of governance and land acquisitions – the weaker the governance, the more attractive the deal.Ibid, p11. Also, see FAO. 2012. Investing In Agriculture for a Better Future Therefore, the role of governance is critical.
According to the International Land Coalition:
“Corrupt practices, behind-the-door negotiations, illegal evictions of traditional land-owners and violence against communities are all common features of the current phenomenon of large-scale land acquisitions.” Niasse, M. (2012) A World of Science 10 (2) p 15
The customary land rights of communities, the poor and most vulnerable, such as smallholder farmers and minority groups, must be respected. Yes, Africa needs investment to stimulate economic growth, and help guarantee food security, but it is vital that governance of large-scale land acquisitions is robust and transparent. In addition, only if land acquisition is accompanied by land improvements, infrastructure, knowledge, or increased employment, can it really be considered investment.
In pursuit of this, Ireland has supported multilateral action on increased transparency on land acquisitions through The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of Food Security, which were agreed by the UN Committee on Food Security in May 2012. The Voluntary Guidelines set out principles, requiring adherents to: RECONGNISE and RESPECT all legitimate tenure rights and the people who hold them; SAFEGUARD legitimate tenure rights against threats; PROMOTE AND FACILITATE the enjoyment of legitimate tenure rights; PROVIDE access to justice when tenure rights are infringed upon; PREVENT tenure disputes, violent conflicts and opportunities for corruption. Also, non-state actors (including business enterprises) have a responsibility to respect human rights and legitimate tenure rights.
The price volatility that has led to so many northern economies to seek land in Africa for their own needs, has also led to speculation on commodities which is contributing to large price inflation for food, particularly in developing countries, threatening millions. It has been suggested that an additional 159 million have become hungry because of food spikes in both 2008 and 2011. The enhanced Directive on Markets in Financial Instruments is aiming at a tighter and more transparent regulation regime for all derivatives trading, including food securities and this is a matter of urgency.
In tackling the problem of hunger in Africa it is also essential that appropriate prominence be given to the gender aspects of development policies and projects so as to ensure that women’s rights in the agriculture sector in developing countries are sufficiently recognized and strengthened.
In terms of agricultural productivity, for instance, it is important too that we must ensure equal access to productive resources for women who represent the majority of smallholder farmers in developing countries. Control of resources such as land and credit is vital. Although women may formally have access to a resource, in reality they might not have a role in decision-making on how that resource is used. The FAO estimates that hunger in developing countries could be lowered by 12-17% if the gap between men and women in access to inputs was eliminated.
At the global level, it is clear that a consensus is emerging among concerned scholars and practitioners which stresses the need for an integrated and comprehensive approach to addressing hunger and food security through linking agriculture, food security and nutrition interventions.
Moreover, international initiatives such as the ‘Rome Principles’ for Sustainable Global Food Security (GPAFS), the Comprehensive Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the Comprehensive Framework for Action (CFA) suggest that resource mobilisation, a favourable policy environment and political leadership are possible and could be on the horizon with appropriate advocacy by civic society, state sectors and a renewed commitment by international agencies. These, along with the enhanced regulation in commodity markets, are hopeful signs.
Hope was also apparent two months ago, when at Dublin Castle, I heard directly the personal stories of hunger, and threats to food security, directly from the workers of land in Africa and elsewhere at the International Conference in Dublin on the theme ‘Hunger, Nutrition and Climate Justice’. On that occasion, the Tánaiste, along with Mary Robinson, hosted 100 activists and farmers from developing countries, who told us of their personal experiences of being at the brunt of climate change effects on agriculture, and of their solutions and coping mechanisms.
These conversations illuminated for me not only the strong links between Hunger, Nutrition and Climate Justice, but also the centrality of Land in the lives of those affected.
Hearing their lived narratives of coping and survival offered great hope and calls for a great solidarity. Their stories demonstrated species of resilience and initiative indomitable in its tenacity, transformative in its effects, and inspirational in its example.
By listening to the stories of their lives political leaders were, and will be, provided with critical evidence to make the post-2015 policy development process more relevant, responsive and effective. If we do not listen, the post-2015 framework will not be a framework to end poverty and build a more equal and sustainable future.
I take hope too from the efforts of Parliamentarians and others supporting initiatives to improve transparency and the right to information on land deals. AWEPA’s support for all those seeking to achieve greater engagement of civil society in the policy making space and strengthen governance provides a galvanising ethical sustenance.
I wish you well in your deliberations today on these critical issues. Thank you.
Go raibh míle maith agat.