CM/Res.836 (XXXVI)
RESOLUTION ON FAMINE IN AFRICA
The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity, meeting in its Thirty-sixth Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 23 February to 1 March, 1981,
Recalling that the food situation in Africa is the prime concern of the Lagos Plan of Action and the achievement of food self-sufficiency its top priority,
Deeply concerned about the persistent and worsening food crisis in Africa which perpetuates poverty, causes the disproportionate expenditure of scarce foreign exchange on food imports at the expense of development and thus undermines political and economic independence by forcing excessive dependence on food imports and food aids,
Convinced that the solution to Africa’s food crisis and its permanent food insecurity lies in the implementation of the Lagos Plan of Action,
Confident that Africa’s natural and human resources provide the necessary conditions for an effective war on famine,
Noting with satisfaction the OAU/FAO Joint Document CM/1106 (XXXVI) FAMINE IN AFRICA which offers effective operational measures and recommendations on safeguards against famine and its solution:
CONGRATULATES heartily the General Secretariat of OAU and FAO on their valuable document on Famine in Africa;
ADOPTS the recommendations contained in Document CM/1106 (XXXVI) Famine in Africa and REQUESTS Member States to implement them to the fullest extent possible;
REQUESTS the OAU Secretary-General, in co-operation with the FAO Director- General, after due consultation with ECA and other UN interested organizations, to publish and ensure the widest possible distribution in Africa and internationally, of the document Famine in Africa to bring to the attention of all concerned its valuable contents and recommendations on the elimination of Famine in Africa;
REITERATES the political commitment of Member States to the Lagos Plan of Action:
to channel a greatly increased volume of resources to agriculture especially in the sector of food production and encourage external sources of financial assistance such as World Bank, IFAD, UNDP, BADEA, ADB and donor governments to do the same;
to carry through essential re-orientation of social systems;
to adopt policies that will induce small farmers and members of agricultural co-operatives to achieve higher levels of productivity;
to set up effective machineries for the formulation and execution of effective programmes and projects in the field of food and agriculture;
REITERATES FURTHER its appeal to each Member State:
to establish a national emergency relief organisation that will take the necessary precautions against famine and other disasters and organize relief measures;
to sensitize and arouse public awareness of the threat of famine and its extent and to take action for the alleviation of its effects;
to organize relief measures with the help of bilateral and multilateral donors of aid, UN Bodies and other institutions;
RECOMMENDS the establishment of sub-regional food security project in the Sahel;
REQUESTS Member States that have food surpluses to provide every possible assistance to those in need;
INVITES Member States which have the means and the international organizations concerned to accord to the OAU Secretariat the financial and technical capability to co-ordinate effectively the implementation of this resolution;
NOTES the intention of the FAC, to be guided, in all its future undertakings in Africa, by the Lagos Plan of Action and the Final Act of Lagos, as reflected in the FAO Information Paper to the present Session on its contribution to the implementation of the Lagos Plan of Action;
CONGRATULATES the FAO for its efforts to mitigate the present food crisis prevailing in Africa by mobilizing emergency food assistance;
CALLS UPON all donors to increase the required resources to meet Africa’s food emergency and development needs.