Federal councillor Micheline Calmy-Rey to take part in an event in Bern on 16 October to mark World Food Day

Mrs Calmy-Rey will stress that hunger is above all the result of lack of governance. Development policy worthy of the name as well as development co-operation based on wide-ranging partnership which effectively supports efforts in the countries concerned are indispensable in the fight against hunger.   

To this end, the Federal Council proposes to the Parliament to gradually increase the amount of gross national product devoted to state development aid from 0.47% in 2009 to 0.5% by 2015. This increase will mean that Switzerland's contribution will be slightly higher than the average of OECD countries (0.48%).  

The elimination of extreme poverty and of hunger is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals to which Switzerland is strongly committed, particularly through the work of the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, which last year contributed about CHF 220 million to the fight against hunger.

In southern Africa for example, Switzerland is financing a development project for varieties of maize that can resist drought and provide a better yield than traditional varieties. This is just one of many examples where the Confederation is helping the local populations to achieve self-sufficiency in food. 

On top of this, Switzerland advocates a more effective international architecture for food security. At the headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome it is taking part in the annual session of the Committee on World Food Security. This committee is the main international platform for dialogue in the field of food security and nutrition.  

For further information:

Information FDFA

031 / 322 31 53 

Further information:

Dossier Food Security
Maize initiative in Southern Africa

Address for enquiries:

Information FDFA
Bundeshaus West
CH-3003 Bern
Tel.: (+41) 031 322 31 53
Fax: (+41) 031 324 90 47
E-Mail: info@eda.admin.ch

Publisher:

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs