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Add to Preferred SourcesPope Francis highlighted the importance of rural development and the essential role played by the United Nations’ International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in achieving the first two Sustainable Development Goals – ending global hunger and poverty.
“None of this will be possible without achieving rural development, a development that has been talked about for a long time but has not fully materialized,” the Pope said, addressing Member States gathered at IFAD’s 42nd Governing Council in Rome.
IFAD President Gilbert F. Houngbo, in his address, echoed the Pope’s message.
“The rates of extreme poverty and food insecurity remain persistently high. The progress we once claimed in reducing hunger has stalled. Today, nearly 821 million people suffer chronic under-nourishment, 37 million more than in 2014,” said Houngbo.
Given this reality, Houngbo urged those present to invest more in rural development in order to prevent future crises of hunger, poverty and migration.
The Pope called on government leaders to work together to make the slogan “hunger does not have a present or a future, only a past” a reality. Speaking of the world’s poor and hungry people, he said:
“I would like us to be able to look at their faces without blushing because their cries have been heard”.
The Pope urged all those who have responsibilities in national governments and international organizations, as well as those who can contribute from the private sector, to develop and implement the necessary mechanisms and measures to enable rural people to become the architects of their own development.
The Pope assured the audience that IFAD has achieved great results in its fight against hunger and poverty.
Original source: IFAD
Published on 14 February 2019