November 1974: Addressing the World Food Crisis

In response to the food crisis brought on by rising oil prices, a repeated failure of grain crops and the soaring cost of fertilizer, 135 representatives of States gathered in Rome from 5 to 16 November 1974, for the first World Food Conference. The conference concluded with the adoption of the Universal Declaration On The Eradication Of Hunger And Malnutrition which declared; Every man, woman and child has the inalienable right to be free from hunger and malnutrition in order to develop their physical and mental faculties.

The matter was of particular relevance to the Commonwealth as then almost 90% of its population lived in developing countries. During the course of the conference Commonwealth ministers met together three times in order to establish supplementary ways in which they could provide follow up assistance.

The meetings proposed that there should be a Commonwealth Ministerial Meeting on Food Production and Rural Development and that the Commonwealth Secretariat should co-ordinate a series of practical seminars, as well as set up a register of needs of money and technical assistance of its members.[1]

In order to address the long term needs the crisis had brought to the fore, the Secretariat established a new specialist division within a year of the Conference. Secretary-General Sir Shridath Ramphal commented that this was welcomed by all members, as part of the Secretariat’s wide-ranging emphasis on the ways in which international co-operation can back national efforts for rural development.[2]

The minutes of the Commonwealth Ministers meetings at the World Food Conference can be found in the Arnold Smith Papers. For further information please contact the Library and Archives of the Commonwealth Secretariat.