World leaders hammer out common response to food crisis

ITALY: World leaders hammered out a common response Thursday to the global food crisis after three days of wrangling at a United Nations summit amid soaring food prices.

“We firmly resolve to use all means to alleviate the suffering caused by the current crisis, to stimulate food production and to increase investment in agriculture,” delegates from around 180 countries, including 44 leaders, said in a declaration.

“We commit to eliminating hunger and to securing food for all today and tomorrow,” the declaration said.

In the declaration, world governments pledged to take urgent action to prevent soaring food prices from pushing millions of people into hunger, boost investment on agriculture for increase of output and ease trade restrictions.

The three-day summit, hosted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), was called at a time when the world is experiencing a dramatic increase in food prices.

Rome, Friday, Xinhua