§ 10

Agriculture and Labor

Right to Food

On September 16, 1976, the United States Senate agreed to Senate Concurrent Resolution 138, the "Right-to-Food Resolution." It expressed the sense of Congress that every person has the right to a nutritionally adequate diet; that the need to combat hunger at home and abroad should be a fundamental objective of U.S. policy; and that the United States should expand and emphasize its support of selfhelp development efforts in countries most seriously affected by hunger and malnutrition.

The House of Representatives passed a similar resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 737, on September 21, 1976, which included, in addition, a request that the President provide to Congress not later than April 1, 1977, a five-year projection of U.S. international assistance levels consistent with the objectives set forth in the resolution.

Cong. Rec., Vol. 122, No. 140, Sept. 16, 1976, pp. S15928–15929 (daily ed.); ibid., No. 143, Sept. 21, 1976, pp. H10646-10655, H10715-10716 (daily ed.). See also Hearings on the Right-to-Food Resolution, before the Subcommittee on International Resources, Food, and Energy of the House Committee on International Relations, June 22-29, 1976. S. Con. Res. 138, 94th Cong., 2d Sess., reads as follows:

Whereas in this Bicentennial year we reaffirm our national commitment to the inalienable right of all to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, none of which can be realized without food to adequately sustain and nourish life, and we recall that the right to food and freedom from hunger was set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the World Food Conference Declaration of 1974; and

Whereas the report entitled "The Assessment of the World Food Situation”, prepared for the 1974 World Food Conference, estimated that four hundred and sixty million persons, almost half of them young children, are malnourished; and Whereas nearly half of the human race lives on diets seriously deficient in proteins or other essential nutrients; and

Whereas most of this hunger and malnutrition is suffered by the poor in developing countries whose poverty prevents them from obtaining adequate food; and Whereas the demand for food is accelerating and the unprecedented growth in population will add a billion persons to the world's population in less than fifteen years; and

Whereas the Food and Agriculture Organization, and other recognized authorities, currently estimate that by 1985 the developing countries will experience an annual food deficit of eighty-five million tons; and

Whereas it is in the interest of the United States and all nations to overcome food shortages which cause human suffering and generate economic and political instability; and

Whereas the United States proposed, and all nations at the World Food Conference of 1974 accepted, the bold objective "that within a decade no child will go to bed hungry, that no family will fear for its next day's bread, and that no human being's future and capacities will be stunted by malnutrition"; and

Whereas the international community has repeatedly urged the industrialized nations to increase their official development assistance to seven-tenths of 1 per centum of their total national production (GNP); and

Whereas the elimination of global hunger and malnutrition cannot succeed without expanded self-help efforts by the developing countries: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that

(1) the United States reaffirms the right of every person in this country and throughout the world to food and a nutritionally adequate diet; and

(2) the need to combat hunger shall be a fundamental point of reference in the formulation and implementation of United States policy in all areas which bear on hunger including international trade, monetary arrangements, and foreign assistance; and

(3) in the United States, we should seek to improve food assistance programs for all those who are in need, to insure that all eligible recipients have the opportunity to receive a nutritionally adequate diet, and to reduce unemployment and insure a level of economic decency for everyone; and

(4) the United States should expand and emphasize its assistance for self-help development among the world's poorest people, especially in countries seriously affected by hunger and malnutrition, with particular emphasis on increasing food production and encouraging more equitable patterns of food distribution and economic growth; and such assistance, in order to be effective, should be coordinated with expanded efforts by international organizations, donor nations and the recipient countries to provide a nutritionally adequate diet for all.

International Structures for Food Assistance Food Aid

The U.N. Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Fund for Agricultural Development, which met at Rome June 10-13, 1976, adopted an Agreement Establishing the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). It also adopted a resolution establishing a Preparatory Commission for the Fund (Prepcom). The initiative for establishing IFAD came from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at the November 1974 World Food Conference, and was supported by the United States in the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) at Paris on May 28, 1975. See the 1975 Digest, p. 684.

IFAD is a proposed $1 billion multilateral mechanism to provide OPEC and OECD countries with an opportunity to cooperate in the financing of increased food production in the developing world on highly concessional terms. It would emphasize assistance to the poor food-deficit countries.

The agreement establishing the Fund provides that it is to be opened for signature at U.N. Headquarters in New York as soon as initial contributions indicated in Schedule I of the agreement to be made in freely convertible currencies amount to at least the equivalent of 1,000 million U.S. dollars (valued as of June 10, 1976). If that requirement had not been fulfilled by September 30, 1976, the Prepcom was to convene by January 31, 1977, a meeting of states to establish other conditions for opening the agreement for signature. The Prepcom met in Rome September 27-30, 1976, to discuss the interim steps required to establish IFAD. In a statement issued after the Prepcom meeting, the United States expressed optimism that sufficient pledges would be forthcoming to permit early establishment of IFAD. The United States announced its own pledge of $200 million, contingent on a total level of pledges of $1 billion and

equitable burden-sharing among the categories of contributors. It also expressed gratification at a pledge from Iran of $20 million, in addition to previous Iranian pledges of $105 million made through the OPEC Special Fund.

On December 20, 1976, the requirement for total initial contributions having been met, the Articles of Agreement Establishing the International Fund for Agricultural Development were opened for signature at U.N. Headquarters in New York. Daniel Parker, Administrator of the Agency for International Development, on signing the Articles for the United States on December 22, stated that the U.S. contribution of $200 million to the Fund was entirely additional to the assistance provided through existing bilateral and multilateral foreign aid programs "and reflected a major budgetary decision to increase the U.S. commitment to alleviating problems of hunger and malnutrition."

For the text of the Articles of Agreement Establishing the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Final Act of the U.N. Conference of Plenipotentiaries, and the Resolutions of that Conference, see U.N. Docs. A/CONF. 73/15 through 73/18; see also XV International Legal Materials 916-949 (July 1976). For the pledges of initial contributions to IFAD, see U.N. Doc. A/CONF. 73/15/Add. 1/Rev. 2 (provisional), Dec. 20, 1976. For Mr. Parker's statement, see Press Release USUN-198(76), Dec. 22, 1976.

World Population Programs

Ambassador Marshall Green, Coordinator of Population Affairs, Department of State, in an address on September 10, 1976, stated the U.S. position that the main task in developing family planning programs belongs to the countries threatened by excessive growth. He noted, however, that the United States had thus far contributed roughly one-quarter of all foreign and domestic funds devoted to that purpose and was providing family planning supplies either directly through bilateral agreements or indirectly through U.N. organizations, such as the U.N. Fund for Population Activities, or nongovernmental international groups like International Planned Parenthood Foundation, or private U.S. groups. He summarized the basic elements of a successful population program as follows:

1. Leadership commitment; that is, leaders of countries with serious population problems speaking out clearly and firmly in support of population programs and seeing that effective national programs are carried out at the village or community level.

2. Innovative approaches designed to root family planning in the villages, such as wives' clubs of Korea and Indonesia or the community-based distribution systems that are beginning to appeal in Asia and Latin America.

3. Training paramedics to provide general health services, including family planning, in the communities where these people are known and trusted. This offers extensive personalized family planning advice and services to people even in remote rural areas at costs which the poorer nations can afford.

4. Improved status of women. This is not just a question of liberating women from traditional endless childbearing. It is a political and economic necessity-politically, because human rights must be the ultimate purpose of government; economically, because women continue to be the most underrated economic resource of nations.

Ambassador Green also recommended the involvement of total diplomacy in world population programs, especially at the ambassadorial level.

Dept. of State Bulletin, Vol. LXXV, No. 1945, Oct. 4, 1976, pp. 419-423.

The United States voted against U.N. General Assembly Resolution 31/7, which was adopted on November 5, 1976, by a vote of 93-9 with 19 abstentions. Among other things, the resolution strongly condemned the collaboration between South Africa and all states continuing to supply that country with nuclear and military equipment and technology-"in particular France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States."

In other provisions of the resolution, the General Assembly condemned governments violating Rhodesian sanctions and called on all states to discontinue all economic, financial and trade relations with South Africa concerning Namibia. The General Assembly also condemned governments continuing to support or collaborate with "foreign economic and other interests engaged in exploiting the natural and human resources" of dependent territories. The Secretary-General was asked to undertake a wide publicity campaign on exploitation of indigenous populations by "foreign monopolies" and the support they render to the "colonialist racist regimes."

Southern Rhodesia

On March 17, 1976, the United States joined with other members of the U.N. Security Council in unanimously adopting Resolution 386 (1976) appealing to all states to provide immediate assistance to Mozambique to help offset the financial losses it would incur as a result of its full enforcement of U.N. sanctions against Southern Rhodesia. The Security Council meeting had been called at the

request of Mozambique after President Samora Machel announced on March 3 that his country would immediately close its border with Rhodesia and rigorously enforce U.N. sanctions. The Mozambique Foreign Minister estimated to the Security Council that the loss would be $49 million annually. The appeal to the Council for assistance was made under Article 50 of the U.N. Charter (TS 993; 59 Stat. 1031), which provides:

The Court may, at any time, entrust any individual, body, bureau, commission, or other organization that it may select, with the task of carrying out an enquiry or giving an expert opinion. Ambassador W. Tapley Bennett, Jr., U.S. Representative, in a speech before the Council on March 17 said that the United States was pleased to join with other U.N. delegations in commending Mozambique for its actions; he added that the United States would vote for the resolution because it took its purpose to be twofold:

-First, to issue an appeal for assistance to Mozambique under article 50 of the charter. Mozambique has properly and commendably imposed sanctions on Rhodesia's minority government and accordingly has reason to seek recourse under article 50.

-And second, to demonstrate that the Council speaks with one voice on Rhodesian matters. There should be no doubt that this Council favors the urgent implementation of majority rule in Rhodesia.

He stated that the U.S. Government would give favorable consideration to assistance to Mozambique in offsetting the heavy financial burdens it would incur by enforcement of sanctions, but he expressed U.S. disappointment with elements of the resolution, particularly charges of aggression by the illegal minority regime in Rhodesia. He also reiterated the dedication of the United States to true selfdetermination for Rhodesia and majority rule there.

Under the operative paragraphs of Res. 386, the Security Council:

1. Commends the Government of Mozambique for its decision to sever all economic and trade relations with Southern Rhodesia;

2. Condemns all provocative and aggressive acts, including military incursions. against the People's Republic of Mozambique by the illegal minority regime of Southern Rhodesia;

3. Takes note of the urgent and special economic needs of Mozambique arising from its implementation of Resolution 253 (1968), as indicated in the statement by its Foreign Minister;

4. Appeals to all states to provide immediate financial, technical and material assistance to Mozambique, so that Mozambique can carry out its economic development program normally and enhance its capacity to implement fully the system of sanctions;

5. Requests the United Nations and the organizations and programs concerned, in particular the Economic and Social Council, the United Nations Development Program, the World Food Program, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and all United Nations specialized agencies to assist Mozambique in the present economic situation and to consider periodically the question of economic assistance to Mozambique as envisaged in the present resolution;

6. Requests the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the appropriate organizations of the United Nations system, to organize, with immediate effect, all