Venezuela highlights integrated water management in the 29th Committee on Agriculture
MPPRE Press
Published at: 01/10/2024 12:47 PM
A delegation from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,
led by the ambassador and permanent representative to the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Marilyn Di
Luca Santaella, is participating in the 29th session of the Committee on
Agriculture (COAG), held at the agency's headquarters in Rome.
The Venezuelan representation is completed by Luis Gerónimo
Reyes, member of the Mission to FAO; Fabiola Mendoza, of the Ministry of Popular
Power for Foreign Affairs; Carlos Barroso and María José Guanipa, of the Ministry
of People's Power for Productive Agriculture and Lands, and
Ever Gutiérrez, of the National Institute of Nutrition/Ministry of People's Power
for Food.
Ambassador Di Luca presented the commitments and advances of the Bolivarian
Government regarding the integrated management of water resources
and the governance of the possession of these resources for food and
agriculture, as well as the global challenges in water management,
warning about the risks of their excessive exploitation for the
energy and industrial sector, which directly affects agricultural production and food security and
nutritional.
He noted that climate change has intensified these
problems, generating prolonged droughts, more violent storms and
widespread water scarcity, affecting the most vulnerable in a particular way.
In her speech, the Ambassador warned about the
alarming numbers of international organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, which report the
death of approximately 500,000 children under five years of age annually,
due to diseases caused by lack of access to drinking water and adequate health services.
This situation, he added, endangers
stability and international peace, as territorial tensions over
the control of water resources increase.
Venezuela, as one of the countries with the highest freshwater
reserves in the world, has implemented public policies in this
area, promoted by its Ministry of Water Care, in alignment with
the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.
However, Ambassador Di Luca denounced that the progress of
these efforts has been hampered by the 945 unfair and illegal unilateral
coercive measures imposed against the country, violating the rights of the population.
Despite these difficulties, the Venezuelan Government continues to
work on reforestation, protection of hydrographic basins, monitoring and early warning systems, and the promotion
of dietary habits that reduce the water footprint.
In conclusion, Venezuela called for
joint action to protect the environment, restore ecosystems and transform global agri-food
systems, thus guaranteeing peace, dialogue and the
right to the future.
Mazo News Team/VENEZUELAN MISSION TO FAO