PetroCaribe: 10 Years of Struggle Against Hunger and Poverty
Petrocaribe, energy for the union and the eradication of hunger and poverty
State of Food and Nutrition Security (San) In The Petrocaribe Countries Petrocaribe as an instrument for food and nutrition security and sovereignty Antigua & Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua. Dominican Republic, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Suriname Action Plan for the Eradication of Hunger and Poverty “Commander Hugo Chavez” Latin America and the Caribbean have achieved relevant progresses in the struggle against hunger and poverty; year 2015 was a decisive year, with important achievements. The region as a whole has substantially progressed in achieving the goal regarding the reduction of hunger of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), and has even exceeded the expectations to reach the goal of the World Food Summit (WFS). This value is shown by the high political commitment of the Governments, as well as the inclusion of a diversity of actors that have joined efforts in this cause. For FAO, multilateral cooperation initiatives are important in this struggle. That is why the Petrocaribe Energy Cooperation Agreement is an important benchmark in the construction of a strong food and nutrition security (SAN) agenda, particularly among its member states. This effort, started by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias, was realized in 2013 with the approval of the Action Plan for the Eradication of Hunger and Poverty of the Petrocaribe Economic Zone, a plan that would later take its name in honor and acknowledgment to his commitment to decisively struggle against hunger. The Action Plan for the Eradication of Hunger and Poverty Commander Hugo Chavez Frias, since then, has become an important effort to create further wellbeing and relief to the social demands in favour of SAN and the reduction of poverty. Petrocaribe completes 10 years since its start, and during this decade, it has managed to generate a virtuous circle between energy and development, between energy and poverty relief, between energy and eradication of hunger. Its solidarity scheme translates into the construction of a regional agenda, in the spirit of brotherhood among nations and South-South cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean; it has been the result of linking political will and the effective complement of the peoples. That is why we have wanted to present a brief summary of the initiatives and projects regarding SAN that, during these years of the Petrocaribe Agreement, have been developed in its member countries. Cooperation experiences that have left their footprint on the families that have seen their quality of life improve and which become the immediate background and starting point to provide a collective look from the Hugo Chavez Plan. Plan efforts are focused on a joint construction, valuating assets and national management skills, creating spaces for common ground, leveraging strengths and most of all joining countries in an agreed strategy for the eradication of hunger and poverty; a fact that shows a renewed emphasis on the transformation of political will into specific and defined joint actions to guarantee equitable results. There are still challenges at a regional level, and if we have learned anything it is that the guarantee of the right to food requires an integral vision, which includes the political commitment of Governments, the mobilization of society as a whole, integrated systems of social protection to support production and improve access, and for the development and strengthening of the legal frameworks in favour of SAN. FAO will continue to follow-up on these regional efforts and to provide technical assistance to see, in the short term, that particularly the Petrocaribe countries are able to definitively eradicate hunger and poverty. Raul Benitez Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – FAO
