United Nations Studies Proposal to Call Extraordinary Session on Food and Oil Crisis

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon announced that he is considering the proposal made by member countries of the Central American Integration System (SICA) led by Dominican President Leonel Fernández, which calls for a special UN session to analyze and take decisions on the crisis caused by skyrocketing food and oil prices.

In a meeting with President Fernández, Spain’s José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Mr. Ki-moon expressed his intentions to study the proposal

In a meeting with President Fernández, Spain’s José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Mr. Ki-moon expressed his intentions to study the proposal, according to a press release from the Dominican President’s office.

President Fernández, along with Spanish and Brazilian Heads of State, met separately with the UN Secretary General to reiterate the deep concern on the part of the SICA countries and Brazil and the need to convoke an urgent meeting of the United Nations to deal with the looming crisis that threatens emerging economies as a result of rising food and oil prices.

The meeting of the three Heads of State and Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon lasted for nearly one hour in one of the halls of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) building. The meeting took place prior to the general meeting that began yesterday in this city.

The Meeting of the Central American Brazil Integration System, including Brazil, took place recently in El Salvador. In that meeting, a proposal made by President Fernández was accepted. At the SICA summit, Fernández called on the UN to take urgent action in the face of the growing crisis now facing emerging economies as they struggle to keep up with rising food and fuel prices.

Presidente Fernandez’s Spechees

President Fernández will speak this Wednesday at 10:45 a.m. (4:45 A.M. in the DR) at the Plenary Conference of the Food Summit. As vice-president of the Summit, President Fernández will direct the debates at the meeting. During his discourse, he intends to reiterate his position that the United Nations and other regional organizations should confront the topics of food security and biofuels.

In his capacity as vice-president of the Summit and representing the 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries, President Fernández will sit at the director’s table at the meeting, now in its second day. President Fernández will become familiar with the positions of all member nations through their Heads of State and governments as well as delegation heads. Within the framework of the Summit, the representatives will analyze how these recent price hikes in basic food and oil have occurred.

It has been predicted that prices could continue to rise in the coming years, the results of which will primarily affect markets in countries throughout the developing world.