DOREEN NAWA
AS
Pope Francis began his first trip to Africa this week, the President of the
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Kanayo F. Nwanze calls
for unity, resilience and dignity “in the face of those who wish to divide us”
at an event today hosted by the Holy See on the Pope’s encyclical.
Relevant
to the Pope’s visit Nwanze said, “What happens in a small village in Africa can
have a ripple effect that reaches Europe and beyond.” He added that the world’s
“problems and solutions are not limited by geographic or political boundaries.”
Speaking
alongside Cardinal Beniamino Stella and Monsignor Fernando Chica Arellano,
Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations agencies in Rome,
Nwanze called the “invisible people of the developing world” part of “our
shared humanity” and said that “their poverty is our poverty; their hunger is
our hunger; and their dignity is our dignity.”
With
international climate change talks starting in a few days, Nwanze’s keynote at
the Holy See event echoed what the Pope said shortly after arriving in Kenya
when he urged world leaders to pursue economic development while protecting the
environment for future generations.
Nwanze
called for “investing in change that is social as well as economic so that
rural areas are socially viable and economically vibrant,” as well as a “change
that is comprehensive and inclusive in its nature and lasting in its
impact.” He went on to say that “a world
without small farmers would be a hungry world. The future of humanity depends
on a sustainable food supply based on sustainable agricultural practices.”
This
will be the message Nwanze will take to the 21st UNCCD Conference of Parties
(COP21) in Paris next week, where he will be engaged in several side-events
including the press launch on 4 December of an IFAD research report that looks
at how media coverage has been missing key connections between climate change,
migration and food.
The
event today was organized by the Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum and
Università Europea of Rome in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics
and Human Rights, which encourages a wide exchange of ideas through dialogue
among international institutions of higher education especially with developing
countries.
“Poor
rural people are not waiting for hand-outs; they are looking for economic
opportunities and a safe home for their families,” Nwanze said in conclusion of
his keynote address at the Holy See event. “Young people who can see a future
for themselves at home have little reason to migrate to urban centers and big
cities, where too often they fall prey to divisive rhetoric and extremism.”
