“With Africa’s great agricultural endowment, it is truly a paradox that the continent and its people should be food insecure,” reflected Mr. Eugene Owusu, UNDP Resident Representative to Ethiopia during the launch of the “Africa Human development report 2012: toward a food secure future” at the Africa Union Commission.

The report, the first regional Human Development Report for Africa, was jointly launched by H.E Hailemariam Desalegn, Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and H.E Mr. Erastus Mwencha, the Deputy Chairperson of the Africa Union Commission and attracted over 300 participants from government, diplomatic missions, bilateral and multilateral agencies, private sector, civil society, academia and the media.

In his remarks, Deputy Prime Minister stated that the report “is important as it addresses one of Africa’s profound problems of food insecurity and helps us to consider where we are currently, what have been our major challenges and best experiences, what are the pitfalls a head, and what should be the sequence of next steps towards, a food secure future for Africa.”

The Deputy Chairperson of the AUC, Mr. Erastus Mwencha, commended the leadership of the UNDP Bureau for Africa for embarking on this effort of producing the Human Development report on Africa. He also noted that “It is pertinent to understand that improving agriculture productivity and incomes alone will not achieve the development results we seek. A more holistic approach is needed, with emphasis on multi sectoral integration, coordination among Government, private sector, the civil society and development partners will be necessary in order to make a life-changing difference in this endeavor.”

Mr. Owusu reflected that, “It is only human to ask; ‘Is there a reason in this day and age, with all our technological advances, that Africa should remain food insecure?’ The simple answer ‘No’ does not prove to be a magic bullet.” He added, “The specter of famine all but gone elsewhere continues to be haunt millions of people on the continent. But history should not be Africa’s destiny. Africans are not fated to starve, if as the Report argues, ‘governments move decisively to put in place appropriate policies and support mechanisms”.

The Human Development Report was first produced in 1990 and since then some 22 global reports have been produced complemented with over 670 National Human Development Reports and significant number of Regional Human Development Reports.

The African Human Development Report video screened at the launch featured interviews with the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenaw i, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark and the Director of UNDP Africa, Tegegnework Gettu .