http://www.granma.cu/ingles/news-i/6may-letter.html
Havana. May 6, 2013
Letter to Fidel from FAO Director General
Rome, April 29, 2013
DEAR Comandante:
I have the honor of addressing you from my position as Director General
of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to sincerely
congratulate you and the entire Cuban people for having fulfilled in advance
the goal proposed by the World Food Summit, which took place in Rome 1996, and
which proposed to reduce by half the number of malnourished persons in each
country by 2015.
As you will surely recall, you honored us with your presence at that
Summit and gave a brief but impressive speech, which still remains in the
collective memory of our Organization. You concluded your speech by saying,
"The bells tolling today for those who die of hunger today, will toll tomorrow
for humanity in its entirety if humanity does not wish, or know how or is not
wise enough to save itself." And it is said that you stated in the press
conference following the aforementioned Summit that even if the goal were to be
met, you would not know what to say to the other half of humanity not yet
liberated from the scourge of hunger. These are concepts which preserve all
their significance and value today.
Since then 17 years have transpired and I now have the great satisfaction
of communicating to you that, in accordance with the decision of member
countries and for the first time in its history, the FAO Conference, to take
place this June in Rome, will adopt the total eradication of hunger as the
number one goal of our Organization.
On this occasion, Cuba and the other 15 countries which have had the most
success in reducing hunger will be honored. All of them will be presented with
a certificate of recognition for having fulfilled in advance the Summit goal.
The countries accompanying Cuba are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Chile, Fiji, Georgia,
Ghana, Guyana, Nicaragua, Peru, Samoa, São Tomë and Príncipe, Thailand,
Uruguay, Venezuela and Vietnam.
Reiterating my congratulations for the important achievement reached by
your country, I convey my best wishes for well-being and success to you and the
entire Cuban people.
With my great esteem and appreciation
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