Havana, May 10 (RHC) – Cuba has been acknowledged this week for its fulfillment of hunger eradication goals set by the United Nations -- along with Chile, Argentina, Barbados, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela -- during the 33rd Regional Conference of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

These countries achieved this objective two years before the date established by the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015), a merit obtained by 16 of the 33 Latin American and Caribbean nations.

The Director General of the FAO, Jose Graziano da Silva, has reiterated that Latin America is the region that has achieved the greatest progress in overcoming undernourishment over the last 20 years.

During the conference, which concluded Friday in Santiago de Chile, he highlighted the importance of the political will of governments in the achievement of these objectives. However, he said, it is necessary to intensify efforts in order to give a prompt response to the 47 million people in Latin American and the Caribbean still suffering undernourishment.

The FAO director general said: “Latin America and the Caribbean have all the conditions to eradicate hunger: they have food, technical knowledge and the necessary financial resources, and even more importantly, the political will of governments and societies to put an end to this serious problem.”