UN General Assembly
1985

There is a complex combination of structural causes for this crisis of starvation and food shortfalls, and it is imperative that we respond not merely with emergency assistance but also with stepped-up co-operation with the African countries' own self-help efforts in the agricultural sector, for example, in increased food production, over the medium and long term. I am confident that a green revolution to improve agricultural yields can be achieved in Africa, as it has in Asia. It is for this reason that I have submitted my "Green Revolution for Africa" proposal, a comprehensive plan that would include not only agricultural research but also afforestation, and I intend to work to implement this proposal in full consultation with all the countries concerned. I remain convinced of Africa's potential for development. As stated in the declaration of the recent Organization of African Unity summit, the nations of Africa are taking the initiative to overcome the crisis facing them. The international community has a responsibility to lend them a helping hand.