As the number of hungry people decreases and incomes rise, demand for goods from the wealthier countries can be expected to rise. It is the moral responsibility of the international community to ensure that globalization does not lead to an ever widening gap between the poor majority and the wealthy few. This would further inflame passions that already bring people into the streets, demonstrating against what many see as manipulation of the world trading system by a cabal of super-conglomerates and the governments that support them. Jacques Diouf is director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This article originally appeared in the International Herald Tribune on February 18, 2000.
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