Many nations failing on UN hunger goal

Many poor countries will fail to meet a UN goal of halving world hunger by 2015, the UN food agency's newly-elected Brazilian chief told AFP yesterday in one of his first interviews since being nominated.
"Many poor countries will not be able to reach the target," Jose Graziano Da Silva said, referring to the aim of reducing the world's hungry to around 400 million people from the current level of around 925 million people.
"Eradicating hunger by 2015 will not be possible," he said.
"What is missing are two things: the resources and international cooperation to support these countries which are among the most vulnerable because they are incapable of reaching the targets on their own," he added.
Graziano was elected on Sunday by FAO member states becoming the first Latin American leader of the Rome-based agency which is tasked with fighting global hunger.
Graziano, a former food security minister credited with helping reduce hunger in Brazil, formally takes over at FAO on January 1, 2012.
He replaces Senegal's Jacques Diouf, who has held the FAO post for 17 years.
Critics say the FAO is too centralised and chronically inefficient, and badly in need of reforms that Graziano is expected to begin implementing.