International Strategy for the Fight against Locust and Grasshopper Infestation, particularly in Africa : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 41/185 of 8 December 1986 and taking note of Economic and Social Council resolution 1988/3 of 24 May 1988 concerning the fight against locust and grasshopper infestation in Africa,

Taking note also of Economic and Social Council resolution 1988/2 of 5 February 1988, in which the Council drew particular attention to the critical situation in one of the regions where the locust and grasshopper infestation had originated,

Recalling its resolutions S-13/2 of 1 June 1986 on the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development 1986-1990 and 41/29 of 31 October 1986 on the emergency situation in Africa, in which it recognized that food production on that continent must be increased to meet the needs of its populations,

Aware that, in its resolution 42/169 of 11 December 1987 on an international decade for natural disaster reduction, it had included grasshopper and locust infestations among the types of natural disasters to be covered by the decade,

Taking note of resolution CM/Res.1173 (XLVIII) on locust control in Africa, adopted by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity at its forty-eighth ordinary session, held at Addis Ababa from 19 to 23 May 1988,

Deeply concerned at the exceptional seriousness and the potential and real dangers of the current locust and grasshopper infestation, particularly in Africa, despite the laudable efforts of the affected countries, with the assistance of the international community, as recognized in the report of the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on the desert locust plague in Africa,

Aware that, in the course of the current infestation, swarms of locusts and grasshoppers have affected or may invade the great majority of African countries and other countries in Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, and concerned at the disastrous consequences that may result for food production and agriculture in the world,

Taking into account, in that context, the potential problem created by billions of insects capable of devouring as much as 80,000 tons of vegetation and cereal crops per swarm daily, of migrating great distances from their original habitat and of obliterating the livelihood of hundreds of millions of people in some sixty countries, as stated in the status reports of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,

Alarmed by the unrelentingly destructive effects of the current invasion of locusts and grasshoppers in many countries of Africa and other geographical regions, and concerned at the economic and social consequences, including the reduction in agricultural output, which could continue for several years, the consequent displacement of affected populations and, in particular, the impact on the ecological environment and on medium- and long-term economic and social development,

Convinced that since, of the total area to be treated, only a small portion of the infested areas in Africa have benefited from locust and grasshopper control campaigns, it can be expected, given the extreme seriousness of the current situation, that the cycle of invasion will last beyond 1989 for a minimum period of five years, during which it can be predicted that the plague will intensify and extend to areas that were previously spared,

Aware that current campaigns for locust and grasshopper control have so far been unable to put an end to the infestation, in particular because of the limited financial resources of the affected countries, and convinced that the fight against the plague, which, by virtue of its recurrent nature and geographical extent, is international in scope, requires increased and co-ordinated mobilization of appropriate human, scientific, technical, material and financial resources,

Noting with satisfaction the readiness of donor countries resolutely to support action to fight locust and grasshopper infestation, in the knowledge that the resources of the affected countries and the emergency operations are not in themselves adequate to halt the plague on a lasting basis,

Conscious of the urgent need to define an effective strategy for fighting the locust and grasshopper peril while protecting the health of the populations concerned and the natural ecosystems,

Bearing in mind the recommendations of the International Conference on the Locust Plague, held at Fez, Morocco, on 28 and 29 October 1988,

1.         Takes note with interest of the report of the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on the desert locust plague in Africa;

2.         Expresses its deep concern at the worsening locust and grasshopper infestations, especially in Africa, which may adversely affect food production and result in renewed famine, and reaffirms the need to accord the highest priority to locust and grasshopper control and eradication;

3.         Takes note with appreciation of the efforts of the affected countries and expresses its gratitude to donor countries, organizations of the United Nations system and other competent institutions in their efforts to contain the infestation, in particular the Emergency Centre for Locust Operations of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Joint Anti-Locust and Anti-Avarian Organization, the Desert Locust Control Organization for East Africa and the Joint Committee of Mahgreb Experts on Locust and Grasshopper Control;

4.         Invites all countries recently threatened by the invasion of desert locusts to take all appropriate measures to develop their own national means of protection against locusts and grasshoppers and to contribute to the implementation of regional infestation control programmes, and encourages the affected countries to continue their efforts in that area;

5.         Calls upon the donor countries and organizations to continue to assist the affected countries to strengthen their control capacities by making available to them, particularly at the current critical stage, inter alia, reconnaissance and spraying aircraft, means of transport and liaison, degradable insecticides, spraying equipment, and, where necessary, specialized technicians, and to continue this assistance as long as the infestation lasts;

6.         Calls upon the international community, particularly the developed countries, to support fully the locust and grasshopper control activities undertaken at the national and regional levels by the affected countries, particularly in Africa, specifically in the areas of data collection and dissemination of information, prevention, co-ordination and funding, the establishment of national and regional early warning systems, and the strengthening of existing national systems for the protection of plant life;

7.         Invites the international community, particularly the developed countries, to help the affected countries to improve to a considerable extent the present methods of monitoring and control and, specifically, to use remote-sensing techniques as a means of improving the quality of meteorological observations and forecasting in the affected countries, particularly in the regions where locust and grasshopper infestations originate;

8.         Also invites the international community, including the organizations of the United Nations system and specifically the United Nations Development Programme, to continue to contribute to the funding for the establishment of programmes agreed on by the affected countries for the training of specialized personnel in the modern techniques of locust and grasshopper control;

9.         Calls upon the international scientific community to develop co-ordinated research programmes to identify new and more effective methods of control, with a view to establishing a reliable forecasting system that would permit a better understanding of the relationship between climatic phenomena and the bio-ecology of the desert locust;

10.       Requests the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in close co-operation with the relevant organizations of the United Nations system, including the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Development Programme, to undertake an assessment of the pesticides and techniques currently used in the fight against locust and grasshopper infestation, in particular the biological fight against the reproduction of larvae, and to test the efficacy of those pesticides and techniques, bearing in mind their effects on the natural environment and the health of the people living in the affected zones;

11.       Urges the multilateral financial and development institutions, including the United Nations Development Programme, to give high priority, within the framework of their activities, to the fight against locust and grasshopper infestation and to grant financial and technical assistance to the affected countries, particularly those which have issued appeals for international assistance or have declared a state of emergency;

12.       Requests the Secretary-General to seek the views of the international ad hoc group of experts established as part of the preparations for the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction on the fight against locust and grasshopper infestation, with particular reference to the scope of research programmes on its biological, bio-climatic and chemical aspects and on the risks of mutation that might make locusts more resistant to insecticides or to the effects of climate;

13.       Also requests the Secretary-General, in co-operation with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, to consult with Member States and competent organizations concerning the establishment, under the auspices of the United Nations and the technical and organizational responsibility of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, of an international operational entity operating at the regional or subregional levels to provide direct support to the countries affected and to undertake co-ordinated actions to control locusts and grasshoppers, particularly in regions that are seriously infested and/or to which access is difficult;

14.       Requests the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to establish, to that end, a focused and action-oriented working group of representatives of the affected countries, the donor countries and relevant organizations to prepare a detailed plan to fight locust and grasshopper infestation, including the necessary modalities and means for the establishment of such an operational entity;

15.       Agrees that the actions proposed above will be financed through extrabudgetary resources and requests the Secretary-General, in co-operation with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, to mobilize voluntary contributions, if appropriate through a pledging conference, for the fight against locust and grasshopper infestation;

16.       Encourages the Secretary-General to keep under review the question of the locust and grasshopper infestation, particularly in Africa, and to undertake, in consultation with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the necessary action to make the world community more aware of the disastrous cumulative consequences of locust and grasshopper infestation, specifically with respect to food security;

17.       Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-fourth session the question of locust and grasshopper infestation, particularly in Africa, and requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at that session, through the Economic and Social Council at its second regular session of 1989, a detailed report on the implementation of the provisions of the present resolution, including a report of the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on developments in the fight against locust and grasshopper infestation..