Statement to the Twenty-ninth
Session of the Conference
FAO, Rome, Italy, 7-18 November 1997
Mr Chairman of the Conference,
Mr Independent Chairman of the Council,
Distinguished Ministers,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Just one year ago, the
World
Food Summit was being held in
this very hall. I do not need to emphasize the importance
of that event for implementation of the Organization's
mandate and I should like once again to pay tribute to
all those who helped make the Summit a great success: the
governments, the parliamentarians, the representatives of
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and
the private sector, and the staff of FAO.
Now, with determination, tenacity and
coherence, we have actually to put into practice the
commitments that were adopted by 186 countries. It is in
this perspective that the proceedings of this
Twenty-ninth Session of the Conference should take place.
State of world food and
agriculture
The state of world food and
agriculture is one of contrasts. The acute pressures on
the food commodity markets of 1995-96 have largely been
absorbed with the good harvests of 1996. Yet, many
countries still face difficulties, and early estimates
for 1997 point to an increase in world agricultural
output of only 1.1 percent. Moreover, cereal stocks
-estimated to be 285 million tonnes or just over 15
percent of expected consumption in 1997/98 - have not
returned to the standard security threshold of 17 to 18
percent of annual needs. The high cost of food imports
has caused serious problems for many low-income
food-deficit countries and has slowed their progress
towards food security.
While the global outlook is good, with
world economic growth for 1997 and 1998 expected to be
about 4.2 percent against 4.1 percent in 1996, the
situation in many parts of the world is not so
reassuring. Several developing countries, crushed by an
external debt burden totalling US$2.177 billion in
December 1996, are increasingly at risk of becoming
marginalized. Many are struggling to create an
environment conducive to foreign investment and to
improve their competitiveness fast enough to keep up with
the advance of free trade and globalization.
Development aid continues to decline
in real terms, having hovered at a nominal US$60 billion
in recent years. At thesame time, aid to the agricultural
sector plunged from US$16 billion in 1988 to US$10
billion in 1995, although there are now welcome signs of
a change in direction.
The gap between rich and poor can only
widen under such conditions, both within and between
countries. Furthermore, armed conflicts and food
emergencies continue, the one very often abetting the
other. Peace may be a prerequisite for food security, but
there can be no peaceful life for populations affected by
hunger.
Implementation of the Summit Plan
of Action
A series of initiatives have been
launched to pursue the objectives of the World Food
Summit: The drafting of documents on national strategies
for agriculture and food security towards the year 2010,
with 150 developing Member Nations and others in
transition, provides a framework for FAO collaboration
with these countries. I wish that the developed Member
Nations could also join this exercise and prepare similar
documents in a spirit of global approach to the problems
of food security.
The development of the Food Insecurity
and Vulnerability Information and Mapping System started
early this year in close collaboration with many UN
agencies and international and national institutions
working in this field. The Expert Consultation organized
by FAO last March determined the actions that were needed
to launch this programme. These were endorsed by the
Committee on World Food Security in April 1997, and an
interagency working group has been formed for their
implementation.
However, actually halving the total of
800 million people without adequate access to food by the
year 2015 calls for more than speeches, seminars, studies
and consultants' reports.
Concrete field actions have therefore
been conducted, spearheaded by the Special Programme for
Food Security which targets rural communities in poor
countries. The programme is already operational in 24 of
these countries and formulation is under way in a further
42. The modest funds earmarked in the Organization's
Regular Programme have had a catalytic effect in
mustering bilateral and multilateral resources that will
enable this vital programme to grow and reach all 86
low-income food-deficit countries.
Meanwhile, the Emergency Prevention
System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and
Diseases has already scored notable successes: timely
interventions in emergency situations, for example,
rinderpest in five countries and desert locust control in
regions most exposed to this scourge, North Africa, the
Sahel and the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden region. There are
plans to build a world network of national units and to
strengthen capacity for rapid intervention and assistance
to countries for the elimination of animal diseases and
the control of plant diseases.
FAO has also stepped up its normative
and operational support to Member Nations for
implementation of the Marrakesh Agreement. This
assistance, provided by means of 18 regional workshops
and 44 national projects, has focused on agricultural
policy, the prospects opened up by the "Decision on
Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the
Reform Programme on Least-Developed Countries and Net
Food-Importing Countries", intellectual property rights,
sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers
to trade and the international standards of the Codex
Alimentarius, whose Joint FAO/WHO Commission now has 158
members. The Organization will, however, have to raise
its capacity to help prepare future trade negotiations,
working closely with WTO, the World Bank and
UNCTAD.
The Summit placed great emphasis on
the need to involve civil society in the fight against
hunger and malnutrition. FAO has therefore encouraged the
launching of "Food for All" campaigns and a process of
national consultation to this effect is already under way
in several developed and developing countries. I should
like to reiterate my appeal to all governments to launch
these campaigns, for example by establishing fora that
will group all development players and partners
(parliamentarians, NGOs, the private sector, women's
associations, youth organizations, the media,
universities, and so forth). It was this concern to
engage world public opinion that led to "TeleFood", which
was organized to mark WorldFood Day and which, through
100 or so television channels, brought home the problems
of hunger and malnutrition to approximately 500 million
viewers in more than 70 countries.
Under the auspices of the UN
Administrative Committee on Co-ordination, an interagency
cooperation mechanism has been put in place for
implementing the Summit Plan of Action, including the
establishment of a Network on Rural Development and Food
Security, as proposed by FAO and IFAD.
Finally, FAO has introduced a
mechanism to monitor the implementation of the Summit
Plan of Action, following the indications of the
Committee on World Food Security which will evaluate
progress at its next session.
Other achievements
Mr Chairman,
FAO has pursued and intensified its
efforts to implement the programme of reform that was
adopted by the Council at its 106th Session in June 1994
regarding the policies, priorities and structures of the
Organization. It has also undertaken actions in other
important spheres of its mandate.
First, initiatives for the sustainable
use of natural resources have led to:
- the adoption of the World Plan of
Action of theInternational Technical Conference for
the Conservation and Utilization of Plant Genetic
Resources, held in Leipzig in June 1996;
- the revision of the International
Plant Protection Convention;
- the Programme for Integrated Pest
Control, successfully applied in Asia and under
implementation in Africa.
Next, forests, where FAO has continued
to develop a programme focusing on the contribution of
forestry to food security, on effective and responsible
forest management and on maintaining an equilibrium among
the economic, ecological and social benefits of forest
resources. It has also helped develop national forestry
programmes, drawing up a blueprint for the planning of
sustainable development of all types of forest and forest
activities. During these last two years, FAO has made a
substantial contribution to the international debate on
forestry issues, and has played its expected lead role,
to the full, supporting the works of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Forests and chairing the
Inter-Agency Task Force on Forests, which has prepared a
plan of work to implement the Panel's decisions. In
addition, less than a month ago, the Eleventh World
Forestry Congress was held in Antalya at the invitation
of Turkey and with the support of the
Organization.
Finally, fisheries and aquaculture,
where FAO's work has continued within the framework of
the Kyoto Plan of Action on the Sustainable Contribution
of Fisheries to Food Security, the Code of Conduct for
Responsible Fisheries and reinforcement of regional
bodies, in particular the recently formed Indian Ocean
Tuna Commission and the General Fisheries Council for the
Mediterranean. Since the last Conference, 21 technical
consultations on the management of marine fishery
resources have been held in the framework of regional
bodies. In addition, work on aquatic genetic resources
has been stepped up and studies have been carried out on
the impact of "El Niño" on fisheries in Latin
America and Africa.
Processing, analysis and
dissemination of information
The compilation, analysis and
dissemination of information in all these spheres remains
one of FAO's most important activities. Its annual report
on the state of food and agriculture continues to be the
main source of general information in this area and now
includes a section on food security as follow up to the
Summit. Two new publications have also been introduced to
provide an in-depth analysis of the state and specific
problems of fisheries and forestry:
"The State of World Fisheries and
Aquaculture" and "State of the World's Forests". The
"Sixth World Food Survey" was published in 1996,
including China and the Central Asian countries
intransition for the first time, employing a more
sophisticated methodology and providing more detailed
anthropometric information.
FAO continues to serve as a reference
for the long-term outlook for agriculture and food
security. Following publication in 1993 of its study
"World agriculture: towards 2010", there will soon be an
update covering likely developments towards 2015, with a
more general evaluation leading up to 2030.
Modern information and
telecommunication techniques
In recent years, the Organization has
formulated and implemented strategies and plans for the
effective use of modern information and telecommunication
technologies. The supply or replacement of equipment,
software and applications, the improved flow of
information through the Intranet and Internet and the
introduction of multimedia resources have helped
rationalize and modernize systems while reducing costs.
The Organization now uses video-conferencing to replace
the traditional interagency meetings and
consultations.
Information dissemination has
therefore kept pace with the times through these
electronic facilities. The World Agricultural Information
Centre (WAICENT) now enables governments, institutions
and the general public to have ready access to a wide
range of information that is essential for food security
and sustainable rural development: FAOSTAT for
statistical data, FAOINFO for textual information and
FAOSIS for access to specialized information systems, in
particular, animal genetic resources and pesticides.
Three different modes of access have been set up for the
Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and
Agriculture.
These efforts are producing results.
FAO's site on the Internet is posting more than one
million hits each month and has reinforced as never
before the Organization's capacity to disseminate
information to English-, Arabic-, Spanish- and
French-speaking users. At the same time, 2000 CD-ROMs
have been distributed to all Member Nations to provide
access to WAICENT in areas where the Internet is not
easily or widely available. The Programme of Work and
Budget for 1998-99 will further expand information
services to Member Nations. More specifically, a series
of FAO technical documents will be made available on the
Internet and CD-ROM, and Member Nations will be helped to
draw maximum benefit from the Organization's wealth of
documentation.
Grassroots participation and the
role of women
Mr Chairman,
FAO attaches great importance to all
members of society being fully involved in the common
objective of achieving "Food for All", and actions that
promote the role of women receive priority attention in
this strong focus onparticipation in all FAO programmes
and activities.
Within the Secretariat, the Committee
on Women in Development is successfully encouraging all
FAO technical departments to bear gender parity in mind
when formulating their programmes and projects. A
detailed study was published on the occasion of World
Rural Women's Day in October 1997 to raise awareness of
the important role of women in food security. As regards
training, the Socio-economic and Gender Analysis
Programme, implemented since June 1996, has affected
almost 2 000 experts in 60 countries. Furthermore, the
activities carried out under the Special Programme for
Food Security will improve rural women's access to
technologies, inputs and credit, with a special emphasis
on poultry raising and market gardening which are
generally within the ambit of women's
activities.
Youth also needs to be mobilized and,
as a first step, a network of government institutions
responsible for rural youth programmes in 15
English-speaking African countries has been set up to
foster the contribution of young people to food security
and sustainable development.
This exercise will soon be extended to
other countries.
Partnerships
Mr Chairman,
The Organization has also been
energetically exploring partnership and coordination
possibilities:
- with the World Bank and regional
banks through new agreements, especially for
implementation of the Special
Programme for Food Security;
- with the food and agriculture
institutions based in Rome, IFAD and WFP, thanks to
regular and more frequent contact at all
levels;
- with the Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research, its Technical
Advisory Committee and its institutes;
- with the other UN agencies under
the Administrative Committee on
Co-ordination;
- with the private sector and the
community of non-governmental
organizations.
Similarly, various forms of
cooperation are being developed with many Member Nations:
over the last three years, some 750experts have been
involved in implementing FAO programmes within the
framework of the agreements for cooperation between
developing countries and countries in transition; some
150 researchers have participated in the Programme of
Cooperation with Academic and Research Institutions, and
over 400 experts have been employed under the Retiree
Programme. While maintaining quality performance, these
agreements offer considerable savings against the cost of
international consultants. Furthermorere, in support of
the Special Programme for Food Security, a number of
South-South cooperation agreements have resulted in the
more advanced developing countries providing a critical
mass of field technicians in rural communities of other
developing countries, with support from the Organization.
Finally, to increase national capacities, FAO has
conducted a survey of training opportunities offered in
the areas of its mandate by Member Nations for students
and trainees from developing countries. Along the same
lines, FAO will employ young professionals, within the
limit of available resources, so that they can gain
practical experience and thus build on their high-level
academic training.
Investment
The promotion of investment in
agriculture, the theme of this year's World Food Day, is
another major thrust of FAO activity. The Investment
Centre has worked with the funding agencies to prepare
investment projects for a total value of US$6 billion in
1995-96, including 3.5 billion from external funds.
Activities undertaken in 1997 could lead to the
mobilization a total of US$2.5 billion.
FAO's Technical Cooperation Programme
continues to be a strong catalyst. Since January 1996,
upon the request of the Member Nations, 350 new projects
have been initiated in areas requiring preliminary,
urgent or unforeseen action. The programme continues to
abide by its criteria of rapid approval, limited
duration, low cost and practical orientation.
Cooperation with the United Nations
Development Programme is now on an upturn after the sharp
downward trend of recent years. FAO's role in
implementing UNDP-funded projects has been strengthened,
with US$40 million of new funds approved in the first
nine months of 1997 - already more than for the whole of
last year.
Restructuring and
decentralization
Mr Chairman,
The restructuring of FAO has been
pursued during the course of this biennium with
determination and with the same overriding objectives of
identifying savings and improving efficiency through
decentralization. This effort has, however, had to be
made under severe budgetary limitations.
The decentralization process will be
completed in December of this year: all the new liaison
and subregional offices are open; the regional offices
have been reinforced; the last operations teams are being
transferred; and, in 1998-99, Member Nation coverage by
the network of FAO Representatives should be improved
through the use of multiple accreditation, National
Programme Officers and National Correspondents. The
measures taken since 1994 to improve the
cost-effectiveness of country offices will be continued.
In January 1998, 31 percent of the posts in the
Professional and Director category and 38 percent of the
total establishments will be working in the decentralized
offices. The decentralization of policy assistance and
project operations will make FAO better attuned to the
needs of its members and their rural communities in the
different geographic regions.
Staff numbers have been further
reduced, with the elimination of 503 posts, or 12
percent, since January 1994 when there were 4 185 posts
to the proposed 3 682 in January 1998. At the same time
only seven professional posts have been abolished. The
grades pyramid has been broadened, with the elimination
of 37 directors' posts, a reduction of 15.6
percent.
Transparency and consultation with
staff representatives, to whom I take this opportunity to
pay tribute, have minimized the human cost. At the same
time, greater attention has been paid to staff training,
to raising the contingent of women professional staff and
to ensuring equitable Member Nation representation among
the staff. The number of countries not represented among
the staff has fallen from 54 in January 1994 to 31 in
October 1997, taking into account ongoing recruitment.
While staff numbers have been reduced, annual savings of
US$25 million have also been made from cuts in travel,
translations, publications and meetings.
Administrative and financial
reform
The restructuring process has been
echoed in the administration and finance
sectors.
Operational, administrative and
financial responsibilities have been delegated to
departments at Headquarters and teams in the field. This
is reflected in the Management Support Units that have
been set up at the departmental and regional office
level. At the same time there has been tighter auditing
in all regional, subregional and country
offices.
FAO has also sought to simplify its
administrative and financial procedures and has set about
replacing the computerized financial and personnel
management system with the more up-to-date Oracle
system.
As regards planning, the programming
and coordination methods have been revised and the
Medium-term Plan improved. In addition, programming by
objectives is now under trial for the Programme of Work
and Budget.
The Programme of Work and
Budget
The Programme of Work and Budget for
1998-99 is the result of careful in-house analysis and
delicate protracted consultation with the Member Nations.
The implications of the different budget options on the
programmes have been examined in accordance with the
guidelines of the Council and its Technical Committees.
The Programme of Work and Budget submitted to the
Conference therefore combines two scenarios, as requested
by the Council: the proposals associated with a zero real
growth scenario, presented in detail for a total budget
of US$675.3 million, and the changes that would be needed
to accommodate zero nominal growth and therefore a budget
of US$650 million. A brief supplementary document has
also been issued, outlining the reductions that would be
needed for a budget below zero nominal growth. It is
worth recalling, in this connection, that the approved
budget for 1994-95 was US$673 million.
The zero real growth scenario would
enable the Organization to maintain its capacity in
priority areas. First, its normative work, including the
International Plant Protection Convention, the Code of
Conduct on Pesticides, Codex Alimentarius, the
conservation and management of genetic resources,
responsible fisheries and the evaluation of forest
resources.
Second, its technical assistance
provided to Member Nations at their own request, such as
in the implementation of the Marrakesh Agreement,
development of non-polluting aquaculture, conservation
and management of forests, control of pests and diseases,
early warning of food shortages and the role of women in
rural development. Finally, the zero real growth scenario
would enable FAO to maintain its direct support to
countries in the form of policy advice, and help with
implementation of the Summit Plan of Action, investment
support and field operations, particularly the Special
Programme for Food Security.
With the zero nominal growth option,
however, and despite all efforts to the contrary, only
some of these priority areas could be maintained:
forestry, Codex, TCP and the Special
Programme.
Clearly - and this needs to be
emphasized - the negative impact of a below zero nominal
growth budget on programmes of high priority to Member
Nations would obviously be aggravated.
Having outlined the budget proposals,
I feel that I must also throw in some telling
comparisons:
FAO's budget is equal to little more
than two days' tobacco consumption in North America and
less than two months'champagne consumption in one
European country.
Where, then, does the fight against
the hunger of 800 million human beings fit in the scale
of priorities of the affluent?
Conclusion
Mr Chairman, Excellencies, Ladies
and Gentlemen,
As Director-General dedicated to the
objectives of your Organization, I am both encouraged by
the unparalleled mobilization generated by the World Food
Summit and, at the same time, anxious that FAO should
maintain its capacity to achieve the objectives that you
have set for it, particularly in the Rome Declaration and
World Food Summit Plan of Action.
I am convinced that the primary
responsibility in this undertaking lies with the Member
Nations and that it is the role of FAO to provide the
services and support they require. I can only report the
magnitude of expressed needs to world leaders and
international opinion. As for my part, I shall continue
to do all I can to ensure that the resources at my
disposal are used with utmost regard to economy,
effectiveness and transparency. I should like to believe
that your decisions will ensure that FAO is in a position
to meet the immense pressing needs that the Summit
brought to light and satisfy the legitimate expectations
it raised among the more vulnerable and impoverished
members of our global village.
Thank you.
