C 2001/INF/26


Conference

Thirty-first Session

Rome, 2 - 13 November 2001

Resolutions Adopted by the Heads of Government and
Ministers for Agriculture in Support of the
FAO Trust Fund for Food Security and Food Safety

Table of Contents

PREAMBLE

1. In the course of this year, several resolutions and messages were adopted by International bodies (the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the Organization of East Caribbean States (OECS), the Ministers for Agriculture from the South West Pacific and the G-77) and were addressed to the Group of 8 and OECD member countries, drawing their attention to the slow progress which has been made in achieving the World Food Summit goal of halving the number of hungry people by the year 2015 and supporting the establishment of the FAO Trust Fund for Food Security and Food Safety.

2. These Resolutions were adopted during the following sessions:

    1. The Assembly of Heads of State and Government at the 37th Ordinary Session of the Organization of African Unity in Lusaka, Zambia on the 10th of July 2001;
    2. The Heads of Government and Ministers for Agriculture of the Pacific Islands on the occasion of the 4th Meeting of the South West Pacific Ministers for Agriculture in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on the 24th of July 2001;
    3. The 34th Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States in Roseau, Dominica on the 25th of July 2001; and
    4. 10th Session of the Meeting of G-77 on Intergovernmental Follow-up and Coordination Committee on Economic Cooperation among Developing Countries, in Teheran, Iran on the 18th of August 2001.

 

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ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

 

Message to the G8 Summit of Genoa (Italy)

from 20 to 22 July 2001

 

The Thirty-seventh Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity (OAU):

  1. Concerned with the high level of undernutrition of the African continent;
  2. Taking into consideration the slow progress towards halving the number of hungry people by the year 2015;
  3. Welcomes the establishment of a Trust Fund in FAO to be financed by voluntary contributions, initially for an amount of US$500 million, to serve as a catalyst for accelerating food production and improving access to food in least developed countries (LDCs), low-income food-deficit countries (LIFDCs) and Small Island Developing States, and also for the prevention, control and eradication of transboundary pests and diseases of plants and animals;
  4. Considers that the mobilization of such resources would greatly facilitate the implementation of the agricultural programme of the New African Initiative;
  5. Calls on the Heads of State and Government of the G8 and other Organizations for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries to ensure generous contributions to the Trust Fund and to participate personally in the World Food Summit: five years later to be held in Rome from 5 to 9 November 2001.

 

MESSAGE TO THE HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT OF THE
GROUP OF 8 AND OF THE
ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD)

The Heads of Government and Ministers for Agriculture of the Pacific Island countries assembled on the occasion of the Fourth Meeting of Southwest Pacific Ministers of Agriculture:

  1. Concerned with the level of food insecurity in developing countries;
  2. Taking into consideration the slow progress towards halving the number of hungry people by the year 2015, as called for by the World Food Summit Plan of Action adopted in 1996;
  3. Welcome the establishment of a Trust Fund in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to be financed by voluntary contributions, initially for an amount of US$500 million, to serve as a catalyst for enhancing food production and improving access to food in least developed countries (LDCs), low-income food-deficit countries (LIFDCs) and Small Island Developing States, and also for the prevention, control and eradication of transbounary pests and diseases of plants and animals;
  4. Consider that the mobilization of such resources would serve, in addition to the aforementioned, to strengthen the promotion of technology transfer through South-South cooperation as well as enhance FAO's capacity to assist member countries in preparing feasibility studies of bankable projects to increase national, bilateral and multilateral financing for the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors in developing countries. The Trust Fund would also address the long-term structural needs of the poor in the basic areas of employment creation and income generation.
  5. Call on the Heads of State and Government of the G8 and other OECD countries to contribute generously to the Trust Fund and to participate personally in the World Food Summit: five years later to be held in Rome from 5 to 9 November 2001.

 

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ORGANIZATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES (OECS)

Castries, Saint Lucia
  

Resolution of the Thirty-fourth Meeting of the OECS Authority
(Heads of Government)
Roseau, Dominica, 25 to 26 July 2001

for transmittal to

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Countries

 

  1. Concerned with the unacceptable level of undernutrition and food insecurity in the countries of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States;
  2. Taking into consideration the slow progress towards halving the number of hungry people by the year 2015;
  3. Welcomes the establishment of a Trust Fund in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to be financed by voluntary contributions, initially for an amount of US$500 milion, to serve as a catalyst for accelerating food production and improving access to food in the least developed countries (LDCs), low-income food-deficit countries (LIFDCs) and Small Island Developing States, and also for the prevention, control and eradication of transboundary pests and diseases of plants and animals;
  4. Considers that the mobilization of such resources would greatly facilitate the implementation of agricultural programmes to improve food security in the Caribbean Region;
  5. Calls on the Heads of State and Government of the OECD countries to ensure generous contributions to the Trust Fund and to participate personally in the World Food Summit: five years later to be held in Rome from 5 to 9 November 2001.

Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla

 

TENTH MEETING OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL FOLLOW-UP AND
COORDINATION COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION
AMONG DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (IFCC-X)

Working Group II

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

The Committee stressed its concern with the level of food insecurity and undernutrition afflicting vast proportions of populations in numerous developing countries and noted the slow progress towards halving hunger by the year 2015, as envisaged at the World Food Summit held in 1996.

In this connection, the Committee welcomed the establishment of a Trust Fund in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to be financed by voluntary contributions, initially for an amount of US$500 million, to serve as a catalyst for enhancing food production and improving access to food in developing countries, in particular in least developed countries (LDCs), low-income food-deficit countries (LIFDCs) and Small Island Developing States, and also for the prevention, control and eradication of transboundary pests and diseases of plants and animals.

The Committee also considered that the mobilization of such resources would serve, in addition to the aforementioned, to strengthen the promotion of technology transfer through South-South cooperation as well as to enhance FAO's capacity to assist member countries in preparing feasibility studies of bankable projects to increase national, bilateral and multilateral financing for agricultural and food security projects and programmes in developing countries.

The Committee urged the donor community to contribute generously to the Trust Fund and to participate at the highest level of Heads of State and Government in the World Food Summit: five years later to be held in Rome from 5 to 9 November 2001.

The Committee took note of two important ongoing FAO programmes, namely the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS), launched in 1994, and the new FAO Partnership Programme for Technical Cooperation among developing countries. In this regard, the Committee requested FAO to continue deploying efforts aimed at the full implementation of these programmes.

The Committee was informed of the South-South cooperation components in the operational modalities of both programmes and called for their widespread dissemination, as cost-effective mechanisms for the benefit of developing countries.

The Committee reiterated its recommendations regarding the following:

-  In respect to fisheries, cooperative action among countries under the terms of paragraph 32 of the Caracas Programme of Action.

-  In respect of augmentation of food production, cooperative action among countries under the terms of paragraph 29 of the Caracas Programme of Action.

-  Establishment of temporary support mechanisms for local farmers, allowing them to adapt to the negative impact of the process of trade globalization.

-  Recognition of the role played by women in the rural development of the developing countries.