CFS:2004/INF/9

OBJECTIVE 7.3: TO MONITOR ACTIVELY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORLD FOOD SUMMIT
PLAN OF ACTION

This information note briefly reviews the status with regard to the sub-objectives of Objective 7.3 of the World Food Summit Plan of Action which states:

        “...governments, in partnership with all actors of civil society, in coordination with relevant international institutions and, in conformity with ECOSOC Resolution 1996/36 on the follow-up to the major international UN conferences and summits, as appropriate, will:

1. Establish, through the CFS, a timetable, procedures and standardized reporting formats, which do not duplicate similar reports to the UN, FAO and other agencies, on the national, sub-regional and regional implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action;
2. Set out in the CFS a process for developing targets and verifiable indicators of national and global food security where they do not exist;
3. Report to the CFS on national, sub-regional and regional implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action, drawing on a food insecurity and vulnerability information and mapping system, once established, as an analytical aid;
4. Invite the Secretary-General of the UN to request the ACC to report to ECOSOC in accordance with established procedures progress on the follow-up by UN agencies to the World Food Summit;
5. Monitor through the CFS the national, sub-regional, regional and international implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action, using reports from national governments, reports on UN agency follow-up and inter-agency coordination, and information from other relevant international institutions;
6. Provide regular reports on implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action through the CFS via the FAO Council to ECOSOC;
7. Encourage the effective participation of relevant actors of civil society in the CFS monitoring process, recognizing their critical role in enhancing food security;
8. By 2006, undertake, in the CFS and within available resources, a major broad-based progress assessment of the implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action and a mid-term review of achieving the target of reducing the number of undernourished people to half their present level no later than 2015. This progress assessment and review should be in the context of a special forum of a regular session of the CFS and involve active participation from governments, relevant international organizations and actors of civil society.

The Committee may like to recall the following actions that FAO has taken in conformity with Objective 7.3 e of the WFS Plan of Action:

Objective 7.3 (a): Establish, through the CFS, a timetable, procedures and standardized reporting formats, which do not duplicate similar reports to the UN, FAO and other agencies, on the national, sub-regional and regional implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action.

At its One hundred and fifteenth Session, held in November 1998, the Council¹:

1. reaffirmed the central importance of all actors pursuing implementation of the Plan of Action (PoA) in reaching Summit goals;
2. agreed that the Committee's sessions in even years should be scheduled so as to take advantage of the results of the Regional Conference debates as much as possible;
3. reiterated that future monitoring reports should be analytical in content, and that the reporting formats should be simple and results-oriented;
4. urged countries to report promptly;
5. emphasised the importance of the Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping Systems (FIVIMS) as a useful tool to provide data and decision- making instruments to those concerned with implementing the World Food Summit PoA;
6. recommended that efforts continue to develop FIVIMS at national and global levels;
7. requested that the Secretariat document on Broadened Participation of Civil Society and Other Partners in the Work of the CFS, currently under preparation for consideration by the CFS at its next session, be widely circulated as far in advance as possible;
8. stressed the important role that Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) should play in the Committee's work, within existing Rules and Regulations.

The Council, at its Hundred and Sixteenth Session, reaffirmed that the CFS should closely monitor the implementation of the World Food Summit PoA, and expressed appreciation for efforts underway by the Committee for monitoring and evaluating the implementation process of the WFS Plan of Action. It welcomed the reporting format developed during the CFS which provided a basis for all future reporting on the progress of the implementation of the Plan of Action by Governments, UN Agencies and other relevant international institutions. The Council also supported the idea that CFS Sessions in even years be held after the FAO Regional Conferences, in order to take into account the conclusions of such conferences regarding the implementation of the WFS Plan of Action.²

Objective 7.3 (b): Set out in the CFS a process for developing targets and verifiable indicators of national and global food security where they do not exist.

The Council noted the change in approach and the use of improved indicators in the assessment of the World Food Security situation by the CFS. ³ It stressed the importance of using indicators such as poverty indices, terms of trade, income distribution, purchasing power and other suitable quantifiable indicators to document the situation regarding access to food across countries and among different sectors of populations within countries. In this connection, the Council agreed on the necessity of developing FIVIMS as an instrument for providing data and decision-making tools for the implementation of the WFS Plan of Action at national, regional and global levels, and urged the Secretariat to give high priority to this area of work. This should be done in cooperation with all relevant international agencies. Each year the FIVIMS Secretariat has regularly submitted an Information Note on Developments related to FIVIMS in the member countries as well as inter-agency initiatives.

Objective 7.3 (b): Set out in the CFS a process for developing targets and verifiable indicators of national and global food security where they do not exist.

Countries and sub-regional, regional and international organizations have been regularly requested to submit reports on their implementation of the WFS Plan of Action. However the response rate has been less than desired. The Regional Conferences have a standing item on Follow-up to WFS Plan of Action on their agenda and the relevant recommendations of the Regional Conferences on this item are presented to the subsequent CFS session as extracts.

Objective 7.3 (d): Invite the Secretary-General of the UN to request the ACC to report to ECOSOC in accordance with established procedures progress on the follow-up by UN agencies to the World Food Summit.

In view of the numerous UN Conferences and Summits held in the 1990s and their related reporting requirements, the ACC elected to monitor progress as a whole through an item entitled "Coordinated follow-up to international conferences". The ACC, however, endorsed an FAO/IFAD proposal for arrangements to facilitate inter-agency follow-up to the World Food Summit. This led to the creation of the ACC Network on Rural Development and Food Security. Following a review in 1999, the ACC became in 2001 the UN system Chief Executives Board. The Network subsequently changed its name to UN System Network on Rural Development and Food Security.

  The General Assembly currently has on its agenda an item entitled "Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major UN Conferences and Summits in the economic, social and related fields". FAO is closely following and contributing to this process.

Objective 7.3 (e): Monitor through the CFS the national, sub-regional, regional and international implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action, using reports from national governments, reports on UN agency follow-up and inter-agency coordination, and information from other relevant international institutions.

The UN organizations have always been requested to report on their follow-up to the WFS Plan of Action. The responses have, however, been variable. The participation of UN Agencies in the CFS has also been less than desired.

Objective 7.3 (f): Provide regular reports on implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action through the CFS via the FAO Council to ECOSOC.

The Council, at its Hundred and Sixteenth Session (June 1999) endorsed the transmission to ECOSOC of the Committee's Report on the Implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action. The Council, at its hundred and Twenty-fourth Session (June 2003), approved the transmission to (ECOSOC) the Committee's Second Report on the Implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action. The next report to ECOSOC is due in 2007.

Objective 7.3 (g): Encourage the effective participation of relevant actors of civil society in the CFS monitoring process, recognizing their critical role in enhancing food security.

The Council welcomed the participation of NGOs and Civil Society in the work of CFS. It recognized the important role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in contributing to the national programmes of implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action by mobilising resources and contributing actions for food security, and by promoting awareness of food security issues.⁴ Since 2000 an Informal Panel, chaired by the Chairperson of CFS has been held at every session where NGO/CSO participation is actively encouraged on an equal footing. No records are kept of these informal panel sessions to permit a free exchange of ideas and views.

Objective 7.3 (h): By 2006, undertake, in the CFS and within available resources, a major broad-based progress assessment of the implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action and a mid-term review of achieving the target of reducing the number of undernourished people to half their present level no later than 2015. This progress assessment and review should be in the context of a special forum of a regular session of the CFS and involve active participation from governments, relevant international organizations and actors of civil society.

The Committee is requested to study the proposal submitted by the Government of Brazil, as contained in document CFS:2004/5 Sup.1/Rev.1. The Secretariat would also appreciate receiving appropriate guidance for the implementation of this sub-objective, bearing in mind the resource constraints and need for voluntary contributions for major activities and facilities.

ISSUES FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE COMMITTEE

The Committee may wish to express a view and suggest a timetable of actions necessary for the arrangements and modalities for the Mid Term Review, including the Special Forum. The Committee, may also wish to decide as to how best the arrangements for the Mid Term Review can be finalised at the Thirty-first Session in 2005.

The CFS may wish to indicate funding options, including extra-budgetary sources, as appropriate.

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¹ Report of the Council of the FAO Hundred and Fifteenth Session (Rome, 23-28 November 1998), paragraph 9.

² (Para 12, CL116)

³ (Para 11 CL116)

⁴ (Para 13, CL116)