INTRODUCTION

TWENTY-FOURTH MCDOUGALL MEMORIAL LECTURE1

1. Reverend David Beckmann, President of Bread for the World, delivered the
Twenty-fourth McDougall Memorial Lecture in memory of Frank Lidgett McDougall, a founding father of the Organization.

PRESENTATION OF THE B.R. SEN AWARDS2

2. The annual B.R. Sen Award, in recognition of the former Director-General Mr B.R. Sen’s role in transforming FAO from a study organization to a development agency, is presented at each regular session of the Conference to an FAO field officer who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the country or countries to which he or she was assigned.

3. The 2004 B.R. Sen Award was conferred on Mr Heiko Bammann, a national of Germany, in recognition of his outstanding achievement in the development of an innovative project design to promote farming as a business among small farmers in several Pacific Island countries, while serving as Farming Systems Development and Marketing Officer in the Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands. The design was implemented through TCP projects with the common objective of improving the livelihoods of small farmers through the application of sustainable agriculture techniques, sound farm management, and good planning and marketing decisions. The concepts introduced by the projects had led to wider adoption in the region, and projects had since been launched by several regional and international agencies based on Mr Bammann’s project design template. Mr Bammann’s leadership and perseverance were key factors in the realization of these achievements.

4. The 2005 B.R. Sen Award was conferred on Mr Patrick T. Evans, a national of the United States of America, in recognition of his outstanding leadership in the development of community-based natural resource management on the Tonle Sap Great Lake in Cambodia, while serving as Team Leader for several phases of the Belgian-funded project “Participatory Natural Resources Management in the Tonle Sap Region”. Through his advocacy and demonstrated success, community-based natural resource management had been popularly accepted as a norm for pursuing sustainable development. It was now also pursued by many other donors through their projects. This had resulted in the protection and better management of forest and fisheries resources, the reduction of illicit logging and fishing, and, at the same time, in the improvement in the livelihoods and food security of the communities in Siem Reap Province.

PRESENTATION OF THE A.H. BOERMA AWARD3

5. The A.H. Boerma Award for 2004-2005 was presented jointly to Mr. Giampaolo Cadalanu, foreign reporter for the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica, for his work in documenting the problems of hunger and poverty in the world, and to two reporters of the American daily newspaper Wall Street Journal, Mr. Roger Thurow and Mr. Scott Kilman, for their contribution towards raising public awareness regarding food and development-related issues.

PRESENTATION OF THE EDOUARD SAOUMA AWARD4

6. The Edouard Saouma Award is presented biennially to an institution that has implemented with particular efficiency a project funded by the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP). The Award for 2004-2005 was presented to the “Instituto de Investigaciones en Fruticultura Tropical” (IIFT) in Cuba for its outstanding contribution to the implementation of a TCP project on tropical fruit production.

7. The Institute, represented at the Ceremony by its Technical Director, Mr Emilio Farrés Armenteros, demonstrated exceptional ability in disseminating improved propagation and production technologies to farmers and in ensuring the integration of project recommendations within government policies and strategies for tropical fruit production, resulting in improved farmers’ livelihoods and food security.

PRESENTATION OF THE MARGARITA LIZÁRRAGA MEDAL5

8. The Margarita Lizárraga Medal for 2004-2005 was presented to the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP), an international agreement whose objective is to reduce dolphin mortality in the tuna purse-seine fishery in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and to ensure the sustainability of tuna stocks and associated species in the ecosystem. The AIDCP has been an unqualified success and has diligently applied the relevant principles set forth in the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, in particular those aspects relating to the precautionary approach and the utilization of fishing gear and techniques which minimized the catch of non-target species and allowed for the enormous reduction in dolphin mortality that was achieved. AIDCP was also commended for its active involvement with the fishing industry and environmental non-governmental organizations, which constituted a successful and exemplary interaction among the various stakeholders.

IN MEMORIAM6

9. The Conference observed one minute of silence in memory of those staff members who had died in the service of the Organization since the Conference had last met. The names of the deceased staff members were read and were contained in the Verbatim Records of the Conference.


INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW
OF THE STATE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

ELECTION OF CHAIRPERSON AND VICE-CHAIRPERSONS7

10. The Council nominated and the Conference elected Cao Duc Phat (Viet Nam) as Chairperson of the Thirty-third Session of the Conference.

11. The Council nominated and the Conference elected the three Vice-Chairpersons of the Conference:

Arefaine Berhe (Eritrea)

Romualdo Bettini (Italy)

Abubaker El-Mansury (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya)


APPOINTMENT OF GENERAL COMMITTEE AND CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE8

12. The Council recommended and the Conference elected the:

Seven Members of the General Committee

Canada

Mali

China

New Zealand

Costa Rica

United Kingdom

Kuwait

 

Nine Members of the Credentials Committee

Bulgaria

Indonesia

United Republic of Tanzania

Croatia

Morocco

United States of America

El Salvador

San Marino

Yemen


ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE SESSION9

13. The Conference adopted its Agenda as amended by the General Committee, and as given in Appendix A to this Report.

14. The Conference adopted the arrangements and timetable proposed by the Hundred and Twenty-ninth Session of the Council, as approved by the General Committee.

Establishment of Commissions and Appointment of their Chairpersons,
Vice-Chairpersons and Drafting Committees

15. The Conference concurred with the Council's recommendations to establish two Commissions to consider and report upon Parts I and II of the Agenda.

16. In accordance with Rule VII and Rule XXIV-5 (b) of the General Rules of the Organization (GRO), the Hundred and Twenty-ninth Session of the Council had nominated the following Chairpersons of the Commissions which the Conference approved:

Commission I

Ms Victoria Guardia de Hernández (Costa Rica)

 
Commission II
Zohrab Malek (Armenia)

17. Sergio Gouveia (Mozambique) was elected Chairperson of the Drafting Committee for Commission I with the following Membership: Austria, Bangladesh, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Japan, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mozambique, New Zealand, Thailand, Tunisia and United Kingdom.

18. Soren Skafte (Denmark) was elected Chairperson of the Drafting Committee for Commission II with the following Membership: Algeria, Australia, Brazil, China, Congo, Cuba, Denmark, Japan, Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait, United Kingdom and United States of America.

19. The Conference, taking into consideration the proposals of the General Committee, in accordance with Rule XIII-2 GRO, appointed the following Vice-Chairpersons:

Commission I
Alain Pierret (France)
Hasan Qutaiba (Iraq)
Commission II
Ms Dato’ Lily Zachariah (Malaysia)
Willem Brakel (United States of America)

Resolutions Committee of the Conference

20. The Conference endorsed the recommendation of the Hundred and Twenty-eighth Session of the Council to establish a Resolutions Committee of seven Members, one from each Region, and appointed the following:

Africa 

:

Cameroon

Asia 

:

Philippines

 

Europe 

:

Romania

 

Latin America and the Caribbean 

:

Ecuador

 

Near East 

:

Egypt

 

North America 

:

United States of America

 

Southwest Pacific 

:

Australia

21. The Conference agreed to the recommendation of the Resolutions Committee that the Resolutions Committee be chaired by Ms Patricia Borja (Ecuador).

22. The Conference approved the functions of the Resolutions Committee and the criteria for the formulation of resolutions, as given in Appendix C of document C 2005/12.

Right of Reply

23. The Conference confirmed the decision taken at its previous sessions to the effect that, when a Member wished to reply to criticisms of its Government's policy, it should preferably do so on the afternoon of the day on which such criticism had been voiced after all those wishing to participate in the discussion had had an opportunity to speak.

Verbatim Records

24. As provided for in Rule XVIII-1 GRO, Verbatim Records were kept of all Conference Plenary and Commission meetings. The Conference endorsed the recommendation of the General Committee that statements could be inserted in the Verbatim Records when time did not permit them to be delivered, taking into consideration, however, the conditions laid down by the General Committee.

Verification of Credentials

25. The credentials of delegations of 180 Members were found valid. The remaining Members did not submit valid credentials.

26. The credentials of the representatives of the United Nations, its Specialized Agencies and related organizations were duly deposited as prescribed under Rule III-2 of the General Rules of the Organization.

Voting Rights

27. The Conference noted that, in accordance with Article III-4 of the Constitution, at the beginning of the Session 31 Member Nations (Afghanistan, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Comoros, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Gambia, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Nauru, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan) had no right to vote in the Conference, since the amount of their arrears of contributions to the Organization exceeded the amount of the contribution due from them for the two preceding years. Nevertheless, the Conference decided that all Member Nations in attendance be authorized to vote on 19 November 2005.

28. Subsequently, four of these Member Nations (Democratic Republic of Congo, Paraguay, Sudan and Suriname) made payments sufficient to regain their voting rights.

29. The Conference decided to restore voting rights to sixteen Member Nations having requested special consideration under Article III.4 of the FAO Constitution and permission to vote: Afghanistan, Argentina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Nauru, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, Somalia.

30. The Conference further decided to restore the voting rights to Azerbaijan and Seychelles by agreeing that payments under Instalment Plans proposed by those Member Nations would be considered as fulfilment of their financial obligations to the Organization. To this effect, the Conference adopted the following Resolutions:

RESOLUTION 1/2005

Payment of Contributions – Azerbaijan

THE CONFERENCE,

Noting that the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan had made a proposal that it liquidate its arrears of contributions over a period of ten years commencing in 2004 in addition to paying each current contribution in the calendar year of assessment, and having further noted that the Government of Azerbaijan has made payments in 2004 and 2005 of US$ 132,492.16 and Euro 7,013.11 equivalent to the annual instalment of US$ 125,682.26 plus payment of current contributions,

Decides that:

  1. Notwithstanding Financial Regulation 5.5 the arrears of contributions of the Republic of Azerbaijan totalling US$ 1,005,458.00 shall be settled through the payment of eight annual instalments of US$ 125,682.26 each from 2006 to 2013.
  2. The first instalment shall be payable in January 2006.
  3. The annual payment of the instalments referred to above, together with the payment of each current contribution in the calendar year of assessment and any advances to the Working Capital Fund, shall be considered as fulfilment of the financial obligations of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Organization.
  4. Instalments shall be payable in accordance with Financial Regulation 5.5.
  5. Default in payment of two instalments shall render this instalment plan null and void.

(Adopted on 24 November 2005)


RESOLUTION 2/2005

Payment of Contributions - Seychelles

THE CONFERENCE,

Noting that the Government of the Republic of Seychelles had made a proposal that it liquidate its arrears of contributions over a period of ten years commencing in 2006 in addition to paying each current contribution in the calendar year of assessment,

Decides that:

  1. Notwithstanding Financial Regulation 5.5 the arrears of contributions of the Republic of Seychelles totalling US$ 146,084.50 and Euro 7,013.10 shall be settled through the payment of ten annual instalments of US$ 14,608.45 and €701.31 each from 2006 to 2015.
  2. The first instalment shall be payable in January 2006.
  3. The annual payment of the instalments referred to above, together with the payment of each current contribution in the calendar year of assessment and any advances to the Working Capital Fund, shall be considered as fulfilment of the financial obligations of the Republic of Seychelles to the Organization.
  4. Instalments shall be payable in accordance with Financial Regulation 5.5.
  5. Default in payment of two instalments shall render this instalment plan null and void.

(Adopted on 24 November 2005)


31. The Conference recommended that the Government of Iraq be approached with a view to agreeing to an Instalment Plan. The Conference also invited the Government of Iraq to consider referring the request for a change in its assessment to the Contributions Committee of the United Nations.

32. The Conference expressed its concern at the high number of Member Nations in arrears and held the view that any past recommendations that voting rights be restored for all Member Nations on the first day of the Conference, or upon submission of a letter to that effect, should not be regarded as preventing the Conference from taking a different position in future. While taking note of Article III, paragraph 4 of the Constitution whereby the Conference may permit a Member Nation in arrears to vote if it is satisfied that the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the Member Nation, the Conference recommended that, in future, the normal course of action in respect of Member Nations in arrears should consist in actively encouraging them to submit an Instalment Plan for the settlement of such arrears, as a condition for the restoration of their voting rights.

33. The Conference recommended that consideration be given in future that requests for restoration of Voting Rights should be referred to the Director-General for submission to the Autumn Session of the Finance Committee, in Conference years, which would submit its views to the Conference, through the Council, for consideration by the General Committee, without prejudice to the authority of the Conference to make autonomous determinations under Article III, paragraph 4 of the Constitution.

ADMISSION OF OBSERVERS10

Applicants for Membership

34. The Director-General had provisionally invited applicants for Membership to be represented by Observers until a decision had been taken on their applications. The Conference approved the Director-General’s invitation in respect of the Principality of Andorra and the Republic of Belarus.

Admission of Observers from Non-Member Nations

35. The Conference confirmed the invitation issued by the Director-General to the Russian Federation to attend the Session in an Observer capacity.

Liberation Movements

36. The Conference confirmed the invitation issued by the Director-General, at the suggestion of the Hundred and Twenty-eighth Session of the Council, to the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Intergovernmental Organizations and International
Non-Governmental Organizations

37. The Conference reviewed the list of intergovernmental organizations and international non-governmental organizations to which the Director-General had extended a provisional invitation to the Session, and confirmed the said provisional invitations.

THE STATE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE11

38. One Hundred and Twenty Heads of Delegation and the Holy See intervened on this agenda item. Members commented on the overall economic, agricultural and food security situation, as described in the Secretariat documents, and reported on the food and agricultural situation and related issues in their respective countries. Five Observers also spoke.

39. The Conference noted with concern the slow progress towards the World Food Summit target and the Millennium Development Goal relating to poverty and hunger. Members recognized the centrality of hunger reduction to the achievement of several other MDG targets, inter alia, on maternal health, child mortality and primary education, and welcomed closer cooperation with other UN Organizations in this regard. The Conference also welcomed the adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security.

40. The Conference noted with extreme concern the prevalence of food emergencies in recent years which had gravely exacerbated poverty and food insecurity in the affected regions. The Conference confirmed the important role of FAO in emergency response and in the transition to rehabilitation and development. Several Members expressed appreciation for assistance received through, inter alia, the Special Programme for Food Security, the Technical Cooperation Programme and South-South cooperation. In this regard, several Members called on FAO to continue providing assistance in combating Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and other transboundary diseases and pests.

41. Several Members expressed their appreciation of FAO's support to the African Union and its Member States in the implementation of Africa's agriculture and food security programmes, and the Conference requested the Organization to cooperate with the African Union, NEPAD and African countries in the organization of appropriate meetings to review progress in, and plans for, the implementation of agriculture and food security programmes on the continent.

42. Many Members emphasized the importance of improving small and poor farmers’ access to markets, both local and international. With regard to international markets, many Members referred to the importance of the Doha Development Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations and stressed the need for progress during the forthcoming Hong Kong Ministerial Conference. A number of Members noted the importance of special and differential treatment for developing countries. They called on FAO to provide continued and more active support to Member Governments in the context of the negotiations.

43. Members noted a number of other priority areas of activity for FAO such as the sustainable use of natural resources, including forests, fisheries, land, water and plant and animal genetic resources. Many Members confirmed the importance of FAO’s role in standard-setting in the context of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). A number of Members noted FAO’s work in statistical data collection and analysis, and acknowledged FAO’s importance as a centre of knowledge and expertise on food and agriculture. Several Members underlined the importance of women in development and called for greater mainstreaming of gender issues in FAO’s work. Increased attention to HIV/AIDS was also requested. Several Members called for greater involvement of NGOs in the work of FAO.

44. Members underlined the importance of FAO reform. Many noted that the FAO reform and the Independent External Evaluation should be mutually supportive. Several Members expressed the view that FAO reforms should take place in the context of the wider UN reform process, taking into consideration the comparative advantages of the Organization, with the aim of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of its operations.

45. A Round Table on Water for Agriculture in Africa, Near East and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) was held on Tuesday 22 November 2005. The report of this Round Table is attached as Appendix D.

46. The Conference adopted the following Resolution:

RESOLUTION 3/2005

The International Year of Natural Fibres

THE CONFERENCE,

Recalling that, following consideration by the Joint Meeting of the Thirty-third Session of the Intergovernmental Group on Hard Fibres and the Thirty-fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Group on Jute, Kenaf and Allied Fibres, and by the Sixty-fifth Session of the Committee on Commodity Problems, the Hundred and Twenty-eighth Session of the FAO Council in June 2005 had endorsed the proposal for an International Year of Natural Fibres;

Noting that natural fibres play an important part in clothing the world’s population as well as having traditional and promising new industrial uses;

Recalling that much of the world’s natural fibre was produced as a source of cash income by small farmers in low-income and developing countries;

Desiring to focus world attention on the role that income derived from the sale and export of natural fibres plays in contributing to food security and poverty alleviation of the population;

Believing that while the production and consumption of natural fibres offer significant environmental benefits, concerted efforts should be made to ensure that these benefits are not compromised by unsound practices;

Recognizing that there were important potential partnerships among participants in the various natural fibre industries;

Affirming the need to heighten public awareness of the economic and environmental attributes of natural fibres:

  1. Requests the Director-General to transmit this Resolution to the Secretary-General of the United Nations with a view to having the United Nations declare the Year 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fibres;
  2. Further requests the Director-General to inform future sessions of Conference and the Secretary-General of the United Nations of progress in making arrangements, including in securing funding, for the International Year of Natural Fibres and, subsequently, of the results of the Year once concluded.

(Adopted on 25 November 2005)

47. The Conference also adopted the following Resolution:


RESOLUTION 4/2005

The International Year of the Potato

THE CONFERENCE,

Noting that the potato is a staple food in the diet of the world’s population; Desiring to focus world attention on the role that the potato can play in providing food security and alleviating poverty of the population;

Convinced that concerted efforts are needed to address the issues and challenges that derive from the reduction of productivity, the depletion of natural resources, the problems of the environment and the loss of biodiversity in the present systems of potato cultivation;

Recognizing that there are important links between institutions engaged in potato research and development;

Recalling also that, at its Thirty-first Session, it endorsed the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture;

Affirming the need to revive public awareness of the relationship that exists between poverty, food security, malnutrition and the potential contribution of the potato to defeating hunger;

Requests the Director-General to transmit this Resolution to the Secretary-General of the United Nations with the aim of having the United Nations declare the year 2008 the International Year of the Potato and also requests the Director-General to make progress reports to future sessions of the FAO Conference and to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on action taken on the International Year of the Potato, including financial resources obtained and, once the year has taken place, results achieved.

(Adopted on 25 November 2005)


SUBSTANTIVE AND POLICY MATTERS

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AGRARIAN REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT12

48. The Conference recalled that the Hundred and Twenty-eighth Session of the FAO Council had approved the proposal to organize an “International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD): New Challenges and Options for Revitalizing Rural Communities” to be hosted by Brazil in March 2006. The approved proposal stressed the importance of agrarian reform and rural development for hunger and poverty reduction and for the achievement of the WFS Plan of Action and the Millennium Development Goals.

49. The Conference unanimously supported the initiative to organize an International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development as an opportunity for dialogue and sharing lessons learned in concrete experiences of agrarian reform and rural development.

50. Members appreciated the progress and approach adopted by FAO, the ICARRD Steering Committee and Brazil in the preparation of the Conference, despite the limited time and resources available. They commended the efforts to date made by Brazil, the Steering Committee and the FAO Secretariat in preparing the presentation of the item, and the various inputs and documents for the Conference.

51. Some Members recommended that additional themes be considered for inclusion in the Conference’s Agenda or background papers, as they were closely linked to sustainable agricultural and rural development in some regions: the role of South-South cooperation in support of agrarian reform; the roles of access to water and access to markets in sustainable agricultural and rural development; and linkages with the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security.

52. Some Members highlighted the need to ensure adequate consideration of gender equality concerns throughout issue papers, themes and the Conference.

PROGRESS REPORT OF THE FAO PLAN OF ACTION ON GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT 2002-200713

53. The Conference recalled that at its Thirty-second Session in December 2003, it had requested the Organization to prepare a second Progress Report on the Gender and Development Plan of Action (2002-2007).

54. The Members welcomed the new Progress Report and were pleased that the document had been prepared in a participatory manner involving significant inputs from various technical divisions. They appreciated the description of the institutional measures put in place to support implementation of the Plan, the linkages between the Plan’s objectives and FAO’s major programmes, and the examples of actions undertaken during the present biennium.

55. Several Members stressed that gender equality was vital to the achievement of sustainable development, and that gender inequality was a major obstacle to the reduction of poverty and hunger. They expressed appreciation for the Organization’s efforts to understand the interlinkages between the MDGs and to contribute in achieving them.

56. The Members commended FAO for an active and productive gender and development programme. While agreeing that the Organization, under the leadership of its Gender and Population Division, had made significant achievements regarding gender mainstreaming and pointing out that FAO’s work had been recognised vis-à-vis that of other UN agencies, many Members identified a number of remaining problem areas. A particular concern was that while this report was more analytical than previous reports, further analysis was needed on the impact of the Plan of Action on the lives of rural men and women. The Organization was requested to further develop gender-sensitive indicators in line with what other agencies were doing, and to make more efforts to ensure that gender considerations were effectively integrated from the planning phase and throughout implementation, including evaluation. Many Members also noted the continuing need for the enhanced collection, use and dissemination of gender-disaggregated data to advance gender mainstreaming, as well as the need to continue to provide technical assistance to Member Nations in this domain.

57. The Conference agreed that it was crucial that such indicators continue to be formulated and utilized for purposes of monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the Plan of Action, and that tools continue to be refined to ensure that the technical divisions were accountable in the gender mainstreaming process.

58. Several Members stressed the need to ensure an adequate level of funding for the implementation of the Plan of Action and, in particular, in all aspects related to the achievement of MDG 3.

59. Some Members expressed concern about the location of the unit in charge of gender mainstreaming in the FAO reform proposal.

60. The Conference acknowledged the need to pursue efforts to address gender-based concerns in relation to the HIV/AIDS pandemic and food security. Members also indicated that FAO needed to continue working for the empowerment of women through mainstreaming gender equality concerns throughout all its activities from the planning stage forward.

61. Many Members noted that the Socio-economic and Gender Analysis (SEAGA) Training Programme was crucial to achieving the mainstreaming goals of the Plan, and encouraged FAO to support its regional and subregional staff in incorporating regionally-adapted SEAGA principles in the planning and implementation of their work.

62. Many Members noted that FAO needed to maintain and increase collaboration with other UN agencies, NGOs and CSOs, and they stressed the need for more collaboration between public and private agencies in implementing the Plan.

63. Several Members including the Near East Region noted with concern the still relatively low level of representation of women in FAO Professional and Senior Staff and urged the Organization to take positive measures to ensure equal opportunity in order to achieve more balanced representation.

64. Finally, the Conference endorsed the recommendation in paragraph 50, and encouraged the reviewing and updating of the Plan of Action, especially through the periodic MTP and PWB exercises, and to report to future Conferences on progress.

UNITED NATIONS/FAO WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME14

65. The Conference commended and reiterated its support to WFP for its performance in responding to both man-made and natural disasters. Many Members considered that more attention should be paid to development activities. Members also expressed support for WFP management.

66. Some Members recognized the importance of continuing WFP/FAO cooperation, especially with regard to food security, needs assessment, emergency responses in the provision of agricultural inputs, and nutrition. Cooperation with other UN agencies, civil society, governments and other partners in promoting comparative advantage and effectiveness was also stressed.

67. Some Members commended WFP’s focus on women as regarded mother and child nutrition and school feeding programmes. There was some concern, however, over diminishing development programmes that were crucial in addressing hunger as a result of the increase in emergency activities. It was important for development activities to remain intact for capacity-building efforts of developing countries. Some Members stressed that emphasis should be on the traditional core activity of food aid.

68. Most Members recognized the importance of WFP’s call for an expansion in its multilateral donor base, and called for the flexibility that more multilateral cash donations would provide.

69. Some Members expressed concern about the capacity of WFP staff to cope with an ever increasing number of emergency situations. While welcoming the concern expressed about staff well-being, the WFP noted that several mechanisms were in place to assist staff in coping with stress such as Rest and Relaxation (R&R), staff rotation, peer support volunteers, and that management was paying continued attention to this matter.

70. A concern was raised that the contributions of small non-traditional donors should not result in decreasing support by the traditional donors . A few Members also addressed the need for strategic food stocks to be available in disaster-prone areas.

71. Some Members praised WFP's business process review, and further encouraged innovative approaches.

72. The Conference regretted that the document on FAO-WFP relations discussed during the Hundred and Twenty-eighth Session of the FAO Council was unavailable.


1 C 2005/INF/9; C 2005/PV/1; C 2005/PV/12;

2 C 2005/INF/6; C 2005/PV/2; C 2005/PV/12;

3 C 2005/INF/7; C 2005/PV/2; C 2005/PV/12;

4 C 2005/INF/8; C 2005/PV/2; C 2005/PV/12.

5 C 2005/LIM/7; C 2005/PV/2; C 2005/PV/12.

6 C 2005/PV/9; C 2005/PV/12.

7 C 2005/LIM/9; C 2005/PV/1; C 2005/PV/12.

8 C 2005/LIM/4; C 2005/LIM/9; C 2005/PV/1; C 2005/PV/12.

9 C 2005/1; C 2005/12; C 2005/LIM/10; C 2005/INF/4; C 2005/PV/2;
C 2005/PV/12.

10 C 2003/13; C 2003/LIM/1; C 2003/PV/2; C 2003/PV/14; C 2005/PV/12.

11 C 2005/2; 2005/LIM/21; C 2005/PV/3; C 2005/PV/4; C 2005/PV/5; C 2005/PV/6;
C 2005/PV/7; C 2005/PV/12.

12 C 2005/6; C 2005/I/PV/1; C 2005/I/PV/4; C 2005/PV/12.

13 C 2005/7; C 2005/I/PV/3; C 2005/I/PV/4; C 2005/PV/12.

14 C 2005/I/PV/3; C 2005/I/PV/4; C 2005/PV/12.


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