Innovative approaches

THE WORLD FOOD SUMMIT AND ITS FOLLOW-UP

The process of identifying the priorities and needs of Member Nations - a vital stage in FAO's reform process - was given a major boost by the World Food Summit, which reinforced the emphasis on world food security. Held in November 1996, the Summit was attended by representatives of 185 countries and the EC, including 112 Heads or Deputy Heads of State or Government. Participants pledged to fight the scourge of hunger and malnutrition with a new determination and agreed on a concerted Plan of Action. It was a historic event, which delivered a fundamental message: although hundreds of millions of people around the world still suffer from hunger and malnutrition, world food security is an achievable goal.

The Summit set the conceptual, political and technical blueprint for ongoing efforts to eradicate hunger in all countries, with the immediate goal of halving the number of undernourished people by no later than the year 2015. The challenge in the follow-up period was to ensure that the measures set out in the Plan of Action were translated into practical actions aimed at reaching or, preferably, surpassing the Summit's target. FAO has since undertaken a series of concrete follow-up measures:

Monitoring and follow-up by the Committee on World Food Security. Prior to the Summit, FAO's Committee on World Food Security (CFS) - which is open to all FAO and UN Members interested in participating in its work - was charged with guiding the preparation of texts for the World Food Summit. The Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action are products of the Committee's work. The Summit subsequently entrusted the CFS with the responsibility for monitoring and reporting on implementation of the Plan of Action. The CFS has since met four times to discuss, among other things, procedures for handling the follow-up process and to receive reports on implementation. It is also responsible for monitoring progress in the development of the Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information Mapping System (FIVIMS), which is called for in the Plan of Action.

Preparation of national agricultural development strategies - horizon 2010. In close collaboration with Member Nations, 150 strategies for agricultural development have been prepared for developing countries and countries in transition. The aim of these strategies is to provide a long-term perspective for government action in the agricultural sector as well as an objective framework for dialogue between the countries and development partners regarding priorities for technical and financial assistance up to 2010. Many countries have approved these strategies, which have then been submitted to the donor community as a basis for mobilizing resources for country-level implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action.

Preparation of regional strategies and programmes for agricultural development and food security. Recognizing that national strategies needed to be harmonized within a framework of regional agricultural development strategies, FAO, in cooperation with regional economic groupings, has integrated the national strategy papers of countries belonging to the major intergovernmental organizations. The resulting documents synthesize the main recommendations and identify common problems and issues related to agricultural production, access and trade up to 2010 as well as the lines of action required at the regional and subregional levels. As with the national strategy papers, these documents also assess the investment needs of the agricultural sector.

Launching of the Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping System. FIVIMS received full support from the FAO Conference in 1997 and is gradually being developed in collaboration with other UN agencies, national institutions and NGOs. The system is being established at the national and international levels, building on existing information systems and mechanisms. By supporting the development of national information systems and raising the awareness of policy-makers and civil society of food insecurity and vulnerability, the FIVIMS initiative is expected to result in improved policy formulation; improved programme management; better design and targeting of interventions; and more effective intersectoral and interinstitutional dialogue. It is hoped that this will result in the sustainable reduction of both transitory and structural undernourishment over time.

Publication of The State of Food Insecurity in the World. As a means of reporting on the state of global food insecurity, in 1999 the Organization published the first edition of a report that documents the number of undernourished people in both developing and developed countries. The first report noted that the number of undernourished people in the developing world declined by 40 million between 1990-92 and 1995-97. However, the report emphasized that, to achieve the World Food Summit goal of halving the number of undernourished people to 400 million by 2015, reductions would have to be accelerated significantly, from the present 8 million to 20 million fewer undernourished people each year.

Establishment of the ACC Network on Rural Development and Food Security. To ensure appropriate interagency coordination of World Food Summit follow-up at the field level, the ACC Network on Rural Development and Food Security was established in April 1997. Jointly managed by FAO and IFAD, in close collaboration with WFP, the Network involves a two-tiered informal mechanism: at the country level, Thematic Groups on Rural Development and Food Security operate within the UN Resident Coordinator system; and at the headquarters level, a network of interested organizations supports the country-level groups. The overall Network currently includes 20 UN organizations that support and participate in country-focused Thematic Groups. Comprising concerned partner organizations (including UN agencies, national institutions, bilateral donors and civil society organizations), the Thematic Groups set their agenda and implement activities in respect of national needs and priorities.

THE GENDER ISSUE

At its 28th Session in October 1995, the FAO Conference adopted the revised FAO Plan of Action for Women in Development (1996-2001). The plan requires that FAO intensify its efforts to assist Member Nations in improving the role and status of rural women. It also stipulates that the integration of women in agricultural and rural development should be a continuing consideration in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of programmes and projects.

In further recognition of women's crucial role in agriculture, FAO convened the High-Level Consultation on Rural Women and Information in October 1999. The Consultation was organized to raise awareness of the need to collect and disseminate information on the central role of women in agricultural and rural development, and consequently to improve policy- and decision-making processes to achieve sustainable livelihoods and food security in rural areas, without gender-based discrimination. By bringing together the relevant policy- and decision-makers, planners and researchers and development agents, the Consultation aimed to encourage the formulation and implementation of gender-responsive development policies. At the same time, the occasion permitted an exchange of views on a strategy for action for the production and improvement of information on rural women's contribution to the economy, and on the methods and means for this information to be widely disseminated, particularly among policy-makers.

The strategy for action was considered during the meeting and was recognized as a useful and important tool with which Member Nations could improve the gender-sensitivity of their programmes. It was nevertheless recognized that there is a need to formulate short-, medium- and long-term strategies so that the information gathered reaches decision-makers and planners while, at the same time, sensitizing public opinion. The findings of the Consultation will be examined in 2000 during the mid-term review of the implementation of the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in September 1995. They will also serve, in 2001, to formulate the revised FAO Plan of Action for Women in Development.

SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES

In line with the UN's efforts to address the particular needs of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the FAO Conference in 1997 stressed the need to recognize the constraints faced by these countries and invited the Organization to consider the possibility of organizing an International Conference on Agriculture in SIDS as part of follow-up to the World Food Summit. In 1998, the 115th Session of the FAO Council reiterated the call for special attention to SIDS and appealed to donors for generous support to the planned conference. As stated in Commitment Three of the World Food Summit Plan of Action, "Small Island Developing States face the threat of land loss and erosion due to climate changes and sea level rises and have particular needs for their overall sustainable development. Improvements in trade, transportation, communication, human resources, stabilization of income and higher export earnings will increase food security in these countries."

The Special Ministerial Conference on Agriculture in Small Island Developing States was thus convened, at FAO headquarters in March 1999, with the objective of developing a mission-specific plan of action consisting of programmes and projects and including the necessary funding mechanisms. The outcome was a Ministerial Declaration and the Plan of Action on Agriculture in SIDS, which provides a basis for activities in support of sustainable agricultural development in these states as part of follow-up to the World Food Summit. Actions and policies are particularly designed to:

• prepare SIDS for participation in multilateral trade negotiations on agriculture, with a focus on the impact of such negotiations on agricultural trade, and on the future role that regional trade arrangements involving SIDS will have in mutual trading systems;
• develop priority programmes for sustainable, intensified and diversified agricultural production, including forestry and fisheries;
• address problems related to natural resource management and protection of the environment.

TELEFOOD AND SPECIAL FUND PROJECTS

In accordance with the World Food Summit Plan of Action's call to mobilize civil society, in 1997 FAO launched TeleFood, a major international event involving a variety of media and fund-raising events at the global, regional and national levels, including a concert televised around the world. TeleFood takes place in connection with World Food Day, which is observed each year on 16 October, the day FAO was founded in 1945.

The main aims of TeleFood are to raise public awareness of world hunger and food security issues and to mobilize resources for a large number of small projects that help poor farmers, herders, foresters and fishers - particularly women - improve their production and marketing of food as well as access to it.

In the first three years of the campaign, it is estimated that approximately 500 million people around the world viewed TeleFood and related programmes and approximately US$6 million were collected. FAO Conference Resolution 3/97 approved the Director-General's decision to allocate the proceeds of TeleFood, in their entirety, to financing practical, grassroots projects. All donations collected are therefore used exclusively to finance TeleFood Special Fund projects, with no money diverted for administrative costs, external expertise, training or meetings. These microprojects require up to US$10 000 each for the procurement of tools, inputs and other essential supplies. Many of the projects also generate income, providing beneficiaries with much-needed cash to pay for health care, housing, education and other essentials.

By the end of 1999, more than 500 TeleFood microprojects had been approved in more than 100 countries. Activities include small-scale water harvesting, irrigation and drainage schemes; protection from droughts and floods; intensifying plant, small animal and fish production with environmentally safe technologies; introducing a diversity of farming approaches that allow increased productivity; and sustainable agricultural and rural development projects.

COOPERATION WITH CIVIL SOCIETY

Developments experienced over the past 50 years, together with the evolving role of government and non-governmental institutions in modern society, have revealed the need for intergovernmental organizations to enlist the cooperation and support of the broad range of non-governmental actors that make up civil society. In recognition of this situation, the World Food Summit Plan of Action called on governments to launch national Food for All campaigns, marshalling all sectors of civil society and their resources to help implement the necessary measures for achieving world food security.

Closer relations with NGOs and other civil society organizations

While FAO has a long tradition of cooperation with NGOs and other civil society organizations (CSOs), its partnerships needed to be reaffirmed and updated. The establishment of the Unit for Cooperation with Private Sector and NGOs within the TC Department in 1994 was a first step in this direction. Subsequently, FAO's cooperation with NGOs and other CSOs was thoroughly reviewed in consultation with external partners and with FAO's headquarters units and decentralized offices. Since the review and resulting FAO Policy and Strategy for Cooperation with Non-Governmental and Civil Society Organizations, the exchange of information has increased, further facilitated by the development of electronic communications, which has stimulated input from NGOs and CSOs to discussions on topics ranging from the sustainability of agriculture to recent experiences in land reform. FAO is increasing its contribution to capacity building of CSOs to help them take on new roles in the provision of services and to participate in policy formulation. Successful results have been obtained in initial joint efforts in resource mobilization, including the involvement of Rotary International in the funding of TeleFood projects in various countries.

Encouraging private sector participation in FAO programmes

Studies conducted by FAO for the World Food Summit clearly indicated that the private sector could make a substantive contribution - in terms of technologies, systems and skills - to the attainment of food security goals. As a result, the Organization endorsed a policy of expanded cooperation with the private sector, the aim being to foster partnerships with private institutions to stimulate and support collaborative activities that will enhance FAO's effectiveness. These collaborative agreements adhere to a set of principles, which are based on legal, ethical and operational criteria and which ensure, inter alia, that cooperation conforms to FAO's mandate; is fully transparent; promotes economic, environmental and social sustainability; and provides for the full accountability of all partners concerned. Specific protocols embodying these principles are included in partnership initiatives when these involve individual enterprises that do not have official relations with the Organization.

Involving the private sector in the World Food Summit process was, in itself, a challenge, requiring the rapid updating and coordination of the Organization's widespread relations with trade and business associations. However, FAO managed to bring these organizations together at its headquarters for the first time in 30 years, and they made valuable contributions to the Summit's documentation and debate. The International Agri-Food Network (IAFN), which grew out of the Summit process and comprises the major agribusiness associations, will continue to cooperate with FAO as a global private industry network. Since 1996, FAO's policy regarding the private sector has evolved with a view to attracting increased private sector participation in all programmes involving partnership activities.

Creating an enabling environment: interparliamentary action

While the commitments of the World Food Summit were made by governments on behalf of states, they can only be honoured if parliaments and their members are fully involved in the implementation process. Combating food insecurity requires resolute and everyday action by parliaments, whose role is to provide the necessary legislative framework. Parliaments are also required to adopt the national budget and to allocate resources to agriculture and other sectors that are essential to the achievement of food security, while also monitoring their efficient use.

During the World Food Summit, the Italian Parliament invited parliamentarians from around the world to meet in Rome for a Parliamentarians' Day, organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). In their Declaration, the parliamentarians committed themselves to promoting the implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action within their respective parliaments and requested IPU to set up, in cooperation with FAO, a mechanism to monitor the parliamentary-level implementation of the Summit's commitments. To identify priority actions to be taken by parliaments and by the IPU, the IPU Conference and Council subsequently convened a specialized interparliamentary conference in Rome from 29 November to 2 December 1998.

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION POLICY AND STRATEGY, INCLUDING WAICENT

An important element in the reform of FAO was the development of a more coherent approach to communication, through the formulation and implementation of the Corporate Communication Policy and Strategy and the replacement of the former Publications Committee with the Corporate Communication Committee (see the section Coordination, p. 20). The policy aims at ensuring the consistency of the Organization's messages and the quality of its information products. In particular, it addresses the changes introduced as a result of the new communication technologies which, among other things, provide an opportunity for decentralizing the production and dissemination of information. It also enourages technical departments to draw on the specific skills of FAO's Information Division in the planning and production of information products that will deliver key messages effectively to the intended audiences.

The Organization is now well into the implemention of the policy and strategy. The technical departments have participated in a planning process that covers the full range of information activities and products - print publications and brochures, CD-ROMs, Web sites, multimedia presentations and exhibits, radio programmes, videos and media liaison and other outreach activities. A parallel process has taken place in Regional and Subregional Offices, which are responsible for all communication activities within their geographical areas. In addition to communicating regularly with governments, technical counterparts, media and NGOs, these offices also distribute corporate information materials and produce their own materials or repackage information to cater for local needs and audiences. Plans for communication activities undertaken by FAOR offices are prepared in consultation with the Regional Information Officers and constitute an important input to the regional and corporate communication plans.

With regard to the media itself, there have been frequent and improved relations with the Organization. By the end of 1999, the Director-General had granted 230 interviews and press conferences at headquarters and another 170 in the field. In September 1999, the Presidents of Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire inaugurated the "UEMOA Club de la Presse", a press room which benefited from the generous donations of members of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).