Medium-term vision: 2000-2005

FOCUS ON PRIORITIES AND COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES

Without excluding any of the priority areas identified in the Strategic Framework, FAO's activities in the medium term will focus on five main areas that represent the Organization's priorities and comparative advantages:

1. Special Programme for Food Security. FAO will work to extend both the geographical scope and the programmatic depth of the SPFS. Phase I activities will be extended to include all LIFDCs and to cover additional agro-ecological zones and programme components in countries where the SPFS is already operational. In countries where significant results have already been achieved, steps will be taken to launch Phase II. In addition, the Special Programme itself will be adjusted to address new challenges to national food security. As migration from rural areas to towns and cities accelerates, for example, agricultural activities in and around urban centres will play a crucial role in providing food and income opportunities for the rural poor. The SPFS will provide a framework for increased interdisciplinary support from FAO to urban and peri-urban agriculture.



2. Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases. The scope and impact of both the plant and animal activities carried out under EMPRES will be increased. With well-established control operations in the central locust-breeding area around the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, the Desert Locust component will expand on the pilot activities initiated in the Western Region (spanning the Sahelian and Mediterranean countries of North Africa) and in the Southwest Asian zone. Additional resources will also be dedicated to research on more environmentally benign methods of locust control, including the use of biological techniques. The Animal Disease component of EMPRES has set itself the goal of eradicating rinderpest completely by the year 2005.



3. Ensuring food quality and safety. In the future, FAO will undoubtedly be called on to play a greater role in responding to "crises" related to the quality and safety of food products and the impact of biotechnology and other new agricultural techniques. Various FAO units and bodies will serve as sources of scientifically based information and fora for evaluation, discussion and negotiation. Within their mandates, the appropriate bodies, such as the CGRFA and the FAO-WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission will prepare guidelines and codes of conduct and determine international standards and regulatory frameworks.



4. Promoting fair trade. As the liberalization of markets continues, FAO will redouble its efforts to help Member Nations and their farmers take advantage of the opportunities offered by globalization while avoiding the pitfalls. The Organization will apply its unparalleled experience in agricultural production and trade to improve the capacity of developing countries and countries in transition to participate effectively in the Millennium Round of multilateral trade negotiations. In addition, FAO's AG and SD Departments will implement programmes designed to help small farmers respond to the challenge of globalization by increasing productivity and incomes, improving farm-level economic analysis, planning and decision-making, and helping cooperatives compete and survive in global markets.



5. Supporting the conservation, improvement and sustainable use of natural resources for food and agriculture. FAO will continue to consider the conservation of natural resources as a top priority, with a particular emphasis on areas where its experience equips it to provide leadership and coordination for international efforts. The Organization will expand and strengthen its efforts in such areas as water quality and availability, plant and animal genetic resources, soil conservation and improvement, and integrated resource management systems.

APPLYING ADVANCED TOOLS FOR INCREASED IMPACT AND EFFICIENCY

During the next six years, through WAICENT, FAO will expand the use of Internet technologies to provide access to more information as well as to improved analytical tools. New tools for mapping and graphing data dynamically will allow WAICENT to present statistical and geographical information in numbers, words and images. New systems will promote the innovative use of information technologies to improve agricultural research, extension and education systems. In addition, both FI and FO Departments will launch new global information systems - FIGIS and the Forestry Information System - linking information and databases not only from FAO but from numerous other agencies and research institutes.

The effort to streamline administrative procedures will also continue, bringing with it the potential for increased efficiency and further reform. Plans for the medium-term future include the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning functionality and a corporate Data Warehouse and Management Information System, designed to expedite management decision-making and reduce administrative costs. These are envisaged as component parts of an integrated support system that will include: financial accounting and management; human resources management; programme planning; and budget preparation, work planning and implementation monitoring.

BROADENING PARTNERSHIPS AND ALLIANCES

An increased commitment to collaborative activities is emphasized both in The Strategic Framework for FAO: 2000-2015 and in the Organization's Medium-Term Plans. While continuing to strengthen its partnerships at the national and international levels, FAO will open and expand new relationships with subnational governments, with regional and national financing institutions, and with the private sector, NGOs and other CSOs. For example, FAO will reach beyond national governments to encourage policy dialogue and improve access to FAO technical meetings for municipal, provincial and regional governments. Similarly, while reinforcing relationships with international and regional financing institutions, FAO will establish and strengthen ties with such institutions at the subregional and national levels. In addition, FAO's recently established principles and guidelines for cooperation with the private sector will be put into practice, opening important new channels of communication and cooperation without compromising FAO's independence or neutrality.

Special attention will also be given to strengthening the links and potential for synergy among the UN family of organizations, particularly among the Rome-based organizations. The Organization will also lend its support to the UNDAF process, including the CCA, and to the World Bank's CDF initiative. FAO will contribute to the debt-reduction initiative and the development of a new vision of the relationships between sound monetary policy, economic growth, poverty reduction and social equity, initiated by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It will help ensure that agriculture is given priority as an essential sector and that food security is the primary goal in poverty alleviation measures initiated as part of debt-reduction agreements.

PERFECTING THE MANAGEMENT PROCESS

The Organization will continue sharpening its efforts to improve the management process, as set out in the section Modern management.

Over the medium term, two key elements will be addressed:

• Planning and coordination, including new tools for defining time-bound objectives with clearly defined outputs and performance indicators; the introduction of a more comprehensive evaluation regime; and increased delegation of budget management responsibility to programme managers.
• Motivation, including the implementation of a human resources development action plan that fosters gender equality, promotes initiative and teamwork and defines accountability for human resource management.

By honing its strengths and improving its work practices - including the use of technology - to facilitate collaboration with partners who share common objectives, FAO will continue to enhance its effectiveness as an agent for development. Moreover, by focusing on clear priorities and comparative advantages, as well as on its potential for interdisciplinary collaboration, the Organization will combine continuity of purpose with flexibility of approach in order to accomplish its mission in the networked world of the new millennium.