World Summit on Sustainable Development

Speech at Roundtable on "Making it Happen"

Johannesburg, South Africa, 2 September 2002

Mr. Chairman
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Mr. Chairman, I wish to thank you for the opportunity to briefly address this Roundtable on the important theme of "Making It Happen."

Earlier in the proceedings of this Summit, I drew attention to the need to mobilise the political will and the human, technical and financial resources to achieve the twin objectives of fighting and defeating hunger and poverty - a victory that would in large measure be tantamount to ensuring the sustainability of our planet for future generations.

The question which I now wish to address is: What is FAO prepared to do in order to contribute to the achievement of these ambitious objectives? More specifically, what concrete, timebound commitments is FAO prepared to make, consonant with the wishes of its Member Countries, to help realise the aspirations of both the World Food Summit and the World Summit for Sustainable Development?

The answer lies in accelerated implementation of the four priorities for action that comprise the Anti-Hunger Programme endorsed by the World Food Summit: five years later and reflected in the Secretary General's priorities for the Agriculture component of WEHAB.

While I cannot convey all that we plan or hope to do, let me briefly recap these priorities here, touching on some of the targets:

Priority One:

Top priority should be given to increasing food security and agricultural productivity while sustaining or enhancing the natural resource base. The target, as established by the World Food Summit and reaffirmed by the United Nations Millennium Declaration, is to halve by 2015 the number of people - some 60 million households in developing countries - who suffer from hunger.

Deliverable:

In support of this priority, FAO will undertake to improve international and national policies and programmes for integrated planning and management of land and water resources. A key deliverable here is a cooperative programme on integrated land-use planning and water management that takes stock of existing knowledge and experience and develops international or ecoregional principles of sustainable land and water use based on integrated approaches. The programme would involve cooperation among several UN agencies, governments, research institutions and NGOs. Its practical effect would be to expand, and improve access to international databases and information systems on land and water use, change, and degradation for purposes of monitoring performance in attaining Agenda 21 goals and identifying further areas requiring priority attention.

Priority Two:

The second major priority is knowledge generation and transfer through research, extension, education and communication. The target here is to increase the generation, adaptation and adoption of new and improved varieties of plants and animals through partnerships between international, regional and national agricultural research systems and extension services.

Deliverable:

A critical condition for making progress towards this goal is to ensure the open exchange of genetic materials. Toward that end the FAO Conference last November adopted an International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The Treaty's objectives are 'the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from their use, in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity, for sustainable agriculture and food security'.

Adoption of the Treaty is the first step in a complex, ongoing process, and a sign of trust and goodwill among governments. It now needs to be completed by ratification by 40 or more countries. FAO, through its Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, has been privileged to facilitate adoption of the Treaty by Member Countries.

The WSSD Plan of Implementation invites countries that have not done so to ratify this Treaty. FAO considers the Treaty a key deliverable to ensure appropriate management of the world's agricultural biodiversity and urges countries to take this action now.

Priority Three:

The third priority is to build innovative public-private partnerships to stimulate joint implementation of sustainable agriculture and natural resource conservation. The target here is to ensure improvements in yields through adoption of sustainable resource management practices.

Deliverable:

FAO, together with a broad range of partners, has launched at this Summit two initiatives in support of this priority: the "Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (SARD) Initiative" and the "International Partnership for Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions." Both have been facilitated by FAO through dialogue with a broad array of stakeholders in the lead-up to this Summit. Both are umbrella alliances under which all partners are free to enter into specific action-oriented partnerships.

The SARD Initiative is a civil society led, government supported, and FAO facilitated undertaking that seeks to support the transition to people-centred sustainable agriculture and rural development. The aim is to conserve, restore and improve environmental, economic and social well-being while meeting the world's food needs. By supporting pilot efforts and building the capacity of rural communities, disadvantaged groups and other stakeholders, the Initiative seeks to improve access to resources (land, water, genetic, technological), promote good practices for SARD, and foster fairer conditions of employment in agriculture.

The second Initiative is a public-private alliance involving partners from the grass roots to the intergovernmental levels. It aims to promote and strengthen cooperation between mountain stakeholders in order to improve implementation of sustainable development in mountain regions. Partnerships may focus on thematic areas of action such as biodiversity conservation, food security, on geographic regions, or on institutional concerns such as policy and law. The goals are to develop and implement strategic plans for the sustainable development of mountain areas and to enact mountain-friendly policies and laws. FAO will contribute through its ongoing work in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and rural development and, most importantly, in alleviating hunger and chronic malnutrition in mountain areas, thus contributing to poverty alleviation.

Given the interest many governments, intergovernmental organisations, and civil society organisations have expressed in these Initiatives, I wish to urge others to commit themselves - whether by contributing expertise, successful cases, technology or funding - in order that the processes that have been set in motion result in concrete and measurable improvements in the implementation of Chapters 13 and 14 of Agenda 21 and in the achievement of the Millennium Declaration goals over the next 5 years.

Priority Four:

The fourth and final priority is to develop enabling policies and associated institutional reforms and regulatory frameworks, including improved infrastructure and access to markets, capital and financial resources. One target here is to reverse the declining share of agricultural exports from developing countries in total trade flow, in particular by increasing their supply.

Deliverable:

To realise this priority, FAO has, among other things, launched a special programme to accelerate food production in low income food deficit countries. It is also assisting governments and stakeholders of the civil society in developing countries and economies-in-transition to acquire knowledge and to participate actively in the multilateral trade negotiations, with special focus on the critical linkages among agriculture (including forestry and fisheries), economic development and poverty reduction and food security. The Programme provides support for the multilateral trade negotiations and on other WTO issues and Agreements. Capacity-building activities are coordinated with other agencies including WTO, WHO, World Bank, UNCTAD, UNIDO, and OIE.

Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is not possible, in the brief compass of these remarks, to share with you the full range of actions FAO is taking and will take in the future to accelerate the further implementation of Agenda 21. I do, however, hope that I have been able to communicate our sense of purpose, certain of our priorities and targets, and, perhaps most importantly, the depth of our commitment to improving the lives of those who continue to be afflicted by poverty and hunger. Nothing can happen unless and until we address their needs with the sense of urgency I have attempted to convey. Let us translate our words into actions now.

Thank you.

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