GIORNATA dell’ASIA

Villa Madama, Rome, 24 November 2005

Mr Chairman,
Distinguished Representatives of Governments of the Asian and Pacific countries,
Distinguished Representatives of the Government of Italy,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honour and a privilege for me to participate in this important event - the "Giornata dell’Asia" ­ which offers an opportunity to highlight the close cooperation which exists with the countries of Asia and the Pacific. I wish to express my appreciation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy for the kind invitation.

To translate the World Food Summit commitment into action, FAO has initiated and strengthened concrete programmes and projects at country, regional and global levels.

National programmes

The Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS), adopted by the Organization’s Governing Bodies and launched in 1994, initially focuses on securing production and increasing agricultural productivity.

From the initial 15 countries, the programme is today operational in 105 countries, of which 19 are in Asia and 14 in the Pacific. Since 1995, some US$ 66.8 million (of which US$ 9.8 million from FAO, US$ 1.16 million through Unilateral Trust Fund arrangements, US$ 11.6 million through direct national funding, US$ 7.4 million being South-South Cooperation contribution, and US$ 36.9 million from donors) has been committed for the implementation of the SPFS in Asia. With regard to the Pacific, some US$ 7.2 million has been committed (US$ 4.5 million from FAO, US$ 900,000 through direct national funding, US$ 1.86 million being South-South Cooperation contribution, and US$ 5,000 from donors).

SPFS is currently being up-scaled to the national level in 12 countries in Asia. In two countries, it is already being up-scaled for an overall budget of US$ 740 million.

Regional programmes

FAO has assisted 21 regional economic organizations globally, of which three in Asia (ASEAN, PIF and SAARC), in the preparation of Regional Programmes for Food Security (RPFS), which complement and reinforce national policies and programmes by addressing the issues which are regional in character. Since 2003, FAO has been implementing a regional programme for food security in the Pacific Island Forum countries.

The Programme for the Pacific Islands, covering 14 countries, is currently financed by the Italian contribution of US$ 4.5 million, through the FAO Voluntary Trust Fund for Food Security and Food Safety, and by US$ 2.8 million from FAO's Technical Cooperation Programme. In May 2005, the Ministers of the Southwest Pacific approved the expansion of this programme for a budget of US$ 72 million within 5 years.

The involvement of regional economic organizations has facilitated the implementation of this programme, which also benefits from the assistance provided by China and the Philippines under the South-South Cooperation Programme. In addition, the Programme provides for consultants to be recruited under the Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries scheme. It also promotes complementarities with other on-going initiatives, such as the "Development of Sustainable Agriculture in the Pacific" supported by the European Union, and the "Regional Trade Facilitation Programme" supported by Australia and New Zealand.

The expansion phase of the programme will focus on increasing farm productivity and on improving farming practices, adding value to food products through investments in irrigation infrastructure, rural roads and better post-harvest technologies, including crop storage and processing. The Programme also envisages the mitigation of the economic constraints common to all Pacific Island Forum countries and aim at exploiting the opportunities offered by the international markets through capacity building and the provision of the necessary tools required by the World Trade Organization (WTO) mainly in terms of food quality and food safety standards.

Emergencies

FAO has been active in the emergency and rehabilitation work in Asia and Pacific. In the 2004-2005 biennium, the region benefited from 90 projects worth US$ 87 million.

FAO is undertaking rehabilitation work in the tsunami-affected countries in Asia. The strong support from donors has allowed FAO to provide assistance to the victims and restore the livelihoods of vulnerable fishing and farming families. So far, FAO has received a total of US$ 53.7 million under the UN Flash Appeal and it has also provided US$ 1.5 million from its own resources. Italy’s contribution (US$ 9.4 million) has assisted greatly in this regard.

FAO is also on the ground battling the Avian influenza virus that is decimating the poultry population, mostly in Asia but now extending to other regions. Italy is among the donors that have responded generously to the international appeal launched by FAO in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the International Organization of Animal Health. The objective is to tackle the problem at the source to limit the threat of a human influenza pandemic.

The recent earthquake in northern Pakistan created direct and indirect losses to crops, livestock and irrigation infrastructure, totalling more than US$ 440 million. FAO participated in the UN Flash Appeal with an agricultural component for a total amount of US$ 25 million, targeting 200,000 affected farming households. As an immediate response, FAO has allocated US$ 400,000 from its Technical Cooperation Programme to secure inputs for the damage and needs assessment as well as the agricultural inputs for the forthcoming agricultural season.

FAO/Italy Cooperation in assisting Asia and the Pacific

As observed already, the Government of Italy’s contribution to the Voluntary Trust Fund for Food Security and Food Safety has acted as an important catalyst for further development of the Regional Programme for Food Security for the Pacific Island Forum countries. However, the FAO-Government of Italy goes well beyond that. In fact, over the past 26 years, 70 countries have benefited, through the FAO/Government of Italy Cooperative Programme. Currently, this Cooperative Programme is, globally, supporting 37 projects, worth US$ 77 million, in 27 countries. In Asia alone, the Government of Italy is supporting projects worth over US$ 32 million. Initiatives have been, and are being, executed, inter alia, in the Kingdom of Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of the Philippines, the Kingdom of Nepal, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. Areas covered include food security, environment and sustainable development, and institutional support and policy assistance. I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Government of Italy for its generous support to FAO and its member countries.

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen

FAO values its collaboration with the Government of Italy and the Asian and Pacific countries, and stands ready to continue assisting the latter in their quest for agricultural development and food security, and to meet the Millennium Development Goals.

I thank you for your kind attention.

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