MINISTERIAL EVENT ON FOOD SECURITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES

Rome, 18 November 2005

Honourable Ministers,
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to welcome the Ministers and Delegations to this Ministerial Event on Food Security and Sustainable Development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

This Event, organized at the request of the 32nd Session of the FAO Conference in November 2003, is an opportunity to take an in-depth look at issues relating specifically to agriculture, aquaculture and forestry in order to implement the Strategy that was agreed in Mauritius in January 2005.

The Mauritius Declaration and Strategy recognizes, inter alia, the need to prioritize agriculture, forestry and fisheries for the socio-economic development of the SIDS, given the importance of agriculture for these countries. In fact, agriculture accounts for 15 percent of the GDP of SIDS, with the poorer countries recording higher shares. More than 44 percent of the population lives in the rural areas; and almost one-third of the active population is employed in the primary sector. And yet almost 20 percent of the population of the SIDS is under-nourished and 37 percent under poverty.

FAO has a long tradition of partnership with SIDS, which are recognized as a "special group" in FAO’s Strategic Framework for the period 2000-2015. In 1999, the Council of FAO adopted an Action Plan for Agriculture in these countries. That Plan is still valid. Much, however, remains to be done for its implementation by the countries concerned and by the international community.

FAO recognizes the socio-economic, cultural and environmental vulnerability of SIDS; and the key role that agriculture and rural development policies can play to achieve a sustainable and equitable development of these economies and to contribute to poverty and hunger reduction. The particular vulnerability of SIDS in the context of globalization and market liberalization has made their integration into the global economy more difficult. In this regard, the Doha Round of negotiations continues to be a source of concern for the SIDS, as indeed for all the developing countries.

FAO's activities in SIDs therefore focus on food security, on the development of trade in agricultural, forest and aquaculture products, and on agricultural policy.

The meeting today provides an opportunity to review FAO's existing and planned activities in these countries - in particular, the regional programmes for food security in the Caribbean and the Pacific, as well as other national programmes. Your recommendations will be submitted to the Special Meeting of Heads of State and Government of Small Island Developing States which will be held on 23 November. The distinguished gathering of these leaders in Rome illustrates their political will to implement actions for achieving sustainable food security.

The initiative of President Bharrat Jagdeo on "Strengthening Regional Agriculture for Sustainable Growth and Development" is testimony to the determination of the governments of the CARICOM countries. This initiative aims at placing agriculture at the centre of government priorities so as to contribute towards the achievement of economic, social and environmental development to ensure food security by 2015.

I am pleased to announce that FAO plans to organize a donor meeting in January 2006 to secure the resources needed for the rapid implementation of priority actions.

Honourable Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Since 2003, FAO has been implementing regional programmes for food security in the CARICOM and in the Pacific Island Countries, with the objective of improving the agricultural productivity of small farmers and the access of participating countries to regional and international markets. The programmes receive the support of South-South cooperation in the form of technical assistance from experts and technicians from countries such as China and the Philippines for the Pacific, and Cuba and China for the Caribbean. In addition, issues relating to trade and macroeconomic policy are covered by technical cooperation among developing 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 programme for the Caribbean, covering 15 countries, is similarly financed by a contribution from the Government of Italy (US$5.8 million) through the FAO Trust Fund and FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme (US$4.8 million). Its expansion, which was approved by the Ministers of CARICOM in July 2005, proposes a budget of US$120 million, also within the next 5 years.

These programmes envisage the mitigation of the economic constraints common to all 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 WTO mainly in terms of food quality and food safety standards.

The clear commitment of the countries concerned, through the allocation of all national budgetary resources, will represent an important element in encouraging the support of donors to both bilateral and multilateral aid.

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 expansion of the CARICOM Programme was launched in September 2005, thanks to an additional contribution of US$ 481 000 by the Italian Government for the preparation of National Medium Term Investment Programmes and of Bankable Investment Project Profiles. This exercise is currently on-going in 15 countries with the support of national consultants and the cooperation of the national focal points responsible for the coordination with the national institutions concerned. FAO assists the countries in this process and ensures liaison with the international financing institutions. A status report on progress work for each of the 15 countries is at your disposal today.

Other than the regional programmes for food security, FAO has been implementing a number of projects in SIDS. At present, there are a total of 282 on-going projects through which FAO provides technical assistance to agriculture, aquaculture and forestry at country level, with a total value of more than US$43 million, not including naturally the regional projects for Asia and Latin America which also include SIDS.

In addition, national food security programmes are being implemented in Cape Verde, Haiti, Guinea-Bissau, the Maldives and Papua New Guinea, and are being formulated for the Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe and East Timor.

The interdisciplinary nature of food security requires a strategic coherence which involves the ministries of agriculture, finance, trade, economy, environment, public works, transport and social welfare. Their effective coordination at the highest national level is indispensable for the success of actions in this domain. In July 2005, the Ministers for Agriculture of the Southwest Pacific underlined this multisectoral nature of food security and the importance of the participation of all ministries concerned with the initiatives undertaken to achieve food security.

Honourable Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

FAO stands ready to continue assisting the governments of the SIDS in their quest for agricultural development and food security, and to meet the Millennium Development Goals.

I thank you for your kind attention and wish you successful deliberations.

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