High level FAO-CGIAR Meeting

FAO Headquarters, Rome, 3 April 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you to FAO headquarters. I would like to express my deep appreciation to all of you for having taken time from your busy agendas to come to Rome to discuss our current collaboration and the way it may evolve in the future.

We are all aware that collaboration between the CGIAR and FAO has a long history that goes back to the 1960s. It is a collaboration that continues to be extremely active today. According to a 2006 Science Council survey on collaboration with CGIAR Centres, FAO is the only organization, among the over three thousand surveyed, that collaborates with all of the Centers. Also, according to a 2005 survey on FAO's partnerships and alliances, academic and research institutions are found to be FAO's main partners, and of these research institutions, the CGIAR and its 15 Centers are by far its most frequent partners. Over the years, collaboration between CGIAR and FAO has been positive and, together, we can be proud of the achievements accomplished.

It is particularly in the area of genetic resources where collaborative achievements are most noteworthy and where, perhaps, perspectives and opportunities for further collaboration may be greatest. Joint efforts for the enhanced conservation and improved utilization of plant genetic resources and for equitable access to such resources may be mentioned in this context. The task is far from complete. On the contrary, we note that intensification of agriculture, globalization and climate change are driving forces in the continued rapid erosion of our agricultural genetic resource base – a challenge we should collectively and decisively address.

The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) provides an international forum where governments discuss and negotiate important matters relevant to genetic resources for food and agriculture, their conservation and sustainable utilization, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits deriving from them. As you know, the CGRFA plans to widen its current focus on plant and animal genetic resources to also include forestry and fishery genetic resources where further opportunities for collaborative actions are available. The CGIAR Centers have provided, and will continue to provide, valuable technical and scientific support to the Commission’s work.

Collaboration in other areas of common interest for the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly reducing by half hunger and extreme poverty by 2015 (MDG‑1) and ensuring environmental sustainability (MDG‑7), has been extensive, but has not yet achieved the depth and significance of our joint work on genetic resources.

The role of science and technology in meeting the MDGs is paramount. In 2004, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) noted that most developing countries are unlikely to meet the MDGs without a clear political commitment to making science and technology top priorities in their development agenda. ECOSOC recommended that governments increase research and development expenditures in science and technology to at least one percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Investment in agricultural science and technology development should go hand in hand with investments in agriculture and rural development. Investment in agricultural research and technology have proved to provide high rates of return, generally exceeding 30 percent per year, and the impact on poverty reduction has been impressive.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Africa is the region with the highest proportion of the population that is undernourished. With the current rate of progress, Africa would fall behind other developing regions in achieving MDG‑1. FAO has been closely associated with the formulation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) which is based on four mutually reinforcing pillars. The first three (land water management; rural infrastructure and trade–related capacities for market access; and increasing food supply and reducing hunger) can make an early impact on Africa’s agricultural growth and competitiveness, while the fourth pillar (agricultural research, technology dissemination and adoption) has a longer term horizon. In July 2003, the African Heads of State and Government adopted the Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security, embracing the CAADP under NEPAD, and committing the countries to allocating 10 percent of their budgets to agriculture.

In the urgent effort to eradicate hunger in Africa, while maintaining the natural resource base, advances in research and technology supported by favourable policies and institutional arrangements are vital. Strong programmes of national and international public sector research with sustained, long-term funding are also needed.

In the current situation, where global agriculture faces increasing challenges on various fronts such as climate change and land and water degradation, rapid globalization and industrialization, we need to take stock of our partnerships and define the way forward.

FAO is aware that maintaining and building partnerships require investment in human capital and financial resources. The Organization will have to increasingly prioritize future partnerships for the allocation of human resources available. O ur future cooperation should be built on our respective comparative advantages: the CGIAR as the generator and provider of technical and scientific knowledge for agricultural development, and FAO as a knowledge organization, with its multidisciplinary capacity, providing information, policy advice, and technical assistance, as well as a neutral forum for governments to discuss and negotiate matters of common interest.

The CGIAR and FAO need to collaborate in new and more effective ways to synergistically achieve the common goals of poverty alleviation, sustainable agricultural and rural development, and food security for all.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Equally important, the CGIAR and FAO should endeavour to enhance their collaboration in the field, by building related capacities, transferring successful technologies, upscaling pilot projects at national and regional levels, and mobilizing the necessary resources for the execution of programmes and projects. In line with this, field cooperation between the CGIAR and FAO could be promoted through the following programmes:

Special Programme for Food Security and National Programmes for Food Security (SPFS/NPFS): through projects in 105 countries worldwide, the SPFS and NPFS promote effective, tangible solutions to the elimination of hunger, undernourishment and poverty. Currently, FAO is concentrating on providing support to countries and regional organizations to formulate and implement comprehensive National and Regional Programmes for Food Security.

CAADP: following the adoption of CAADP, and at the request of African governments, FAO has provided assistance for the preparation of National Medium Term Investment Programmes (NMTIPs) and Bankable Investment Project Profiles (BIPPs). More than 200 BIPPs have been formulated in 48 countries, with a total investment portfolio of some US$ 10 billion, the share of water control and infrastructure projects being 70 percent.

The NMITPs and BIPPs, together with National and Regional Programmes for Food Security, which provide a swift move towards implementing the CAADP, represent important areas of effective collaboration between the CGIAR and FAO that should be seriously explored.

Finally, I hope that we will seize the opportunity of being together to concretely initiate an effective process for the renewal of a sustainable CGIAR-FAO partnership to face the core challenges of global agriculture and help to achieve the MDGs.

Thank you for your kind attention and participation in this meeting.

Back to 2007 statements