5 June 2008, Rome - Delegates to the Rome Food Security Summit announced their increased commitment to the fight against hunger and for agricultural development.

Even though the summit was not a pledging conference, a number of donors announced firm financial contributions. The money will benefit countries hard hit by the current world food crisis, allowing them to grow enough food for themselves in the coming planting seasons, and helping them to achieve continuing food security through investment in agriculture and research.

Financing announced during the Summit, attended by 181 nations and more than 40 Heads of State and Government, included (US$)*:

African Development Bank: US$1 billion
France: US$1.5 billion (over five years)
Japan: US$150 million
IFAD: US$200 million
Islamic Development Bank: US$ 1.5 billion (over 5 years)
Kuwait: US$100 million
Netherlands: US$75 million
New Zealand: US$7.5 million
Spain: US$773 million (over 4 years)
UN Central Emergency Response Fund US$100 million
United Kingdom: US$590 million
USA: US$5 billion (2008/2009)
Venezuela: US$100 million
World Bank: US$1.2 billion

This new financing announced during the summit, in addition to the US$6.06 billion mobilized earlier in the year, amounts to a global commitment to food security and agriculture of US$18.36 billion.

On the Summit’s opening day, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero announced that Spain is willing to host a follow-up Conference to the Rome Summit this autumn.

* According to provisional information currently available to FAO. A number of countries have indicated they had increased or intended to raise the level of their financing without giving details.

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Contact:
Christopher Matthews
Media Relations, FAO
christopher.matthews@fao.org
Tel: (+39) 06.570.53762
Mobile: (+39) 349 5893 612