The World Food Summit, held in November 1996, was the first global gathering at the highest political level to focus solely on food security. In adopting the Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action, it renewed the commitment of the international community to ensuring food for all. The Declaration enunciates both the ultimate goal and the immediate target: "We pledge our political will and our common and national commitment to achieving food security for all and to an ongoing effort to eradicate hunger in all countries, with an immediate view to reducing the number of undernourished people to half their present level by 2015."

FAO has a major role to play in assisting countries in implementing the provisions of the World Food Summit Plan of Action that fall within its mandate, as well as in monitoring, through its Committee on World Food Security (CFS), overall progress in achieving the Summit's goals.

Against this background and in accordance with FAO's Financial Regulation 6.7, the Director-General established the FAO Trust Fund for Food Security and for Emergency Prevention of Transboundary Pests and Diseases of Animals and Plants with an initial target of US$500 million.

Areas of intervention covered by the FAO Trust Fund

• Food security
• Emergency prevention of transboundary animal and plant pests and diseases
• Assistance in project and programme studies to increase investment

This FAO Trust Fund will be an important source of demand-driven funding to supplement the present trust funds, which support key components of the Organization's Field Programme with emphasis on catalytic projects addressing long-term structural needs of the poor(70 percent of whom are in the rural sector) in the basic areas.

Several donors have contributed to the FAO Trust Fund for Food Security and Food Safety. The Italian Government has contributed 67 million euros out of 100 million euros committed. The funds have been earmarked for global food security, anti-disease and investment promotion projects.

Other donors include:

• Libya: The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya is funding five SPFS projects in CEN-SAD member countries
• OPEC Fund: Three SPFS projects in Cambodia, Haiti and Sudan
• Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Contributed US$1 million to support FAO in its fight against hunger