Conference

For reasons of economy, this document is produced in a limited number of copies. Delegates and observers are kindly requested to bring it to the meetings and to refrain from asking for additional copies, unless strictly indispensable.

1. The Twenty-seventh Session of the FAO Conference adopted Resolution 4/93 on the Fiftieth Anniversary of FAO. It requested the Director-General to prepare for approval by FAO member countries a "Declaration on Food and Agriculture" reaffirming their dedication to the principles on which the Organization was founded. The resolution also requested that the draft Declaration be submitted to all Regional Conferences in 1994; that it be considered at the June 1995 Session of the Council and at the World Food Day/50th Anniversary Commemorative Observance on 16 October 1995 in Quebec, Canada; and that it be submitted for final adoption to the 28th Session of the Conference.

2. A draft Declaration was prepared by the Secretariat and circulated as an information document to all Regional Conferences held in 1994. The draft was also submitted to member countries in July 1994 inviting them to submit their comments in writing to the DirectorGeneral.

3. The attached is the final text as adopted by the Council in its 108th Session with subsequent amendments from member countries as approved on 21 September 1995 by an Open-ended Working Group established by the Council. The revised draft is being submitted for final adoption by the 28th Session of the Conference after consideration by the 50th Anniversary/World Food Day Commemorative Observance to be held on 16 October 1995 in Quebec City, Canada.

The Fiftieth Anniversary Declaration
on Food and Agriculture
"The Quebec Declaration"

We, the Ministers and Plenipotentiaries of the Members of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, on the occasion of its Fiftieth Anniversary

RECALLING the goals shared by FAO's Members enshrined in the Constitution of FAO:

• to ensure humanity's freedom from hunger;
• to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living of their peoples;
• to secure improvements in the efficiency of the production and distribution of all food and agricultural, forestry and fisheries products;
• to better the condition of rural populations; and
• to contribute towards an expanding world economy;

NOTING with satisfaction the progress made globally with respect to these objectives, over the past 50 years;

RECOGNIZING, nevertheless, that despite these advances very many people still suffer from chronic undernutrition and lack the food needed for productive and active lives, that rural conditions continue to be difficult and contribute to rural exodus, and that population growth will bring even greater demand for food;

BEING CONSCIOUS of the multiple and indispensable functions of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and the need to achieve food security for all;

REAFFIRMING our dedication to the principles on which the Food and Agriculture Organization was founded and our political support to the Organization as it carries out its mission to help build a world where all people can live with dignity, confident of food security;

RENEWING our commitment to promote the common welfare by furthering separate and collective action towards the achievement of the above goals;

HEREBY DECLARE that, in setting objectives for food, sustainable agriculture and rural development and the conservation of natural resources, we commit ourselves and the Food and Agriculture Organization to give due emphasis to:

I. Promoting agriculture, forestry and fisheries as key sectors in the quest for sustainable economic development

• recognizing the responsibility of governments to establish appropriate institutional and legal frameworks;
• promoting sustainable production and rural development and employment, bettering the conditions of rural populations, and combating poverty;
• promoting appropriate investment in agricultural, forestry and fisheries sectors;
• integrating the management of land, forest, pastoral and aquatic resources within national economic plans and development programmes;
• promoting efficient and sustainable use of water resources;
• promoting international trade in agricultural, forestry and fisheries products;
• promoting efficient marketing and distribution;
• reducing pre- and post-harvest losses.
• realizing the economic and nutritional potential of traditional foods.

II. Empowering food producers and consumers

• recognizing the importance of farmers, foresters and fishers, and their representative groups, in society and the economy;
• promoting the development of human resources;
• recognizing and enhancing the role of women and facilitating their equal participation;
• enabling people, including disadvantaged and marginalized groups, to participate in sustainable agricultural and rural development;
• creating an environment supportive of individual and joint efforts to achieve and enhance sustainable activities in agriculture, forestry and fisheries;
• promoting food security and an improved nutritional status for every household and individual, including through nutrition education, and ensuring that foods are of good quality and safe;
• securing the supply of and acces to food for populations living under various unstable food supply conditions, especially those in low-income, food-deficit countries.

III. Making sustainable use of natural resources for development

• encouraging sustainable development;
• promoting cooperation in the use and conservation of the natural resources through national, regional and global strategies;
• assisting efforts in the identification, evaluation, development and monitoring of the use of natural resources;
• combating desertification and degradation of agricultural lands;
• supporting the research and development capacities and activities of developing countries, and promoting dissemination of the results of research.

IV. Building a global partnership for sustainable development

• promoting growth with equity;
• promoting international cooperation for development involving all stake holders;
• assisting countries in the development and implementation of policies and programmes, and enhancing their national capacities in these areas.

This declaration was approved by the Ministers and Plenipotentiaries of the Members of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations who met on 16 October 1995 in Quebec City, Canada, to commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of FAO, and formally adopted by the FAO Conference at its Twenty-eighth Session on 25 October 1995 in Rome.