FAO has a mission to communicate. At the very heart of its mandate is the role of collecting, interpreting and, above all, communicating information related to food, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and sustainable rural development. Moreover, the effectiveness and credibility of the Organization as a policy-making forum and unique, multilingual centre of excellence, knowledge and technical expertise depends to a considerable degree on its ability to communicate.
As we approach the new millennium, our increasingly globalized world seems more than ever divided between those suffering from information overload and the millions of others with little or no access to information. The challenge to FAO, therefore, is to ensure that its information and corporate messages reach its targeted audiences and partners, using the new communication tools and technologies in the most cost-effective way.
To meet this challenge, I have approved FAO's first Corporate Communication Policy and Strategy. The result of a long and intensive process of consultation throughout the Organization, the Policy provides a timely blueprint for managing FAO's diverse communication resources and needs. Its cardinal principles - participatory planning, corporate focus and decentralized implementation - provide the framework for coordination and cooperation among all units of the Organization in this most important endeavour.
The Policy seeks to create a communication culture, based on a shared foundation of knowledge in which FAO staff become informed and convinced partners in its communication efforts. And by fostering positive dialogue with potential partners - governments, technical experts, opinion leaders, the media and civil society - the Policy aims to harness the necessary support and resources to fulfil the Organization's mandate. Securing the collaboration of these partners will not only enable FAO to convey key messages more extensively and convincingly, but also to present a more human face in the campaign against hunger and poverty.
I am pleased to note that implementation of the Policy is already well under way. A new Corporate Communication Committee has been established to coordinate implementation of the Policy and to review and monitor the development of departmental communication and publishing plans. Furthermore, in my proposals to the FAO governing bodies regarding FAO's Strategic Framework 2000-2015, I have highlighted communication as an integral part of the Organization's programmes and as a core strategy for achieving its goals.
Communication inevitably shapes the public profile of FAO. I am confident that the Corporate Communication Policy and Strategy will create a supportive, proactive environment, firmly establishing the Oganization's credibility as a responsive technical organization and effectively relaying its mission as the leading global advocate of food security.
Jacques Diouf
Director-General
FAO
