Matters arising from the 33rd Session of the FAO Conference. FAO reform. Part I: The Director-General’s revised proposals. Part II: A vision for the twenty-first century
For the attention of Governments
The Conference:
1. Urged the countries of the Region to place food security and rural development foremost among their national and regional priorities.
2. Recalled the need for the countries of the Region to accompany and support the FAO reform process.
For the attention of FAO
The Conference:
3. Indicated that budgetary restrictions and the scale of existing challenges required a broad reform of working methods, administrative structures and rules governing the distribution of the Organization's tasks.
4. Reiterated the need for the process to continue being transparent, inclusive and participatory. To this end, it considered it important for the contents and time frame of the reform to be agreed by consensus.
5. Indicated that it was important to consider the Independent External Evaluation, given that the Reform and the Independent External Evaluation were two parallel processes that needed to be mutually supportive.
6. Stressed the need to strengthen the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean. It also recognized the importance of creating new Subregional Offices, giving priority to the creation of the Office for Central America.
Report on FAO activities (2004-2005) with a focus on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and action taken on the recommendations of the 28th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean
For the attention of Governments
The Conference:
7. Recognized the importance of strengthening initiatives to improve productivity and to increase rural employment and income in order to contribute towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, in particular Goal 1: "Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger".
For the attention of FAO
The Conference:
8. Established seven priority lines of action for FAO technical cooperation in the Region in the 2006-2007 biennium: the "Latin America and the Caribbean without Hunger 2025" initiative; subregional multidisciplinary groups, including the Amazon Basin; expansion of the Special Programmes for Food Security in the countries of the Region; immediate actions for those suffering hunger, especially South-South cooperation and short-term attention to Haiti; transboundary diseases, especially protection against highly pathogenic avian influenza and control of foot-and-mouth disease; food safety, including the harmonization of standards, biosecurity – considering, inter alia, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and labelling requirements; interagency cooperation and information management.
Latin America and the Caribbean without Hunger 2025: Inputs for a framework of action
For the attention of Governments
The Conference:
9. Decided to endorse the “Latin America and the Caribbean without Hunger 2025” initiative.
10. Reiterated that the initial step to implement the initiative was for all the countries to sign an undertaking that by 2025 no country would have an undernourished population of more than five percent of its total population.
For the attention of FAO
The Conference:
11. Recommended that FAO under the guidance and coordination of its Regional Office in Santiago promote the necessary human and financial resources, including through the contribution of third party countries and other international agencies, for the full realization of the “Latin America and the Caribbean without Hunger 2025” initiative.
12. Recommended that FAO through its Regional Office in Santiago provide technical support to mechanisms of implementation of the “Latin America and the Caribbean without Hunger 2025” initiative.
13. Indicated the need for the Regional Office in Santiago to have a Food Security Officer and an appropriate support team for technical cooperation activities relating to implementation of the “Latin America and the Caribbean without Hunger 2025” initiative.
Strengthening regional capacity for the prevention and control of avian influenza in Latin America and the Caribbean
For the attention of Governments
The Conference:
14. Recognized the nature and level of risk that highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 could affect the Region.
For the attention of FAO
The Conference:
15. Recommended that FAO, in coordination with PAHO, WHO and the OIE, to promote and support activities of exchange and cooperation between the countries of the Region for implementation of protection measures against the risk of avian flu.
16. Requested that FAO support cooperation between the laboratory networks of the countries of the Region.
17. Suggested that FAO provide technical cooperation so that the intellectual property of drugs and reagents did not constitute an obstacle to the treatment of a pandemic.
Reports of the regional commissions: Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC); Commission for Inland Fisheries of Latin America (COPESCAL); Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission (LACFC)
For the attention of Governments
The Conference:
18. Indicated the importance of policies for the management of marine and river fishery resources to ensure their sustainable use and optimize their production.
For the attention of FAO
The Conference:
19. Recommended that FAO promote and technically support the exchange of experiences between countries and the possibilities of partnerships on the subject of bioenergy as a priority focus of cooperation.
20. Requested that FAO, in cooperation with the countries of the Region, promote and technically support the conduct of studies to monitor fishery resources and, in general, to improve the quality of fishery information.
21. Recommended that FAO provide technical support for training in the trade and handling of fishery products and for education in the consumption of these products to ensure their quality and safety.
22. Called for studies on linkages between fishing and nutrition and on a strategy to improve the living conditions of artisanal fishers.
23. Requested that FAO support the exchange of experiences between countries on the subject of reforestation, in particular productive reforestation with the use of fruit trees.
Round Table “Towards a regional agricultural common market: problems and perspectives”
For the attention of Governments
The Conference:
24. Recognized that the process of agricultural integration meant addressing the asymmetries in the levels of development of countries, the harmonization of trade and agricultural regulations; coherence in food safety and quality systems and standards; and compatibility in the multiplicity of agreements.
25. Supported the position of Haiti under the perception that solidarity was also be expressed in the search for better terms for that country’s exports.
For the attention of FAO
The Conference:
26. Requested that FAO focus its technical support on the process of integration of agricultural trade, in particular on the negotiation of sanitary aspects, and on training for customs control protection against transboundary pests and diseases.
27. Suggested that FAO support exchanges of experiences and cooperation between the countries of the Region for the more efficient and equitable incorporation of family farming into commercial networks, as a way of improving food and nutrition security and social inclusion.
Round Table “Institutional challenges for national, subregional and regional technological innovation”
For the attention of Governments
The Conference:
28. Indicated the need to acknowledge that there was no direct, simple relationship between productivity and food and nutrition security, which was in fact a complex socio-economic process that required both greater participation of the private sector and a strong presence of the State.
29. Valued the contribution of technology research centres, beyond the adoption of technologies generated in developed countries, and recognized the efforts that the Region had made in the field of extension.
30. Indicated that analysis of the process of technological innovation needed to address biotechnology issues in consideration of environmental sustainability.
For the attention of FAO
The Conference:
31. Recommended revising and amending the background documented presented to better reflect the complexity of the subject and to refine analysis of the system of technological innovation in the specific conditions of the Region.
Territorial policies for the economic and social development of rural areas
For the attention of Governments
The Conference:
32. Emphasized the need to examine the relationship between economic growth and development, and to avoid oversimplification as agricultural growth had often not translated into significant improvement in living conditions and opportunities for the rural population.
33. Recognized the important role played by the State and decentralized government bodies in defining and implementing territorial policies, and reaffirmed the need for these policies to be broadly democratic and participatory, involving the various agents of civil society, articulating the public and private sectors and with interinstitutional coordination in the specific territorial context.
34. Noted that rural development incorporated all production activities in the rural environment in a territorial-based approach; it also covered linkages with market distribution channels and the incorporation of production chains; and it should also include living conditions, security, housing and access to services.
35. Stressed the need for rural development policies to evolve from a traditional assistance-oriented approach to a structural concept that favoured a new political, social and economic dynamic in rural areas, creating opportunities of access to assets and market openings, thereby generating income combined with social inclusion.
36. Stated the need to promote mechanisms of solidarity and integration in the Region, emphasizing the particular case of the Republic of Haiti to help the efforts of the Haitian people to further their development.
For the attention of FAO
The Conference:
37. Recommended that FAO continue to look more deeply and broadly into this subject and requested that the studies currently being conducted with FAO support in three countries (Brazil, Chile and Mexico) be extended to other countries of the Region, including in particular the specific characteristics of the Caribbean islands.
Food safety and animal and plant health. Trends and challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean
For the attention of Governments
The Conference:
38. Reiterated the commitment of the countries of the Region to the health of their populations and to their participation in international markets, within a trading environment that ensured the safety and quality of food.
39. Stressed the relevance of food safety and animal and plant health for the countries of the Region, given that the rapid increase in movement of people and goods broadened the possibilities of progress but also the risks of spread of pests and diseases and urged that such risks be addressed collectively through mechanisms of cooperation and shared procedures.
For the attention of FAO
The Conference:
40. Supported the request of the Codex Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC) that the criteria for the distribution of funds be modified and that the equitable distribution of those funds be ensured, as under current arrangements only one country of the Region could receive assistance for participation in three meetings of the Codex; the remaining would only receive funding for one meeting.
41. Indicated that FAO’s training activities should be coupled with the possibility of modernizing existing administrative and control structures in individual countries, within integrated programmes funded by various institutions that support FAO cooperation.
42. Expressed its interest in having FAO coordinate training activities with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on the "Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS)" and the "Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)".
Trends and challenges in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and food security in Latin America and the Caribbean
For the attention of Governments
The Conference:
43. Emphasized the need for a broad approach that situated agricultural and rural development within the processes of global development and a changing international context. It also noted the importance of balancing this approach with the addition of an orientation of agricultural and rural development in the countries of the Region towards the achievement of food security from the internal perspective of the rural world, safeguarding the ways of life of its population and its relationship with the environment.
For the attention of FAO
The Conference:
44. Requested that analyses of agricultural trends and challenges included a baseline analysis of agricultural products that could be traded in a context of environmental sustainability and sanitary control, as the basis for greater economic growth.
45. Suggested including, in the identified challenges, the implementation of development policies that favoured social inclusion, particularly of marginalized groups such as peasant farmers, artisanal fishers and rural fish farmers.
46. Recommended more in-depth study of the trends and challenges in agriculture of Latin America and the Caribbean, within an optic of development with equity to ensure a better distribution of the benefits of economic progress.
Report on the outcome of the International Conference on Agrarian reform and Rural Development
For the attention of Governments
The Conference:
47. Endorsed the recommendations included in the Final Declaration of the International Conference on agrarian reform and Rural Development.
48. Welcomed the proposals to promote the holding of subregional seminars and discussions panels, organized by country groups, with the broad participation of social movements
49. Declared that institutional frameworks for land tenure and use were fundamental for agricultural and rural development.
50. Recognized that land redistribution needed to be accompanied by support measures, including technology transfer, credit and finance, systems of innovation and management, and other mechanisms to facilitate the modernization of farmers’ production processes and their integration into trade channels.
For the attention of FAO
The Conference:
51. Recommended that the relevant FAO bodies took the necessary actions to implement the recommendations included in the Final Declaration of the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development.
52. Indicated that it was fundamental for the Region to be able to follow up on ICARRD in the Committee on World Food Security and the FAO Council, including the possible formulation of Voluntary Guidelines for the National Implementation of the Right to Land.
53. Requested that FAO, through the Technical Secretariat of ICARRD and under the coordination of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, convene and conduct seminars and panel discussions, organized by groups of countries and with broad participation of social movements, to lay the groundwork for a Plan of Action that would help resolve, on a voluntary basis, the more urgent problems identified by ICARRD.
54. Requested that the Technical Secretariat of ICARRD in FAO, under the coordination of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, prepare a document to be submitted for discussion and adoption at the 131st Session of the FAO Council in November, 2006, to support the organization of subregional seminars in order to generate inputs for the preparation and future implementation of an ICARRD Plan of Action.
55. Recommended that FAO, through its appropriate units (in particular the Field Programme Development Service – TCAP), draft a proposal, for instance a Special Programme for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, to ensure the necessary support for implementation of the follow-up activities to ICARRD.
56. La 29th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean was held in Caracas, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, from 24 to 28 April 2006. The Technical Committee met on 24 and 25 April. The Conference was attended by delegations of 28 FAO Member Nations in the Region, together with observers from countries of other regions and representatives of United Nations agencies and intergovernmental organizations. La list of participants is given in Appendix D.
57. The Conference was inaugurated by the Vice-President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Mr José Vicente Rangel. Also present at the inaugural ceremony were the Minister of Agriculture and Land of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Director-General of FAO and the Independent Chairman of the Council of FAO.
58. The Independent Chairman of the Council thanked the Government and the people of Venezuela for their hospitality. He then drew the participants' attention to the flagrant contradiction of a world which made impressive levels of progress but which also had three billion people living on less than two dollars a day and 25 000 children dying each day from hunger and malnutrition. He hoped that Latin America and the Caribbean would be able to significantly improve the living conditions and food security of their combined population through the strength of their peoples and their historical roots, but also through recent policy initiatives such as Zero Hunger, South-South cooperation, agrarian reform and rural development, and the right to food.
59. In continuation, the Director-General of FAO welcomed the opportunity to exchange ideas with the leaders of the agricultural sector of Latin America and the Caribbean. He thanked President Hugo Chavez, the Government and the people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for hosting the Conference and expressed his concern that progress made in the ten years since the World Food Summit would prevent achievement of the objective in 2015.
60. Under current trends, Latin America and the Caribbean would be the only developing region of the world able to achieve, as an average, the objective of the Millennium Development Goals, but the number of undernourished people in Central America and the Caribbean was actually increasing, not falling.
61. The Director-General reviewed the economic and agricultural progress that had been made in the Region but which still left serious problems of rural development and food security in most countries, especially in those of Central America and the Caribbean.
62. The Director-General welcomed with interest the "Latin America and the Caribbean Without Hunger by 2025" (ALCSH 2025) initiative of Presidents Ignacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Oscar Berger of Guatemala.
63. He concluded by explaining the outcome of the Thirty-third session of the Conference of FAO and the start to decentralization activities in the framework of the FAO Reform.1
64. The Vice-President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, José Vicente Rangel, welcomed the participants and explained that his country's rural development policy was directed towards endogenous, productive, participatory and sustainable development, based on national coordination and international cooperation, and sought to achieve food security and a reduction of rural poverty.
65. In particular, the main objectives of Plan 2001-2007 included the achievement of food sovereignty and the overcoming of social exclusion, inequality and poverty.
66. He recounted the progress that had been made in eliminating the large landed estates that seriously curtailed human and agricultural development in the countryside; he also outlined the accomplishments made in production and distribution, the building of infrastructure, the financing of agriculture, food safety and quality, and in the processes of organization, institutional development and building of social capital in the rural sector. He concluded by wishing the Twenty-ninth FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean a successful outcome and declaring the Conference open.
67. The Conference unanimously elected the officers listed in Appendix D.
68. The Conference adopted the agenda and timetable, with the inclusion of three additional items proposed by GRULAC in Rome and a fourth item suggested by the Director-General:
• results and policy consequences of the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development;
• the "Latin America and the Caribbean without Hunger" (ALCSM) initiative;
• financing of the Independent External Evaluation; and
• US$15 million funding for transition costs in the 2006-2007 budget.
69. The Independent Chairperson of the Council of FAO expressed his appreciation of the opportunity to participate in the Committee, highlighting the importance of direct communication within the decision-making process.
70. The Committee was informed of the need to resolve the problem of arrears in the payment of contributions, which not only reduced available funds but also constituted a disincentive to the generation of further inputs. It was also informed of the importance of the ongoing Independent External Evaluation and of the difficulties in financing the exercise. in this connection, the Independent Chairperson of the Council urged the countries of the Region to make what voluntary contributions they could to support this initiative.
71. The Committee was called upon to broadly disseminate the Voluntary Guidelines on the Right to Food, considering that adequate food was a human right.
72. The Committee underscored the significance of three concurrent processes affecting FAO activities: FAO Reform, the Independent External Evaluation and the broad involvement of civil society in gatherings such as the Special Forum that would take place under the Committee on World Food Security World and the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development.
73. The Committee also emphasized the importance of the recent International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development and the need to incorporate its outputs in shaping FAO activity.
74. The First Lady of Paraguay stated that hunger was one of the most violent aggressions against human rights; no logic based on economic reasoning could serve to justify hunger. She expressed her support to FAO's actions to help the hungry and undernourished. She also reported on FAO's cooperation activities with the First Ladies of the countries of the Region, in particular the "Solidarity Against Hunger" Programme.
75. The Director-General referred to the proposed reform of FAO and informed the Conference that the FAO Conference in November 2005 had decided to begin with one region (Africa) and one subregion (Central Asia). He explained the various follow-up arrangements envisaged and their main thrusts which involved concentrating on the Organization's efficiency and emphasizing capacity building and the enhanced dissemination of information.
76. The Director-General explained the decentralization process and the changes in the administrative design of the Organization, mentioning eight departments, relations between Headquarters, the regional offices and the subregional offices, and the composition of technical teams of the latter, including national experts. He detailed some of the impact of reform on savings in administrative costs and on the ability to respond more quickly and effectively to country requests for technical cooperation. He ended by stressing the importance of being able to count on the support of GRULAC for the reform.
77. The Director-General highlighted the serious reductions that had occurred in resources to the agricultural sector from international cooperation, the multilateral banking sector and individual countries. In this connection, he urged countries to place food security and rural development foremost among their national and regional priorities, both for an increase in South-South cooperation and for requests made to the international organizations.
78. The Conference acknowledged the efforts that were being made for FAO reform, in the broader context of reform of the United Nations system, and considered that this process was essential if the Organization was to be able to fulfil the objectives that had inspired its creation, in normative and operational aspects alike. It also understood that the purpose of reform was to achieve greater efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy in a framework of participation and consensus.
79. The Conference noted that the recent election of the Director-General for a further term of six years signified strong endorsement of his qualities of leadership and management. At the same time, the Conference indicated that budgetary restrictions and the scale of existing challenges required a broad reform of working methods, administrative structures and rules governing the distribution of the Organization's tasks. It also stated that the reform should retain and strengthen those aspects that the Conference considered fundamental, including the Technical Cooperation Programme and the Special Programme for Food Security.
80. The Conference noted that the countries of the Region had followed the developments of the reform process with interest, cooperating and supporting its progress. It also reiterated the need for the process to continue being transparent, inclusive and participatory. To this end, it considered it important for the contents and time frame of the reform to be agreed by consensus.
81. The Conference indicated that, in relation to the actions approved by the Conference of FAO in November 2005, its authorization of certain actions to initiate the Reform and the envisaged time frame, it was important to consider the Independent External Evaluation that was due to finish in July 2007, given that the Reform and the Independent External Evaluation were two parallel processes that needed to be mutually supportive.
82. The Conference stressed the need to strengthen the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean. It also recognized the importance of creating new Subregional Offices, giving priority to the creation of the Office for Central America.
83. The Conference was informed by the Assistant Director-General of FAO and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean of FAO's contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. He emphasized in particular the contribution made towards achievement of Goal 1 "Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger" through the Special Programme for Food Security, the promotion of alliances against hunger, including the FAO International Alliance Against Hunger, and initiatives to improve productivity and raise rural employment and income. With regard to the other Millennium Development Goals, he referred to the indirect contributions of the food and nutrition education programmes; the integration of a gender approach in public policies; activities to improve food safety and programmes of information on nutrition in the home, especially for mothers; the FAO programme on HIV/AIDS; the promotion of payment for environmental services; the implementation of good agricultural practices and support to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources; and cooperation for the application of trade regulatory frameworks.
84. The Conference was also informed by the Assistant Director-General of FAO and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean of actions taken in follow-up to the recommendations of the Twenty-eighth Regional Conference, relating to food security; the competitive market integration of small farmers; emerging issues, such as the territorial approach to rural development; training in biotechnology and biosecurity; studies of public expenditure in rural areas; the control of transboundary animal diseases; and interagency and interinstitutional cooperation.
85. Finally, the Conference was informed of the proposed priorities for FAO's programme of work in Latin America and the Caribbean and its seven priority lines of action: the "Latin America and the Caribbean without Hunger 2025" initiative; subregional multidisciplinary groups, including the Amazon Basin; expansion of the Special Programmes for Food Security in the countries of the Region; immediate actions for those suffering hunger, especially South-South cooperation and short-term attention to Haiti; transboundary diseases, especially protection against avian influenza and control of foot-and-mouth disease; food safety, including the harmonization of standards, biosecurity – considering, inter alia, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and labelling requirements; interagency cooperation and information management.
86. The Conference took note of the successful outcome of the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development and endorsed the recommendations in the Final Statement for the appropriate FAO units to take the actions needed for their implementation. It accepted the proposals concerning the realization of subregional seminars and panel discussions, organized by country groups with broad participation of the social movements. It also requested that FAO ensure the continuity of technical services relating to agrarian reform and rural development.
87. The Secretary of Food and Nutrition Security of Guatemala pointed out that the technical outline of this initiative was already familiar to the participants at the Conference and reiterated that the initial step was for all the countries to sign an undertaking that by 2025 no country would have an undernourished population of more than five percent of its total population.
88. The Conference was informed of the five components of the initiative: institutional strengthening of national food and nutrition security systems; South-South cooperation, including peasant farmers, business operators, technicians and policy-makers, and the conclusion of other cooperation agreements; formation of a critical mass of professionals and leaders to formulate and implement food security programmes and sensitize society as a whole to this national priority; establishment of cooperative exchanges for the sharing of experiences between the countries of the Region; monitoring and applied research, including the creation of a Latin American Observatory of Hunger and Poverty.
89. The Conference noted with great interest of the proposal of Venezuela regarding cooperation on rural development and food security consisting of Integrated Rural Development Cooperation Projects and a solidarity-based Fund of Nutritional Agricultural Goods to be established as explained in Appendix F and F-1.
90. The Conference learned with great interest of the "Latin America and the Caribbean without Hunger 2025" proposal of Guatemala and Brazil which had the support of all the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, gathered under GRULAC in Rome, with the recommendation that it be endorsed by the Conference. (See the adopted proposal in Appendix G).
91. The Conference requested FAO support in implementing this initiative and called in particular, for the participation of the Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mr José Graziano da Silva, in the coordination of related FAO action. It also indicated the need for the Regional Office in Santiago to have a Food Security Officer and an appropriate support team for these activities.
92. The Conference was informed of the nature and level of risk that highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 could affect the Region. It was briefed on protection measures in place.
93. The Conference asked FAO, in coordination with PAHO, WHO and the OIE, to promote and support activities of exchange and cooperation between the countries of the Region for implementation of protection measures against the risk of avian flu. It singled out FAO support for cooperation between the laboratory networks of the countries of the Region.
94. The Conference requested that FAO promote research into different forms of poultry production that were environmentally and socially sustainable, and into their vulnerability to avian flu and other diseases, and corresponding protection measures in each case.
95. The Conference recommended that FAO provide technical cooperation so that the intellectual property of drugs and reagents did not constitute an obstacle to the treatment of a pandemic.
96. The Conference was informed of the findings and conclusions of the meetings of the regional commissions, WECAFC, COPESCAL and LACFC, with a highlighting of their respective identified trends and an explanation of their agreed recommendations. It also took note that the next session of COPESCAL would take place in Leticia, Colombia.
97. The Conference indicated the importance of policies for the management of marine and river fishery resources to ensure their sustainable use and optimize their production.
98. The Conference asked that FAO, in cooperation with the countries of the Region, promote and technically support the conduct of studies to monitor fishery resources and, in general, to improve the quality of fishery information.
99. The Conference requested that FAO provide technical support for training in the trade and handling of fishery products and for education in the consumption of these products to ensure their quality and safety. It also called for studies on linkages between fishing and nutrition and on improving the living conditions of artisanal fishers.
100. The Conference suggested that FAO support the exchange of experiences between countries on the subject of reforestation, in particular productive reforestation with the use of fruit trees.
101. The Conference requested that FAO promote and technically support the exchange of experiences between countries and the possibilities of partnerships on the subject of bioenergy as a priority focus of cooperation.
102. The Conference was informed of the progress that had been made in various trade integration mechanisms involving the countries of the Region, through various forms of treaty and agreement. It was also informed of the challenges in taking this process forward, particularly the asymmetries in the levels of development of countries; the need to harmonize trade and agricultural regulations; coherence in food safety and quality systems and standards; and the need for compatibility between the multiplicity of agreements.
103. The Conference was informed of progress in subregional integration in CARICOM, Mercosur, the Central American Common Market and the Andean Community, with an explanation of advances in integration in each case, current priorities and the possible impact of an agricultural common market that covered the whole Region.
104. The Conference recognized the merit of the background document and indicated the need to consider the specific conditions of individual countries. In particular, it stated that the suggestion to use the Agricultural Special Safety Mechanism, that had been agreed at the Hong Kong Summit of the Doha Round of the WTO, would raise the need to negotiate a differentiated use of this mechanism for the developed countries and for the developing countries.
105. The Conference suggested that FAO focus its technical support on the process of integration of agricultural trade, in particular on the negotiation of sanitary aspects, and on training for customs control protection against transboundary pests and diseases.
106. The Conference suggested that FAO support exchanges of experiences and cooperation between the countries of the Region for the more efficient and equitable incorporation of family farming into commercial networks, as a way of improving food and nutrition security and social inclusion.
107. The Conference supported the position of Haiti under the perception that solidarity was also expressed in the search for better terms for that country’s exports.
108. The Conference was informed of the position of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela whereby, while fully respecting other positions, it stressed that it was not willing to follow processes of integration based on expended formats such as FTAs and negotiations with developed countries. The Venezuelan Delegation indicated that integration only made sense if viewed from a radically different perspective, identified as integration out of solidarity, which was already being taken forward with a number of countries under the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA).
109. The Conference was informed of the scope of the concept, advances and institutional inadequacies of the process of agricultural technological innovation in the Region, and of suggestions and orientations to better develop this topic. There was also a presentation on existing international cooperation systems for agricultural technological innovation.
110. The Conference recognized the merits of the background document but also indicated that this should be reviewed to complement and correct a number of important aspects. Among these was the need to acknowledge that there was no direct, simple relationship between productivity and food and nutrition security, which was in fact a complex socio-economic process; nor did trade depend linearly on the development of innovation because trade barriers and distortions also had a significant impact; emphasis on participation of the private sector in the process of innovation needed to be countered by a greater presence of the State; there needed to be greater appreciation of the contribution of technology research centres, beyond the adoption of technologies generated in developed countries; there also needed to be recognition of the efforts made by the Region in the field of extension; and biotechnology issues needed to be addressed in consideration of environmental sustainability.
111. The Conference recommended that FAO support technological innovation processes that were directed towards improving the production systems of small producers and family farming. It also indicated that, if the productivity of small producers was to be increased even further, it was important to concentrate on innovations in the forms of social organization of production that would permit a more efficient and equitable use of social, economic and environmental resources.
112. The Conference recognized the usefulness of the actions of the FAO-FODEPAL project to support South-South cooperation and to train those formulating and implementing policies directed towards food security, through new information and communication technologies. The Conference also recognized the merit in promoting such actions to foster sustainability and regional cohesion, and to help bridge the digital divide.
113. The Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative of FAO opened the Technical Committee Meeting, welcoming delegates and observers and thanking the Government and people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for hosting the event.
114. The Committee unanimously elected the Technical Committee officers listed in Appendix D.
115. The Committee adopted the agenda and timetable, documents LARC/06/1 and LARC/06/INF/2 (see agenda in Appendix C), with the inclusion, at the request of the GRULAC delegations, of the item "Report on the results of the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development", also to be discussed together with the "Latin America and the Caribbean Without Hunger 2025” Initiative at the Plenary Session.
116. The Committee emphasized the need to examine the relationship between economic growth and development, and to avoid oversimplification as agricultural growth had often not translated into significant improvement in living conditions and opportunities for the rural population.
117. The Committee recognized the important role played by the State and decentralized government bodies in defining and implementing territorial policies. It reaffirmed the need for these policies to be broadly democratic and participatory, involving the various agents of civil society, articulating the public and private sectors and with interinstitutional coordination in the specific territorial context.
118. Agriculture is a fundamental economic sector for social and economic development and for food security in the countries of the Region. In addition to its direct contribution to the generation of productive work and income, it is the basis for a large part of manufacturing and trade activity, and is the origin of a significant proportion of their exports. It also plays an essential role in land-use planning and in the economic dynamism of the rural environment. On the other hand, agriculture is also a way of life for the Region that is closely attached to ancestral practices, traditional knowledge and the relationship with the environment and its protection.
119. The Committee noted that rural development incorporated all production activities in the rural environment in a territorial-based approach; it included democratic land use and tenure and, as appropriate, the promotion of freely defined associative forms of production; it covered linkages with market distribution channels and the incorporation of production chains; and it should also include living conditions, security, housing and access to services. With this in mind, the Committee stressed that territorial policies should be an integral part of national development policies.
120. The Committee called greater recognition and emphasis on the importance of increasing rural incomes. The low wages and lack of opportunity in the countryside were key determinants of urban migration that often led to frustration and problems of violence.
121. The Committee stated that, in addition to using land and natural resources efficiently, it was essential to achieve greater productivity and complementarity and to support processes of medium- and long-term investment that would foster food security, equitable and fair participation in markets, and higher rural incomes.
122. The Committee indicated that a multidisciplinary, multisectoral and multidimensional approach was needed in territorial development policies.
123. The Committee explained that territorial inequalities were often accentuated by the fact that regions with greater progress were also better able to capture funds. To avoid such polarization, it was essential to gain a genuine understanding of the rural territories, beyond their technological and productive vocation, to reappraise their potential and identity.
124. The Committee stated that rural development policies needed to evolve from a traditional assistance-oriented approach to a structural concept that favoured a new political, social and economic dynamic in rural areas, creating opportunities of access to assets and market openings, thereby generating income combined with social inclusion. For this to happen, the historically excluded social groups needed to be able to propose policy and take strategic decisions for the creation of opportunities of generation, aggregation and appropriation of income from innovative projects.
125. The Committee stated that it was essential for territorial policies to be able to go beyond the definition of priorities for the allocation of government resources. If the cycle of poverty and inequality was to be broken, emphasis needed to be placed on the organized and proactive participation of the rural population, in joint action with the State authorities, to achieve real participation with government decentralized bodies.
126. The Committee indicated that the inclusion of the private business sector in the multisectoral perspective of territorial development policies should not jeopardize moves towards the social inclusion of the poorest segments.
127. The Committee suggested that the studies being conducted with FAO support in three countries (Brazil, Chile and Mexico) be extended to other countries of the Region, including in particular the specific characteristics of the Caribbean islands. It also recommended that FAO continue to look more deeply and broadly into this subject.
128. The Committee acknowledged FAO's cooperation in implementing projects that targeted the most vulnerable sectors of the population, including ethnic communities and populations displaced by violence, in matters relating to food and the creation of rural employment, and others.
129.The Committee stated the need to promote mechanisms of solidarity and integration in the Region, emphasizing the particular case of the Republic of Haiti to help the efforts of the Haitian people to further their development.
130. The Committee noted the relevance of food safety and animal and plant health for the countries of the Region, given that the rapid increase in movement of people and goods broadened the possibilities of progress but also the risks of spread of pests and diseases.
131. The Committee noted the commitment of the countries of the Region to the health of their populations and to their participation in international markets, within a trading environment that ensured the safety and quality of food.
132. The Committee expressed its concern over the high economic and social costs of outbreaks of diseases and pests and urged that related risks be addressed collectively through mechanisms of cooperation and shared procedures.
133. The Committee indicated the need for sufficient financial resources to ensure the success of mechanisms for the control and eradication of pests and diseases, and indicated the need for a compensation fund for cases of slaughter of affected animal populations.
134. The Committee indicated that the FAO/WHO Trust Fund to help developing countries had adopted distribution criteria that restricted support to participation in Codex meetings. At present, only one country of the Region could receive assistance for participation in three meetings of the Codex; the remaining would only receive funding for one meeting. The Committee supported the request of the Codex Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC) that the criteria for the distribution of funds be modified and the equitable distribution of those funds be ensured.
135. The Committee recognized the importance of FAO's food safety training activities. It indicated that such training should be coupled with the possibility of modernizing existing administration and control structures in individual countries, within integrated programmes funded by various institutions that would help FAO's training activities.
136. In order to strengthen the negotiating capacity of the representatives of countries working on Codex thematic areas, the Committee suggested that FAO could usefully coordinate training actions with the WTO on the "Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS)" and the "Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)" of the WTO.
137. The Committee stressed that cooperation between countries was essential to address issues relating to food safety and animal and plant health. Such cooperation should be supported by FAO and other international agencies, including a broadening of financial support to the Scientific Committee of the Codex.
138. The Committee indicated the importance of having a broad approach that situated agricultural and rural development within the processes of global development and a changing international context. It also noted the importance of balancing this approach with the addition of an orientation of agricultural and rural development in the countries of the Region towards the achievement of food security from the internal perspective of the rural world, safeguarding the ways of life of its population and its relationship with the environment.
139. The Committee expressed the need for analyses of agricultural trends and challenges to include a baseline analysis of agricultural products that could be traded in a context of environmental sustainability and sanitary control, as the basis for greater economic growth.
140. The Committee indicated the need for identified challenges to include implementation of development policies that favoured social inclusion, particularly of marginalized groups such as peasant farmers, artisanal fishers and rural fish farmers.
141. The Committee recommended more in-depth study of the trends and challenges in agriculture of Latin America and the Caribbean, within an optic of development with equity to ensure a better distribution of the benefits of economic progress.
142. The Committee was informed by the Executive Secretary of the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in March 2006 of its goals, development, main subjects, results, recommendations and follow-up mechanisms.
143. The Committee stated that institutional frameworks for land tenure and use were fundamental for agricultural and rural development. Although the countries of the Region presented a wide array of situations in this respect, agrarian reform tailored to the specific conditions of each country constituted an important step towards the efficient use of natural resources and their economic, social and environmental sustainability. The Committee also recognized that land redistribution needed to be accompanied by support measures, including technology transfer, credit and finance, systems of innovation and management, and other mechanisms to facilitate the modernization of farmers’ production processes and their integration into trade channels. The Committee requested FAO’s technical support in these activities.
144. The Committee noted the innovative nature of the Final Declaration of the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development with its inclusion of concepts such as the perception of human rights, food security, social justice, fair trade, individual, community and collective rights, social inclusion and the incorporation of landless peasant farmers.
145. The Committee highlighted the importance of the ICARRD follow-up mechanisms for both governments and civil society. As regards governments, information and experiences could be exchanged between agrarian reform institutions in the countries of the Region. Important for the involvement of civil society was the mechanism of inclusive national dialogue envisaged in paragraph 29 of the Final Declaration. The Committee indicated that FAO should play an important role in supporting this follow-up.
146. The Committee emphasized the importance of the GRULAC proposal to hold subregional seminars, with broad participation of social movements, to follow up on ICARRD and stated that sources of financing for such seminars had already been identified.
147. The Committee indicated that it was fundamental for the Region to be able to follow up on ICARRD in the Committee on World Food Security and the FAO Council, including the possible formulation of Voluntary Guidelines for the National Implementation of the Right to Land.
148. The Committee requested that FAO, through the Technical Secretariat of ICARRD and under the coordination of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, convene and conduct seminars and panel discussions, organized by groups of countries and with broad participation of social movements, to lay the groundwork for a Plan of Action that would help resolve, on a voluntary basis, the more urgent problems identified by ICARRD.
149. The Committee requested that the Technical Secretariat of ICARRD in FAO, under the coordination of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, prepare a document to be submitted for discussion and adoption at the 131st Session of the FAO Council in November, 2006, to support the organization of subregional seminars in order to generate inputs for the preparation and future implementation of an ICARRD Plan of Action.
150. The Committee recommended that FAO, through its appropriate units (TCAP in particular), draft a proposal, for instance a Special Programme for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, to ensure the necessary support for implementation of the above activities.
151. The Committee unanimously adopted the present report.
152. The Committee reiterated its thanks to the Government and people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for their hospitality.
153. The Chairperson of the Technical Committee thanked the delegates for their participation and drew the Technical Committee meeting to a close.
154. The Conference noted with satisfaction the offer of the Delegation of Brazil to host the 30th FAO Regional Conference to be held in 2008. The offer was unanimously endorsed by the delegations present. The Conference asked that the Director-General take this endorsement into account when deciding the place and date of the next Regional Conference after consultation with the Government of Brazil.
155. The Delegation of Brazil suggested that, at the appropriate time, consideration might be given to the possibility of holding the subsequent Conference, in 2010, in Colombia.
156. The Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to FAO made an appeal at the Conference for the countries of the Region to provide voluntary contributions, within their capabilities, to support the financing of the Independent External Evaluation and thus demonstrate their political support to the initiate.
157. The Permanent Observer of the Holy See to FAO addressed a message to the Conference in which he urged the countries of the Region to redouble their efforts to combat the scourge of hunger and to improve the living conditions of the rural population.
158. The Minister of Agriculture of Guatemala reiterated the commitment to follow up with immediate concrete actions the recommendations of FAO to implement the “Latin America and the Caribbean without Hunger - 2025”.
159. The Conference adopted the report unanimously, including its constituent Technical Committee report.
160. The Conference thanked the Government and people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for having hosted the Conference and for having provided all the facilities needed for its proceedings.
161. The Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative of FAO for Latin America and the Caribbean thanked the delegations for their work and the Government and people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for the efficient organization of the event and renewed FAO’s pledge to follow up on the recommendations of the Conference.
162. The Minister of Agriculture and Land of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela congratulated the delegations on the outcome of the Conference and expressed his conviction that the effort that had been made constituted a significant advance in the strategy to fight hunger in the Region. Speaking on behalf of the Government and people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, he thanked the delegations for the work done and brought the 29th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean to a close.
1 The full text of the statement (LARC/06/INF/4) is given in Appendix A.
2 FAO (2005). The State of Food and Agriculture. FAO Rome.
3 Proven activities or processes that can be replicated on a large scale.