Report on the 4^th IAWG meeting

For four and a half days, February 7-11, 2000, about 50 persons (30 from IAWG members and 20 representing 7 national information systems) met in very agreeable surroundings arranged by HKI, to debate and discuss 15 meeting documents and a number of other presentations. More complete minutes for this meeting will soon be available. In the meanwhile, the Secretariat has decided to communicate selected highlights of this meeting.

Participation of Asian Countries: The involvement of representatives from seven Asian countries - Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam - added greatly to the richness of the meeting. National participants made introductory presentations on the state of FIVIMS and contributed to many other discussions from the point of view of their actual on-the-ground experience. Several tentative conclusions can be reached about FIVIMS in Asia:

• The state of advancement of national food security information systems is quite heterogeneous across the region;
• Several countries, which have more advanced systems, feel that their national FIVIMS already meet, at least to some degree, the seven criteria proposed in the paper by the Secretariat, “What is a FIVIMS?”;
• There is a strong emphasis on nutritional surveillance in some of the more advanced national systems;
• Throughout the meeting there was a clear call for the development of closer links between FIVIMS and ICN follow-up. This might include, in some cases, closer links between co-ordination groups (such as the ACC Thematic Groups on Food Security and Rural Development) and groups such as inter-ministerial co-ordinating committees on nutrition. This would help to avoid confusion between these often over-lapping efforts, especially in the area of information systems;
• There was a substantial interest shown in the use of the KIMS (Key Indicator Mapping System) software being developed;
• In terms of future IAWG collaboration with national systems, the opportunities range from selective technical co-operation with more advanced systems to more extensive technical assistance in some of the others; and
• As in other areas of the world, there is a clear need in most Asian information systems for stronger links between the “food side” (agricultural statistics, food policy, prices, etc.) and the “health/nutrition” side of the food security equation.

Decisions Taken on the IAWG FIVIMS Program for 2000: Four FIVIMS subgroups and the IAWG Secretariat presented work plans for 2000. Among the more important decisions taken by the group include the following:

• The comprehensive approach to Indicators for national and global FIVIMS taken in document “Indicators for National and Global FIVIMS” was approved with the lists of indicators to be validated by expert consultations. The challenge will then be to adapt them at national level and to build links to action programs for problem solution;
• A Regional strategy was approved for information dissemination, material adaptation, and training in technical areas. This IAWG strategy will be implemented in collaboration with regional organisations such: ASEAN, SADC, CILSS, IGAD, etc. The first few regional “information and sensitisation workshops” will be:
  • Southern Africa: with SADC, September 2000;
  • Central Asia: a workshop will be held in Turkey in October, 2000;
  • Asia: combined with the APNFN meeting, Bangkok, in November, 2000; and
  • A combined IAWG and SISVAN/FIVIMS, tentatively scheduled for the Latin American region in early 2001.

• The IAWG strongly endorsed greater collaboration between FIVIMS and the ACC/SCN, including developing a common approach to the UNDGO for the mainstreaming of FIVIMS in the inter-agency common planning/monitoring process at country level (CCA/UNDAF);
• IAWG FIVIMS technical materials: Members agreed that more guidance materials need to be made available on FIVIMS topics at national level. This objective is to be achieved by the following measures:
  • The current Guidelines for the Establishment of National FIVIMS, will be reprinted, in 5 languages, in an IAWG cover by mid-2000;
  • Start-up Kit: Folder with inserts on What is FIVIMS, key questions to be answered, value added to existing systems by FIVIMS, what indicators, products, uses of info, how to get started
  • Technical Guides: identification of vulnerable & food insecure; analysis of causes; use of indicators, mapping and KIMS; monitoring and reporting; establishment of institutional arrangements;

• KIMS and KIDS: After an interesting technical demonstration and discussion, the IAWG endorsed the general strategy for the development of the several related software packages for free distribution to FIVIMS collaborators at different levels: KIMS (the Key Indicator Mapping System) a beta version of which was distributed to interested attendees for testing, and the related KIDS (Key Indicator Database System) which is earlier in the development process.
• Funding the FIVIMS initiative: There are two dimensions to this question: (a) increasing the resources of the Secretariat to provide more services to members and to countries, (b) mobilising funding assistance for the establishment and strengthening of national FIVIMS programs. Substantial attention will be devoted to this question in the coming year. On the former, members would prefer flexibility in potentially contributing resources to specific activities that correspond with their internal program priorities. With regard to the latter, experience to date has shown that funding is needed for three levels of activities:
  • Initial diagnostic study, usually in the range of $50 to $100k
  • FIVIMS start-up (may also includes the diagnostic study): $300 to $400k,
  • Full FSIS project, which may be appropriate in some countries: 3 years, $1.5 to $3.0m.

• Continuity in FIVIMS Leadership: At a special meeting of IAWG member focal points, numerous issues were debated. One of the outcomes was a unanimous decision by the group to request Peter Matlon of UNDP to serve as the “permanent (multi-year) Chair” of IAWG. There will also be a rotating co-chair from the member institution that will host the forthcoming annual meeting. A proposed mandate for the multi-year IAWG Chair is currently being elaborated for eventual discussion and adoption by the membership. This is seen as a complement to the continuity that currently comes through the technical Secretariat at FAO. Other proposals for strengthening the inter-agency character of the IAWG and the Secretariat are also being explored.