| DECISION |
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IMPLEMENTATION |
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HUNDRED AND NINETEENTH SESSION OF THE COUNCIL
(Rome, 20-25 November 2000) |
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| WORLD FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SITUATION |
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| STATE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE 2000 |
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| Have analysis of factors behind reported facts on State of Food and
Agriculture documents be strengthened in future years (para. 5) |
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In order to deliver more timely and compact information, the State of
Food and Agriculture document produced for the Council focuses mostly on the
description of recent performance of world food and agriculture. The factors affecting
these performances and trend are analyzed in more detail in the annual publication, the State
of Food and Agriculture report. |
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SOFA 2001, which will be released soon, will analyze the economic impact
on the transboundary plant pests and animal diseases in the special chapter and highlight
the cost of hunger and future of agricultural trade environment in its selected issues
section. Some regional issues are discussed in its regional review chapter, including AIDS
and agriculture, impact of financial crisis and market- oriented land reform. |
| Promote the reaffirming of political will and the intensifying of
national and international efforts towards the achievement of food security for all (para.
6) |
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Information documents on Fostering the Political Will to Fight Hunger,
Mobilising Resources to Fight Hunger, and New Challenges to the Achievements of the World
Food Summit Goals were provided to the Twenty-seventh Session of the Committee on
World Food Security (Rome, 28 May - 1 June 2001). |
| In conjunction with the international community, monitor closely the
persistence of severe food shortages requiring external assistance in a large number of
developing countries and provide the necessary assistance to the affected countries to
meet their immediate emergency needs, strengthen their disaster preparedness and support
their rehabilitation efforts (para. 6) |
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The Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) continues to
monitor the food supply and demand situation throughout the world and to issue Special
Alerts/Reports to the international community on impending food emergencies. |
REPORT OF THE TWENTY-SIXTH SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON WORLD FOOD
SECURITY
(ROME, 18-22 SEPTEMBER 2000) |
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| Encourage Governments, the international community and the FAO
Secretariat to implement the recommendations contained in paragraph 30 of the Report of
the Twenty-sixth Session of the Committee on World Food Security effectively, and promote
combined and coordinated efforts at all levels to combat the challenges of hunger and
malnutrition (para. 11) |
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A report on the impact of HIV/AIDS was prepared for consideration by the
Twenty-seventh Session of the Committee on World Food Security (Rome, 28 May - 1 June
2001). In the next report on the Progress on the Implementation of the WFS Plan of Action,
efforts will be made to "identify all important issues and highlight positive and
replicable examples" in synthesizing the actions taken to implement the Plan of
Action. Coverage of reporting on actions taken by international institutions and NGOs will
also be expanded. |
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Continued efforts are also being made to improve food security/insecurity
indicators, including identification of the poor and vulnerability assessments. |
| Ensure FAO's participation in the implementation of the Millennium
Declaration and assume a leading role in promoting a coordinated approach in the
implementation of the WFS commitments (para. 13) |
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Every opportunity is being taken to include in IDGs the WFS target of
halving the number of undernourished people by 2015. |
| Report on FAO's contribution, within the UN System, on progress in the
implementation of those provisions of the Millennium Declaration falling within FAO's
mandate (para. 13) |
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An assessment of World Food Security Situation was prepared for the
Twenty-seventh Session of the Committee on World Food Security (Rome, 28 May - 1 June
2001). Document CL 120/10 provides the requested report to Council. |
| Enhance allocation of resources for the development of FIVIMS at national
level in all the regions (para. 14) |
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The FIVIMS Secretariat continues to seek resources for the development of
national FIVIMS from UN and bilateral agencies, both directly and as extra-budgetary
contributions through FAO. As at March 2001, 84 countries were at various stages of
developing national FIVIMS. |
| Discourage efforts to have food used as an instrument for political and
economic pressure as stated in the Report of CFS (para. 15) |
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The issue is being explored within the context of the work programme of
the Commission on Human Rights. |
| PROPOSAL FOR FAO CONFERENCE REVIEW OF PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTATION OF
THE WORLD FOOD SUMMIT PLAN OF ACTION (WFS: five years later) |
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| Carefully prepare the Review so as to ensure a meaningful outcome (para.
23) |
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Action in process. |
| Include this item on the Provisional Agenda of the Thirty-first Session
of the Conference in 2001 and invite Members of the United Nations, or of its Specialized
Agencies or of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who had been invited to the World
Food Summit, to attend the Conference for this purpose (para. 25) |
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Action taken. The World Food Summit: five years later is item 5 of
the Agenda of the Thirty-first Session of the Conference in November 2001. |
| Invite Heads of State or Government (para. 26) |
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Invitations were sent on 19 January 2001. |
| NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE REVISION OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNDERTAKING ON
PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES, IN HARMONY WITH THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY |
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| Continue to give high priority to solutions to the complex and specific
technical and political issues in this area (para. 28) |
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Immediately after the Council, the extract from the Report referring to
the International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources was sent by the Secretariat of
the Commission to the Heads of Delegations negotiating the revision of the Undertaking in
harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity. |
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The extract from the Report of the Council, including these paragraphs,
was also forwarded to negotiating delegations by the Chairman of the Commission, and sent
as an attachment to the invitation letter, convening the negotiating meeting of the
Contact Group in February 2001. |
| Invite the Chairman of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture to continue leading the negotiations to their conclusion and have him convene,
in consultation with the Director-General and subject to the availability of funding,
further sessions of the Contact Group as required, followed by a negotiating session of
the Commission to finalize and agree upon the text of the International Undertaking for
submission to the Thirty-first Session of the Conference in November 2001 (para. 31) |
|
A further meeting of the Contact Group to continue the negotiations on
the International Undertaking was convened and took place in FAO from 5 to 10 February
2001. Progress was made in areas such as legal and institutional status, as well as in
arrangements for access to and benefit-sharing from the ex situ collections
maintained in trust by the International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs) on behalf
of the international community. A new Contact Group meeting was also held during the last
week of April 2001. |
| Encourage the negotiators to focus intensively and with requisite
flexibility on the outstanding issues and have them be in a position to take the relevant
political decisions to conclude the revision of the Undertaking (para. 31) |
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See implementation under paragraph 28 above. |
| Appeal to Members to provide further funds that would be necessary to
maintain and increase the momentum, both for the preparation and holding of the necessary
negotiating meetings, and to facilitate the participation of developing countries (para.
31) |
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A letter to donor countries appealing to them to provide further
extrabudgetary funds, in line with paragraph 31 of the Report of the Council, for the rest
of the process, including two or three further meetings of the Contact Group and an
Extraordinary Session of the Commission, was sent by the Secretariat of the Commission on
19 December 2000. Extrabudgetary funds made possible the Fifth Meeting of the Contact
Group in February 2001. There were also enough extrabudgetary funds available to hold the
meeting in April 2001, including monies to facilitate the participation of developing
countries. An Extraordinary Session of the Commission, possibly to conclude the
negotiations, will also take place before summer, but extrabudgetary funds for it will
need to be forthcoming. |
| ACTIVITIES OF FAO AND WFP |
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| WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME |
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| Annual Report of the WFP Executive Board on its Activities in 1999 |
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| Reinforce the multilateral character of WFP and maintain a balance
between resources allocated to development and emergencies, and have all concerned make
the greatest efforts to meet the needs of underfunded operations (para. 32) |
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There is on-going dialogue between TC Department and WFP on how FAO can
better support WFP projects and achieve a better balance between development and emergency
projects. In order to address the needs of under-funded operations, WFP and FAO have held
several joint donors meetings, particularly the mid-term review of the UN consolidated
appeals for 2000, where several operations were under-funded. |
| Encourage WFP, FAO and IFAD to continue their effective coordination
efforts to achieve the goals of the World Food Summit in the fight against poverty (para.
33) |
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Every opportunity is being taken to include in IDGs the WFS target of
halving the number of undernourished people by 2015. |
| Urge all Governments to make efforts in support of the safety of
international staff in their countries (para. 34) |
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This is a matter falling under the purview of the WFP, and for the WFP to
take action. |
| Election of Six Members to the WFP Executive Board |
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| Have Australia's current seat taken by Switzerland for List D for 2001
and 2002, Spain replaced by Portugal for list D for 2001, and the replacement of Portugal
for 2002 communicated before the Hundred and Twenty-second Session of the Council (para.
36) |
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Action has been taken. |
| PROGRAMME, BUDGETARY, FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS |
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| PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION REPORT 1998-99 |
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| Further improve future versions of the PIR, which should be facilitated
by the increased results orientation of the new programming model being implemented in FAO
(para. 38) |
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While no fundamental change in format is contemplated at this stage, a
sharper focus will be sought in the next version. |
| Have the full impact of renewed efforts to ensure improved balance in the
use of FAO languages take place in the current (2000-2001) and future biennia, and make
improvements particularly in Codex and WAICENT (para. 40) |
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Improved language balance is sought through special entity in 2000-01 and
given priority in SPWB 2002-2003 proposals. See document C 2001/8. |
| MEDIUM TERM PLAN 2002-07 |
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| Have due attention placed on the Strategy of Ensuring Excellence
in the next version of the MTP (para. 46) |
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Action is being taken. |
| Provide sharper formulations, in the future, of indicators to facilitate
evaluation of proposed activities (para. 47) |
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This is inherent in the new programming approach introduced in 2000-2001. |
| Put in place monitoring of PAIA implementation and ensure accountability
within the Secretariat (para. 49) |
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Action is being taken, in line with Senior Management's instructions to
that effect. |
| Do not have priority activities dependent on extrabudgetary resources
(para. 54) |
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This clearly does not depend on PBE alone, whereas donor support will
remain essential in specific areas. |
| Proceed with the preparation of PWB proposals for the next biennium,
taking as a starting point the substantive content of the Medium Term Plan, while bearing
in mind comments made by the Programme and Finance Committees, the results of the review
of respective sections of interest to its Technical Committees, and the Council's own
reactions (para. 56) |
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The SPWB 2002-2003 was formulated on that basis. See document CL 120/3. |
| REPORTS OF THE JOINT MEETINGS OF THE PROGRAMME COMMITTEE AND THE
FINANCE COMMITTEE (MAY 2000 AND SEPTEMBER 2000) |
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| Savings and Efficiencies in Governance |
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| Provide additional information on the Round Table Discussion option,
including organizational implications and suggestions for themes that could be chosen in
advance of the Conference, and present them to the June 2001 Session of the Council,
through the Joint Meetings of the Programme and Finance Committees in May 2001 (para. 57) |
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Action has been taken. See document CL 120/18. |
| FAO Presence at the Country Level |
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| Implement the proposals with caution, paying due attention to the
recommendations and suggestions made by the Joint Meeting in September 2000 (para. 59) |
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The Council, at its Hundred and Nineteenth Session, agreed with the
Director-General's proposals to enhance FAO's presence at country level through the
outposting of Senior Technical Officers. The decision of the Council is being implemented
with the due caution desired. Negotiations are in hand with the interested countries,
while staff arrangements are being made for the assignment of Technical Officers to these
positions. |
| Proposals for the Use of Arrears |
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| Do not take a firm decision at this session, but at a future session when
the situation would become clearer, and would provide a better opportunity to do so (para.
61) |
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See document CL 120/4. |
| Accord attention to additional technical support to countries for
strengthening national sanitary and phytosanitary systems, the development of a plant
biotechnology network in Asia, and the provision of additional technical assistance to the
implementation of Codex standards (para 62) |
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Will be factored in the above document. |
| Give priority to the full implementation of the Organization's corporate
administrative systems (para 62) |
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Ditto. |
| Other Matters Arising out of the Reports |
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| Have Chapter 2 be protected as much as possible from transfers (para. 63) |
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Regrettably, it may not be feasible to avoid transfers due to funding
requirements for Oracle. |
| Promote maximum efforts to bring current and planned enhancements of
fully-functioning and reliable systems to fruitful completion of operations (para. 64) |
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Work is ongoing in relation to review of business areas and related
system support as part of the preparations for implementation of the new release of the
Oracle Financial Applications. |
| REPORTS OF THE NINETY-FOURTH (ROME, MAY 2000) AND NINETY-FIFTH (ROME,
SEPTEMBER 2000) SESSIONS OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE |
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| Status of Contributions 2000 |
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| Encourage Member Nations to pay their contributions in full in order to
enable the Organization to continue to fulfill its mandate (para. 67) |
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Language encouraging Member Nations to pay their contributions was
included in the annual call letter to them dated 25 January 2001. |
| Support Costs |
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| Implement the proposed policy on reimbursement rates as summarized in
Annex II of the Report of the Ninety-fifth Session of the Finance Committee (para.
70) |
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This policy is being implemented. |
| Other Matters Arising out of the Reports |
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| Proposal for a Special Session of the Finance Committee in January
2001 |
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| Extend the Session already foreseen for May 2001, provided that any
additional costs resulting from such a Session are kept to a minimum, and have the length
of the extension and content of the agenda determined by the Director-General in
consultation with the Chairperson of the Finance Committee (para. 75) |
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Action taken. The Ninety-sixth Session of the Finance Committee met from
7-12 May 2001 in Rome. |
| CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL MATTERS |
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| REPORT OF THE SEVENTY-FIRST SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTIONAL
AND LEGAL MATTERS (ROME, 10-11 OCTOBER 2000) |
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| Revised Note on the Methods of Work of the Council |
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| Implement the Revised Note on the Methods of Work of the Council attached
to the Report of the Hundred and Nineteenth Session of the Council as Appendix D (para.
77) |
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Action has been taken. See document CL 120/INF/4. |
| Agreement for the Establishment of a Commission for Controlling the
Desert Locust in the Western Region under Article XIV of the FAO Constitution |
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| Implement operative paragraphs of Resolution 1/119 on the Agreement
for the Establishment of a Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Western
Region (para. 78) |
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Action has been taken. |
| OTHER CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL MATTERS |
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| Invitations to Non-Member Nations to Attend FAO Sessions |
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| Have the Russian Federation attend as an observer the Hundred and
Nineteenth Session of the FAO Council (para. 79) |
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Action taken. Invitations sent on 2 October 2000. |
| Applications for Membership in the Organization |
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| Invite the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to participate, in an observer
capacity, in Council sessions, as well as in regional and technical meetings of the
Organization of interest to it (para. 82) |
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Action has been taken. |
| OTHER MATTERS |
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| CALENDAR OF FAO GOVERNING BODIES AND OTHER
MAIN SESSIONS 2001-2002 |
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| Convene FAO Governing Bodies and Other Main Sessions on the basis of the
Calendar for 2001, as reproduced in Appendix F to the Report of the Hundred and
Nineteenth Session of the Council, while noting that the dates for 2002 are indicative
(para. 83) |
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Action has been taken. |
| Present the Calendar of FAO Governing Bodies and Other Main Sessions for
2002 to the Hundred and Twenty-second Session of the Council in November 2001, on the
basis of a Provisional Calendar 2002-2003 to be examined at that Session (para. 83) |
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Action will be taken. |
