EVENTS
THEMATIC GROUPS
FEATURE ARTICLES
ACC/SCN
The Administrative Committee on Coordination Sub-Committee on Nutrition (ACC/SCN) was established in 1977 following the World Food Conference. The mandate of the SCN is to raise awareness of nutrition problems and mobilize commitment to solve them at global, regional and national levels; to refine the direction, increase the scale and strengthen the coherence and impact of actions against malnutrition worldwide; and to promote co-operation amongst UN agencies and partner organizations in support of national efforts to end malnutrition in this generation.
The ACC/SCN publishes the Report on World Nutrition every two to three years, Nutrition Policy Papers, the SCN News, and quarterly bulletins on the nutritional status of refugees and displaced persons. In addition, the SCN has recently formulated a 10-year Strategic Plan, which identifies key actions for agencies' efforts to support countries in their work towards ending malnutrition. These key actions are: 1 - Promoting harmonized policies for greater impact; 2 - Reviewing the UN system response to malnutrition; and 3 - Advocacy and mobilization.
The ACC/SCN plans to hold its 28th Session on 2-6 April in Nairobi, Kenya.
A Symposium on Nutrition and HIV/AIDS will be held on Tuesday, April 3, with the keynote address given by Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS. For more information, please contact the ACC/SCN Secretariat.
Guinea-Bissau: Thematic Group Activities
The Thematic Group on Rural Development and Food Security in Guinea-Bissau has led an active group since 1998 with a diverse membership. UN agencies, government officials, and representatives of civil society, private sector and bilateral organizations meet regularly to exchange information on national projects and UN-led initiatives, as well as to generate discussions on specific issues or projects.
Some of the Group's main activities include European Union-funded Food Crop Seeds Multiplication and Marketing project formulation; a FAO-funded project on Rehabilitation of Agrometeorological and Climatological Activities within the National Meteorology Service; Animal Diseases Control project formulation; and Telefood projects on fish conservation practices (e.g. Appui à la conservation du poisson à Cacine and Appui aux femmes transformatrices de poisson à Buba) and agriculture development (e.g. Lutte contre la faim and Appui à la transformation des produits locaux).
The Group is also currently working on finalizing a document,
Diagnosis on Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries and
Nutrition Sectors within the framework of Food Security,
which takes into consideration recommendations made during
Thematic Group meetings. The document is a contribution to the
Common Country Assessment (CCA) process.
(For a copy of the document, please contact the
President of the Thematic Group or the
ACC Network Secretariat.)
Morocco: Follow-up to the World Food Summit (WFS)
Chaired by M. Amor Ben Romdhane, FAO Representative in Morocco, the fourth meeting of the Thematic Group on Food Security and Sustainable Rural Development (Groupe Thématique Sécurité Alimentaire et Développement Rural Durable) in Morocco was held at the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) on December 12, 2000.
Representatives, 7 of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), 13 of the Government, and 10 of the United Nations System, were present to discuss current FAO-Morocco programmes of cooperation, including the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS), and the formulation of the national Common Country Assessment (CCA) and United Nations Development Assistance Framework II (UNDAF II).
The National Report for follow-up to the World Food Summit (WFS) Plan of Action, presented by its focal point, Mr. Alaoui, indicated the efforts made by the Government to reduce poverty and ensure access to adequate food in the country. In the future, the Government will focus on climate issues and the development of dry lands. (Implementation of the WFS Plan of Action in Morocco - French only)
The meeting decided to constitute two sub-groups: Sub-group 1 on 'Food Security and Rural Development' will be coordinated by the WFP Country Representative for Morocco, and Sub-group 2 on 'Management of Natural Resources and Environment' will be coordinated by the Assistant Resident Representative of UNDP. (Thematic Group Terms of Reference - French only)
Nicaragua: National Agricultural Development 2010
In Central America, the Thematic Group in Nicaragua, known as DRYSA (Grupo Temático sobre Desarrollo Rural y Seguridad Alimentaria), was established in 1999 within the UN reform process, and continues to make significant progress in bringing together a wide cross-section of development partners in the country for concerted efforts to alleviate hunger. The Group enjoys a high profile in the country's UN system and counts representatives of FAO, WFP, UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA and the World Bank amongst its members. But DRYSA is also noteworthy for encouraging the participation of several government ministries, civil society organizations (including CARE, Save the Children, national universities and a farmers' association) and various bilateral and multilateral donors in Group activities.
To date, this broad membership has enabled stakeholders to coordinate the preparation of a document, 'Nicaragua: Poverty and Food Insecurity' (Investigacion sobre pobreza rural y situacion de la seguridad alimentaria) with the financial support of UNDP, to prepare recommendations to improve the proposal of a new law on food security.
At their first meeting of 2001, the Thematic Group welcomed Ing. José Augusto Navarro Flores, Minister of Agriculture, and Forestry (MAGFOR), who responded to comments and queries from assembled Group members on details of the government's Strategy for National Agricultural Development 2010 (Estrategia de Desarrollo Agrícola Horizonte 2010). This important document had been presented in-depth to country stakeholders at a one-day workshop earlier in January.
As a result of the Thematic Group meeting, upon request of the Minister of MAG-FOR, a working group has been formed to prepare a summary of the Group's principle recommendations and suggestions on the Strategy.
For further information about DRYSA, please contact the Mr. Jean Francois Ghyoot, FAOR in Nicaragua.
Niger: Special Programme for Food Security
In Niger, the National Committee for the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) assists the Government in the implementation of the National Food Security Programme (Phase II of SPFS). The National Food Security Programme focuses on the following four strategic components:
Although only in its pilot phase in the country, the SPFS in Niger has produced interesting results within the domains of agriculture and livestock, such as technology modernization, prioritizing small entrepreneurs and women and multidisciplinary approaches, all of which help to improve the management of human resources, develop partnerships and establish regional committees.
A Round Table is scheduled at the end of this year to formulate a comprehensive National Food Security Programme, including a Plan of Action, which is to take into consideration past and on-going activities in the area of food security.
The ACC Network Thematic Group is currently collecting existing documents and compiling an inventory of past activities and projects to be included in the draft Programme, which is to be presented at the Round Table. The Thematic Group will assist the Government of Niger in implementing the National Food Security Programme.
The eradication of poverty - and in particular rural poverty - is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today. It has been estimated that over half of the world's poor live in rural areas and the question of how to alleviate rural poverty continues unabated.
A brief update follows on some of the latest information resources related to rural poverty produced by ACC Network partners - from publications to websites, networks and e-lists.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) - the only UN organization with a founding mandate to reduce rural poverty - has officially launched its Rural Poverty Report 2001. The publication focuses on the critical nature of rural poverty eradication in reducing global poverty and proposes a framework for rural poverty reduction based on recent development experience and prospects for the coming decades. Based on IFAD's regional assessments, thematic papers, and consultations with IFAD's operational staff and associated experts, the Report identifies five determinants of rural poverty reduction: technologies; assets; markets and market access; institutions; and forms of civil society. It also highlights three central issues through which these determinants will affect rural poverty in the next two decades, namely: food staples, water and redistribution. For on-line summaries and details of how to order the full version of IFAD's Rural Poverty Report 2001, contact IFAD.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), about 24,000 people die from the effects of hunger each day - that amounts to about one person every 3.5 seconds. The Programme has recently produced a full-colour Map of World Hunger, which provides invaluable illustrated information on the incidence and effects of hunger around the world. The map is available free-of-charge to organizations and can be ordered by contacting WFP.
A child born today in the developing world has a four out of ten chance of living in extreme poverty. That is one of the disturbing statistics included in UNICEF's annual State of the World's Children 2000. The report profiles the everyday lives of parents and other caregivers who, affected by war, poverty and the HIV/AIDS epidemic, are striving to protect the basic rights and meet the needs of children. Both long and short versions of the publication are available on-line.
The Paris-based International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) / Fédération internationale des producteurs agricoles (FIPA) was established in 1946 to enhance cooperation between the organizations of agricultural producers and aims to improve the economic and social status of those whose livelihoods depend on the land. The organization's newly-published Millennium Survey, Actions to Reduce Rural Poverty and the Role of Farmers' Organizations, highlights the importance and impact of anti-poverty strategies undertaken by peasant organizations and details specific initiatives in selected countries of Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central and South America.
To find out more about IFAP/FIPA and the Millennium Survey, visit their newly-designed website.