CHAIRMAN: Before taking up item 15.1, I would like to inform you that the result of the work done by the Contact Group arid the Director-General on item 15.2 on Questions Arising from United Nations and Other Specialized Agencies with regard to the 14 percent overhead costs has lead to an agreement, and I understood that the text of this agreement will be included in the Draft Report, so it will come to you in due course with the Draft Report - perhaps tomorrow. As a result of this agreement, the delegate of the Philippines has withdrawn the Draft Resolution. I take it that we are all happy with this result, so that in fact - if there are no comments - concludes our debate on item 15.2
We therefore start on item 15.1.
J.D. WALTON (Director, Office for Inter-Agency Affairs): My introductory remarks will be limited to some updating of the paper dealing with the World Food Council.
In that paper, we reported that the Manila Communiqué adopted by the World Food Council was under consideration by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Since the document was drafted, the General Assembly's Second Committee has completed its consideration of this item and has adopted a resolution. This resolution will at a later stage go forward to the General Assembly Plenary for adoption. Until that has happened, it is not a formal resolution of the General Assembly, but approval by Plenary can be taken for granted.
In this resolution, there are a number of operative paragraphs, and I would like to summarize just three which are relevant to the present debate.
In one operative paragraph, the General Assembly adopts the Manila Communiquée - the word used is ''adopts''. In a subsequent paragraph, the Assembly calls upon all Governments, and Specialized Agencies with competence in this field to implement the programme of action fully and as a matter of urgency. In the third place, the Assembly, in a later operative paragraph, urges all Governments and United Nations Organizations and Bodies - particularly FAO - to give full support and encouragement to the World Food Council.
Document C 77/24-Rev.1 gives the Director-General's preliminary reactions to the Manila Communiqué, the text of which is appended to it. The Manila Communiqué is itself broken down into a number of specific subject areas which are shown in the sub-headings.
Under different items of its agenda, the FAO Conference has in fact substantially dealt with almost all questions that appear in the Manila Communiqué. The report of the FAO Conference will of course be the mandate to the Director-General in his subsequent discussions with the Secretariat of the World Food Council regarding the implementation of the Manila Conference, and ultimately the preparation of
the World Food Council. It would, however, be helpful to the Secretariat to have any supplementary guidance that the Conference may wish to give the Director-General in his discussions with the World Food Council Secretariat on this matter.
Ms. A. BERQUIST (Sweden): Since its establishment my Government has been a member of the World Food Council. We have actively participated in the work of the Council at ministerial sessions as well as in preparatory meetings, and also as a member of the Special Working Group on Rules of Procedure for the Council.
We strongly support the mandate given to the World Food Council by the General Assembly to serve as a coordinating mechanism for the successful coordination and follow-up of policies concerning all aspects of world food problems.
Initially, the World Food Council had some difficulties in finding its proper role within the United Nations system. With the successful outcome of the Third Ministerial Session in Manila, my Government now believes that the World Food Council will live up to the expectations placed on it by its founders. My Government strongly supports the 22-point action programme contained in the Manila Communiqué and urges governments and international organizations to implement it.
We also want to pay tribute to the. World Food Council, its Executive Director, Dr. Hannah, its former president, Dr. Marei, and its present president. Dr. Tanco, for their devoted efforts to the establishment of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD. IFAD will shortly be ready to stand on its own feet as a full member of the UN family. We are very much looking forward to IFAD starting its operations, and hope for a close and fruitful cooperation between the Fund and FAO, as well as with other cooperating partners, UNDP, and the World Bank, just to mention a few.
Through active and fruitful cooperation all the organizations and organs in the UN system dealing with food and agricultural questions can together with the Member Governments contribute to a fulfillment of the Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition adopted by the World Food Conference some years ago, and to ensuring a better life for all mankind.
J. BERTELING (Netherlands): Discussing the relations with IFAD, the World Food Council and the Consultative group on Food Production and Investments in developing countries means, in fact, discussing the institutional arrangements of the World Food Council and FAO role in that. IFAD was supposed to be the most important result of that conference, although it did not receive a warm welcome in all quarters of the world immediately. After 3 whole years of discussions, partly caused by the fact that the majority did not agree to a regular and normal front but only wanted a specialized agency, it is about to start its operations now, and my Government is keenly interested in its activities.
FAO has been, and rightly, so, very eager to cooperate with IFAD, and my delegation hopes the cooperation will prove to be a very fruitful one in which IFAD will make use of the enormous technical abilities and knowhow of FAO. Mr. Chairman, the World Food Council will be an organ of the United Nations established within the framework of FAO. The great majority of delegations at the World Food Conference wanted to establish this Council, including those that are now saying that the WFC is, or might be, a danger for FAO. But, Mr. Chairman, it does exist and it does function, and it might function very effectively and, let us be frank, it cannot really be a danger to FAO since its Secretariat is too small, the World Food Council has to work through FAO. My delegation has, therefore, always felt a little sad that the phrase ''accepted in the World Food Council and in the General Assembly within the framework of FAO'' has not been given sufficient substance. In this sense my delegation is disappointed in the relationship between FAO and the World Food Council to a certain extent, and in the leadership of Mr. Tanco and earlier Mr. Marei, and of the Executive Director Mr. Hannah; the World Food Council has started this year to be of substantive importance. Its existence is only justified when it has substantive importance, and when the political leaders are coming to its meetings. It is my Government's sincere hope that the World Food Council will be as effective as possible. The Netherlands is not yet a member of the World Food Council, but it has accepted the results in the Manila declaration and, in effect, we have just heard it from Mr. Walton. Almost all of us have done so by accepting the Resolution in a General Assembly of the United Nations. In those circumstances it is, in our feeling, Mr. Chairman, also in FAO's interest to cooperate closely with the Council.
The Consultative Group for Food Production and Investments: the decision to establish the CGFPI was taken at a very high political level. The three sponsoring agencies, FAO, UNDP and the World Bank, will carry out an evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the group in generating interest from possible new donors, and in serving as a platform for investments in food production. It is our hope that the evaluation makes a decision possible on the future of CGFPI at the same decision making level as the decision on its establishment was taken. My delegation is certainly interested to hear the official views of those delegations for whose countries food plans were formulated.
Summing up, Mr. Chairman, it is our feeling that the records on the institutional arrangements agreed upon by the world Food Conference are not always as favourable as we would have liked to see them after three years, and I hope that FAO will cooperate with all three of them very actively.
J. RUTKOWSKI (Poland): Poland is a member of the World Food Council and therefore we would like to state our position in relation to the document C 77/24-Rev.1 and C 77/LIM/25. We agree with the conclusions contained in the above-mentioned documents that a strict limitation of the competence and scope of activities of FAO and WFC is neither possible nor desirable at the present time. The World Food Council is a high level political body which has to formulate general recommendations and influence government policies. FAO has on the other hand, additional responsibilities, more practical and connected with the development of agriculture in the world as a whole and especially in developing countries.
In this situation more over-lapping activities of both organizations is unavoidable and could hardly be prevented, but we think it should not be something which hinders a positive cooperation between organizations.
The arrangements between FAO and WFC concerning documentation for the World Food Council meetings are, in our opinion, very reasonable and deserve support. Those arrangements can prevent preparation of similar reports and statistics by the two organizations at the same time. The Draft Supplementary arrangements between the UN and FAO regarding cooperation with the World Food Council does not raise any objections on our part. We especially welcome the provisions of Article VII which make it possible to supply WFC with necessary reports and information without waiting for the acceptance of the FAO Council. We think this is a very practicable solution.
The programme of FAO's activities connected with the Manila Communiquè and contained in the document C 77/24-Rev.1 are very practical and should well serve the common purpose of the two organizations.
The topics listed in this document indicate that the programme of work of FAO corresponds to the view of the World Food Council, and their implementation rests mainly in the hands of our Organization.
We are convinced that both Organizations can work harmoniously towards the achievement of our common aim which is the improvement in the world food situation and the assurance of the freedom from hunger for all people.
F. SHEFRIN (Canada): Mr. Chairman, my delegation can associate itself with the views expressed by the delegations of Sweden and the Netherlands, and also in respect of the work of the World Food Council and the other agencies related to the World Food Council. We think that having created these agencies it is very important that there should be a close working relationship, but we would like to stress especially not the kind we have in the exchange of letters once in a while or when you meet for lunch, but a very close working relationship with the opportunity of many within this Organization because the WFC and FAO are sharing the building, and the World Food Council are above all here, and FAO will be almost; round the corner - bearing in mind Roman traffic, - and I think this could be a very good example of the way agencies will be working together at the Secretariat level following the wishes of governments.lt may also help to undermine the criticism which I have heard in the last ten days of this Conference with the bureaucrats and headquarters, so I am hoping the bureaucrats and headquarters, including my good friend Mr. Yriart who I call a “gentle bureaucrat” will ensure that the bureaucrats work together and do not behave like bureaucrats.
W.A.F. GRABISCH (Germany, Federal Republic of) (interpretation from German): At the present time I would like to relate myself to two items, first of all the Consultative Group on Food Production and Investment, CGFPI, and secondly the World Food Council. First of all I would like to say something in
respect of CGFPI. Here and now I would like to make a few comments especially in respect of paragraph 4 and paragraph 5 of the document we have before us, C 77/22, and I would like to say something also about the tasks of CGFPI and its sponsoring agencies. According to paragraph 15 of Resolution XXII of the World Food Conference, CGFPI should serve not only in order to mobilize additional external means for food production in developing countries. After the creation of IFAD and the considerable increase of external means in past years, we consider the work of CGFPI to be above all as follows: firstly, coordination of the activities of the various multilateral and bilateral donors should be improved. Secondly, CGFPI should make sure that the existing means should be used in the best possible way.
Now, we consider that what is important is that in particular the sponsoring agencies and the bilateral donors should better coordinate and harmonize in CGFPI the planning and implementation of projects. Then we shall be able to see where, and to what extent additional external means are required in order to promote further projects.
The presentation of concrete and appropriate projects is a condition for increasing external means. We actually have the impression that the three cosponsors - the World Bank, UNDP and FAO - as far as their cooperation with CGFPI is concerned, have so far been rather reticent.
We would like to know from the Director-General to what extent FAO will support in future the work of CGFPI, and to what extent it will also make full use of this group.
This leads me to my second point; I refer, to the World Food Council, and the relationship between that organ and the FAO. My country, as you know, is a member of the World Food Council. It has participated actively in the deliberations which led to the elaboration of the Manila communiqué. We are therefore happy to see the positive reception enjoyed by the communiqué so far in the General Assembly of the United Nations. We do not really have anything to add to this.
However, we would like to draw the Secretariat's attention to a slight error which we feel has occurred in document C 77/24-Rev.1. In paragraph 10 of page 6 of the English version of this document, instead of: ''A Food Aid Convention be negotiated as an element of a new International Grains Arrangement'', this paragraph should read: ''Ά Food Aid Convention be negotiated in connexion with a new International Grains Arrangement''. The remainder of the paragraph would stay as it is.
I have before me the version of the Manila communiqué which was put to the General Assembly of the United Nations. This is document Supp. 19 (A/32/19) and in this text, the wording is what I have just given to you in respect of paragraph 10.
My last comment on this subject is this: the Council has dealt with the draft of an International Agreement between FAO and the World Food Council. As we can see from paragraph 120 of the Report of the 72nd Session of the Council, it was decided that this draft should be submitted to the Conference, and that the World Food Council, at its fourth session, should consider this draft for the supplementary arrangement between the World Food Council and FAO before it is actually signed. We entirely agree with this procedure.
H.M. CARANDANG (Philippines): The Philippine delegation notes with appreciation the summary given by Dr. Walton on the present status of the Manila communiqué on the favourable reaction which it has elicited from the Member Nations and its implication as far as the International Agencies are concerned.
We strongly endorse - as we have done on other occasions - the mandate of the World Food Council and the importance of the Manila communiqué and endorse the acceptance by all International Agencies of that communiqué. We do so, in the hope that this will contribute, in a concerted effort, to the attack on the problems of food and malnutrition.
We believe that all the developing countries have a lot to benefit from close cooperation between the World Food Council and all the International Agencies, and in particular FAO, in their battle for the elimination of hunger and malnutrition.
M. TRKULYA (Yugoslavia): I would wish to indicate first of all that my country gives its full support to the World Food Council. We have also, from the beginning, been a member of the Council and we participated very actively indeed in all the Council's deliberations. We also, as was indicated by Sweden, took part in the Working Parties of the Council.
We are very glad at the success of the Third Session of the World Food Council and we are pleased to hear from Dr. Walton today that the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly adopted a text which strongly urged support for the Manila communiqué and the activities of the Council in general.
Lastly, I would like to say that we are also glad to note that the Director-General wants to establish and foster further relations between FAO and the World Food Council.
D.M. ULNES (Norway): I had hoped that I would have had more time to prepare myself, but as there seem to be no other speakers, I must certainly take this opportunity to say a few words. I can be very brief, as I echo the views which have been expressed already, particularly by Sweden.
Since its inception, my country has seen the World Food Council as a new and important coordinating link within the UN system relating to the food issue, and it is in this light that we have given and will continue to give the Council our active support, although we are not yet a member of the Council.
Having got off to a very tight start indeed, the future role of the WFC seems to be heading in the right direction after the Manila meeting.
We would like to use this opportunity to pay tribute to Dr. Hannah, who has not spared himself to get the Council to where it stands now. It is important to have great leaders like Dr. Hannah, but I would like to stress that it is equally important that Member Governments give the Council the continued support it will need to keep on the right track and grow into what it was created to become.
We fully support the Manila communiqué and believe that under the present leadership of President Tanco, we see a good future for the Council. We, like other delegations, would conclude by saying that it is equally important that a good and harmonious relationship between the Secretariats of FAO and the Council should be continued, deepened and strengthened.
CHAIRMAN: As there are no more speakers, this will be a very brief summary indeed, because so few delegates have spoken.
With regard to the World Food Council, several delegations spoke about the third meeting of the Council in Manila which they regarded as very successful, and they supported the Manila communiqué.
One delegate was disappointed with the relationship between FAO and the World Food Council, and hoped it would be improved, which he felt was also in the interests of FAO.
With regard to the Consultative Group, some delegates referred to the evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the Group and expressed continued support for the CGFPI. One delegate thought it was important to hear the views of these countries for whom food plans had been or were being drawn up.
With regard to IFAD, I think all delegates looked forward to IFAD coming into operation very shortly.
This concludes Item 15.1, and it concludes the work of this Commission, except for discussion of our draft report.
H.M. CARANDANG (Philippines): I would like to make a little amendment to the Chairman's summary, instead of in the first sentence saying: “several delegations”, we could put ''the Commission''. That would be a better reflection of what happened here, because everybody spoke in the same language, nobody disagreed, and we suppose it is the feeling of the Commission that this should be so.
CHAIRMAN: The Chairman agrees with the correction to his summing up.
W.A.F. GRABISCH (Germany, Federal Republic of) (interpretation from German): On the whole we agree, of course, with the Chairman's summary. After all, this is a certain guideline for the Drafting Committee which will also base itself on what has been said by the various delegations, and no doubt the Drafting Committee will realise that we wanted to make sure that one would state clearly to what extent the sponsoring agencies are prepared to support CGFPI in its work.
In this connexion, we put a question to the Secretariat and to the Director-General and we had hoped that we would be able to get an answer here and now. If this is not possible now, then of course we agree, if we get such an answer on a purely bilateral basis.
CHAIRMAN: I do agree, of course, that the complete and full report on our debate will be drawn up by the Drafting Group.
J.F. YRIART (Assistant Director-General Development Department): Mr. Chairman, as you are aware from the document in front of you, C 77/22, there is an evaluation of the CGFPI in progress, rather advanced, I would say, and it is hoped that next week there will be a meeting of the evaluation team representing the three co-sponors. We hope before the end of the year their report will be presented to the heads of agencies, and eventually the Chairman of the CGFPI will circulate the report to the membership requesting their comments.
At the present time I am afraid we can go no further than this except await eagerly the results of the evaluation and subsequent stages.
CHAIRMAN: Any other comments? In fact, I think we have come to the conclusion of our debate in this Commission except for discussing our Draft Report, which we will do tomorrow.
The meeting rose at 10.50 hours
La séance est levée à 10 h 50
Se levanta la sesión a las 10.50 horas
