The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs has recently published a book called "Supporting Africas efforts to achieve sustainable development: Dialogues at the Economic and Social Council". The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to Member States and to the United Nations, devoted the high-level part of its annual session in July 2001 to Africa. This 268-page publication brings together the key results of the debates, as well as the panel discussions and papers commissioned in its preparation. The section on agriculture and food security in the context of poverty reduction includes presentations by Jacques Diouf, FAO Director General, on "Meeting basic needs" and by Gordon Conway, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, on "Food for all in Africa: Biotechnology, sustainable agriculture and farmer participation". See http://www.un.org/esa/coordination/ecosoc/SupportingAfrica`sEfforts.pdf or contact [email protected] for more information.

03/02/2003