RBAs coordination is a success and must become “even better”

Rome – Collaboration between the three Rome-based United Nations agencies (RBAs) – the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) – has been effective but needs to intensify, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said today.

“Even better coordinated action” is needed after a year during which rising prices of food, feed, fertilizer and fuel have exacerbated existing global challenges to food security, he said at the Sixth Informal Joint RBA Meeting of the FAO Council, IFAD Executive Board and the WFP Executive Board. Acute food insecurity is rising globally at an “unacceptable” pace, he added.

IFAD President, Alvaro Lario, and WFP Executive Director, David Beasley, also addressed the meeting, noting that global food security challenges are increasingly complex.

“It is important to recognize the successes of our work together,” Qu said, pointing out some of the longstanding and significant examples of RBA collection, including the Sahel programme and a set of initiatives focusing on gender equality and empowerment that has reduced hunger and malnutrition rates in 15 countries.

The Director-General also mentioned recent measures to redirect RBA efforts to ensure stronger coordination in humanitarian crisis contexts, to monitor the impacts of rising prices for key agrifood items through inter-agency platforms, such as the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS), as well as through the UN Interagency Standing Committee (IASC), and to place food security high on the global political agenda.

Joint advocacy efforts, in particular through the Global Network Against Food Crises, have helped raise awareness of the urgent need or action to address the root causes of food crises. The UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, hosted by FAO, is another example of effective cooperation.

Such RBA collaboration “is needed to continue to transition from crisis interventions to longer-term development,” Qu said.

He suggested that the RBAs consider making joint proposals to obtain support for donors interested in the added value of each agency’s playing their comparative advantage in a complementary way.

“Each of us has our own unique contributions to make, but it is imperative that we work as One UN,” Qu added.

While RBAs work to be more flexible and fit for purpose, the role of Members is critical, he told representatives of the governing bodies of the three agencies. “Your strategic vision and support are key for our successful collaboration and collective outcomes.”