From November 18-22 at the Thirty-fifth (special) Session of the FAO Conference in Rome, which approved the $42.6 million, three-year Immediate Plan of Action of the Independent External Evaluation (IEE), a reform initiative blueprint that will drastically change the structure of the FAO, IFAP actively participated in the discussion and brought forth the views of farmers. The IFAP delegation met with FAO leadership and technical staff to initiate much-needed developments toward a mutually beneficial relationship that put farmers at the center of FAO policies.
IFAP Vice President Elisabeth Gauffin, in a very well received intervention at the Conference Plenary, pointed out the need for farmers to be associated as a key partner in the “new FAO.” She said IFAP recognized the need for reform at the FAO and expressed appreciation for the opportunity to comment on the IEE.
“As a farmer reading these strategic objectives, I would say here's a plan for promoting agriculture in the world, and farmers are not even mentioned, even though we have been mentioned here today by many delegates. We want to be part of the plan. There should be something in these objectives about the farmers' and rural peoples' organizations, and not only about setting standards. We agree that FAO has real technical expertise and comparative advantage in sharing this knowledge worldwide, but farmers are your natural partners.”
FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf told the Conference that there would be a "sweeping overhaul of the way FAO works," and in response IFAP insisted on the increased consultation and participation of farmers in this process. IFAP looks forward to being a key partner in preparations for the Summit he proposed for early next year to make sure farmers in developing countries play key roles in leading investment in infrastructure and improved productivity.
In her speech, Gauffin shared Diouf’s appeal for a new system of governance of world food security, and emphasized the importance of farmers being included in a consultative process for policy formulation and implementation to ensure that farmers in developing and developed countries alike earn a decent living.
“IFAP stands ready to develop a long-term sustainable partnership with the FAO,” she concluded, adding that “this partnership would rely on systematic collaboration with our farmers’ organizations at the headquarters, regional and national levels.”
To watch Gauffin’s speech in its entirety, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihd6AYUWCxE
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IFAP is the world farmers’ organization, representing 600 million family farmers grouped in 120 national organizations in 80 countries. It is a global network in which farmers from industrialized and developing countries exchange concerns and set common priorities. IFAP has been advocating farmers’ interests at the international level since 1946 and has General Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. www.ifap.org