The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was founded at a conference in Quebec City on October 16, 1945. Since 1981, that date has been observed annually as World Food Day.
The Conference of FAO, composed of all 169 member nations, Puerto Rico (associate member) and the European Community (member organization), meets every other year to determine the policy and approve FAO's budget and work program. The Council, consisting of 49 member nations elected by the Conference, serves as FAO's governing body between sessions of the Conference.
The aims of FAO are to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living; to improve the production, processing, marketing and distribution of all food and agricultural products from farms, forests and fisheries; to promote rural development and improve the living conditions of rural populations; and, by these means, to eliminate hunger.
One of FAO's priority objectives is to encourage sustainable agriculture and rural development, a long-term strategy for the conservation and management of natural resources. It seeks to meet the needs of present and future generations through programs that do not degrade the environment and are technically appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable. FAO'S other priority is food security, that is, ensuring availability of adequate food supplies; maximizing stability in the flow of supplies; and securing access to food by the poor.
The People's Participation Program promotes the involvement of rural people and disadvantaged groups in decision-making and in the design and implementation of policies and activities affecting their lives. The aim is to strengthen rural people's organizations and encourage collaboration between them, governments and development agencies.
In carrying out these aims, FAO promotes investment in agriculture, better soil and water management, improved yields of crops and livestock, the transfer of technology and the development of agricultural research in developing countries. It promotes the conservation of natural resources, particularly plant genetic resources, and the rational use of fertilizers and pesticides; combats animal diseases; promotes the development of marine and inland fisheries including aquaculture and of new and renewable sources of energy, in particular rural energy; and encourages the sustainable management of forest resources. Technical assistance is provided in all these fields and in others such as nutrition, agricultural engineering, agrarian reform, development communications, remote sensing for natural resources and the prevention of food losses.
Special FAO programs help countries prepare for emergency food situations and provide relief when necessary. Its Global Information and Early Warning System provides current information on the world food situation and identifies countries threatened by shortages, to guide planners and potential donors. Its Food Security Assistance Scheme is designed to assist developing countries set up national food reserves.
Other programs aim at improving seed production and distribution in developing countries and assisting countries in the supply and use of fertilizers. There are also programs to control animal diseases, such as trypanosomiasis, a disease severely limiting survival of livestock in Africa.
FAO acts as the lead agency for rural development in the United Nations system. It also collects, analyses and disseminates information on the above areas, provides policy and planning advice to governments and acts as an international forum for debate on food and agriculture issues. With the United Nations, FAO sponsors the World Food Program.
A World Food Summit took place in Rome from November 13 through 17, 1996. Representatives from over 194 countries attended, including approximately 10,000 delegates and 50 heads of state. The Summit addressed a number of issues ranging from agricultural policy to development aid.
At the conclusion of the Summit, the delegates adopted the Declaration on World Food Security and Plan of Action. In the Declaration, the delegates pledged to halve the number of the world's hungry by the year 2015 which was approximately 840 million in 1996. However, several countries lodged written protests to the Declaration. Some countries argued that the right to food is only an aspiration and is not an international obligation. They objected to a provision calling for rich countries to spend 0.7% of their annual income on development aid.
Source: Basic Facts About the United Nations. Published by United Nations Department of Public Information. Copyright 1995 United Nations.
