Enabling poor rural people
to overcome poverty



The United Nations Development Group (UNDG)

The principal objectives of UNDG are to:

  • serve as a policy development and management instrument contributing to and implementing policy, administrative and operational decisions of each member agency in support of UN development work;
  • contribute to strengthening policy coherence and cost-effectiveness of UN development operations by reducing duplication and pooling resources and services so as to maximize programme impact and minimize administrative costs;
  • provide a forum for heads of agencies to consult on submissions to their governing bodies on substantive and administrative aspects of operational activities that have implications for other members of the group as a whole;
  • promote a more unified UN presence at the country level through, inter alia, concerted directives to resident coordinators and field representatives in order to ensure greater unity of purpose and coherence in performance;
  • assist the Secretary-General in leading the process of change and instituting sound management throughout the organization; and
  • advocate the comparative advantages and results of UN multilateral development cooperation.

UNDG is chaired by the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and includes representatives of IFAD, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations Development Fund for Women, the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), the United Nations Office for Project Services, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Regional Commissions, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The UNDG Executive Committee includes representatives of UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, WFP and other entities that participate as warranted by their interests and mandate. The Executive Committee provides leadership to UNDG in organizing its programme of work and setting its priorities. It also offers a forum through which executive heads may make joint policy decisions on operational issues of common concern within their executive authority.

Since 1998, UNDG's major tasks have been to:

  • oversee the preparation, review and evaluation of common country assessments (CCAs) and United Nations development assistance frameworks (UNDAFs);
  • ensure the use of UNDAF as the common framework within agreed objectives and time horizons for the formulation of country programmes and projects by all UNDG members and others involved in the UNDAF process;
  • strengthen the Resident Coordinator System (RCS) and improve resident coordinator selection and appraisal procedures;
  • promote the establishment of UN houses and the use of common services at the country level;
  • strengthen cooperation and coordination at policy and operational levels with the Bretton Woods institutions and other international financial institutions (IFIs);
  • promote the integration of cross-cutting issues such as human rights and gender into all UN development operations;
  • facilitate and support the integration of UN Information Centres serving developing countries into resident coordinator offices; and
  • collaborate with the executive committees on peace and security and humanitarian affairs in developing the concept and practice of preventive development and ensuring that the development perspective is fully integrated into post-conflict peace-building initiatives.

IFAD participates in a variety of meetings and working groups associated with UNDG, most notably the subgroup developing guidelines for a new UN-system-wide programming tool. IFAD recently attended one of the UNDG bimonthly meetings and contributed to preparation of an Action Strategy for the United Nations for Halving Extreme Poverty that had been requested by the Senior Management Group of the Secretary-General.

The United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF)

As a key component of the United Nations Secretary-General's programme for reform, in 1997 UNDG proposed the establishment of UNDAF with a view to bringing "greater coherence to the United Nations programmes of assistance at the country level…with common objectives and time frames in close consultation with governments". UNDAF, both as a process and as an instrument, is based on the CCA and generates a common understanding of the causes of development problems as well as the needs and priorities of the country. UNDAF is central to country-level reform and aims at greater coherence and impact of UN programmes on the lives of the poor and vulnerable. Through UNDAF, all UN-system organizations involved in development work within a given country are to join together under the RCS to strengthen the quality of the support they provide to national priorities.

The main objectives of UNDAF are:

  • improved focus and results orientation, identifying where the UN system can make the most difference using its unique strengths as a development partner;
  • stronger unity of purpose and team spirit within the UN system;
  • increased collaboration through a mix of agency, parallel and joint programming;
  • better integration of the normative and operational aspects of development cooperation;
  • increased dialogue and stronger partnerships and alliances with other members of the development community;
  • more efficient use of limited resources, based on improved division of labour, rationalization of resource allocation and streamlining of procedures; and
  • improved opportunity for securing increased resources in support of national needs and priorities.

To this effect, UNDAF seeks to highlight the major development challenges facing a given country, its key national development goals and its strategies and priorities. It also indicates how the UN system proposes to respond to those challenges, building on mechanisms and existing documentation available at the country level.

Participation in UNDAF is determined by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 53/192 and additional measures taken by the UN Secretary-General and UNDG that require, among other things, "full government participation…and its full ownership through the agreement of the recipient governments concerned to the finalized Framework". The same resolution invites the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and regional development banks to participate "with a view to increased complementarity and better division of labour, as well as enhanced coherence...in sectoral activities". It also calls for close consultation with civil society, the private sector and the donor community (including other IFIs).

IFAD has joined UNDAF in view of its special status as a UN specialized agency. However, partly because of its lack of field staff, the Fund's participation is limited. A CCA/UNDAF workshop was held at IFAD in November 1999 for the purpose of introducing a greater number of headquarters staff to the programming tools and engaging in a dialogue on the value-added contribution of the planning framework to IFAD. The workshop was well attended by mid-level and senior personnel and was seen as a helpful and valuable exercise by participants and organizers alike. In addition, a study is being conducted as to how CCAs can increase the impact of IFAD's efforts in certain countries and how the Fund may incorporate the best practices thus identified into its portfolio. Indeed, the Fund is considering the possibility of pilot participation in UNDAF processes in three or four countries in the future.

Common Country Assessment (CCA)

In October 1995, the Joint Consultative Group on Policy (JCGP) decided to develop a mechanism for furthering understanding of priority issues - both for action through individual organizations' country programmes and for collective interventions. To that end, it was agreed to launch the CCA initiative, a country-based process for reviewing and analysing national development situations and identifying key issues as a basis for policy dialogue, advocacy and subsequent programming. The CCA was given renewed impetus as an important part of the country-level measures initiated by the Secretary-General's Programme for Reform, both as a stand-alone exercise and as a basis for programming frameworks.

The CCA is a highly participatory process involving the UN system, government, civil society, the private sector and the donor community. It aims to stimulate constructive interaction and debate on all issues having an impact on national development, with a view to arriving at a common understanding of development challenges and their causes. As such, the CCA is an essential first step in preparing an UNDAF, but can also be used for other frameworks, such as the World Bank's Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF), or by development partners to formulate their own programmes of cooperation. CCA results should facilitate joint planning and programme formulation with national partners and the donor community.

Country Strategy Note (CSN)

According to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 53/192, the country strategy note (CSN) is a policy statement voluntarily prepared by government with the assistance of and in collaboration with organizations of the UN system. It constitutes the outcome of a process of consultation between the government, the UN system and the donor community. The CSN indicates national priorities to be supported by the UN system and gives a broad frame of reference for development operational activities. Normally covering a period of four to five years, the CSN is aimed at achieving better relevance, coordination and impact of operational activities undertaken by the UN system. The CSN - or where it does not exist other similar frameworks reflecting national priorities - should be used as the basis for the preparation of an UNDAF to ensure that it responds to national development priorities and needs.

The United Nations System Chief Executives Board (CEB) for Coordination

The United Nations System Chief Executives Board (CEB) for Coordination - formerly the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) - is the forum which brings the executive heads of all organizations to further coordination and cooperation on the whole range of substantive and management issues facing the United Nations system. Chaired by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Board meets twice annually.

IFAD and WFP jointly hosted the Millenium ACC (since renamed CEB), which was held in Rome, 6-7 April 2000 and more recently FAO hosted the CEB meeting on 10-11 April 2002. It is composed of the Executive Heads of the member organizations1 and is assisted by two high level committees, the High Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) and the High Level Committee on Management (HLCM).

ACC was established by the Secretary-General in 1946 at the request of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in Resolution 13 (III). The main purpose of the Committee was to supervise the implementation of the agreements between the United Nations and the specialized agencies. Since then, its mandate has grown to encompass the promotion of cooperation within the UN family in the pursuit of the common goals of Member States across a wide range of substantive and management issues. From its original four members (UN, ILO, FAO and UNESCO), CEB today comprises twenty-seven member organizations, including UN funds and programmes as well as specialized agencies, WTO and the Bretton Woods institutions.

Third UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-III)

IFAD took an active part in the Third UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-III), held in Brussels in May 2001. The conference, which focused on The Challenge of Eradicating Poverty, brought together kings and heads of states and governments to discuss what can be done in coming years to help LDCs eradicate poverty. The President of IFAD delivered a keynote address at the high-level interactive panel debate on Enhancing Productive Capacities: The Agricultural Sector and Food Security.

Most of the discussions focused on what can be done to assist LDCs. IFAD emphasized that rural poverty eradication should be the main focus of the conference, highlighting the fact that the bulk of the poor and food-insecure people live in rural areas. IFAD also called for increased ODA to combat poverty and a reversal of the decline in agricultural investment. In IFAD's view, development efforts will succeed if poverty-reduction programmes are refocused on rural people and on agriculture. Development partners must work to eradicate poverty and tackle food insecurity in a way that is environmentally sustainable.

The United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development

The United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD), held in Monterrey, Mexico, from 18 to 22 March 2002, addressed the challenges of financing for development by bringing together different components of the international economic, financial and trading system into a Monterrey Consensus. With the Monterrey Consensus, the international community reached agreement on the major building blocks of a more coherent and holistic global system by recognizing the interconnectedness of national, international and systemic challenges of financing for development in this era of interdependence and globalization. The eradication of poverty, the achievement of sustained economic growth and the promotion of sustainable development have been identified as the fundamental goals of this effort. The Monterrey Consensus also recognized the urgent need for mobilizing national and international resources and increasing the effective use of existing resources for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration. Several donor countries used the occasion of FfD Conference to announce increases in official development assistance (ODA) commitments. The European Union decided to boost its ODA to 0.39 percent of income by 2006, while the United States announced that it would increase ODA by USD 5 billion within three years.

IFAD has closely followed the FfD process from its conception and was actively engaged in the proceedings at the critical juncture when negotiations of the outcome document commenced in 2001. IFAD's involvement in the process was guided by the combined objectives of ensuring that resource mobilization for rural development received balanced attention throughout the FfD process and promoting concrete proposals and strategies for reversing the overall declines in resources for rural and agricultural development.

During the debate of the FfD summit segment a significant number of delegations from developed and developing countries alike recognized the relevance of agricultural and rural development for poverty reduction. One fifth of all delegations referred to agriculture and the specific needs of rural areas in their statements. Several countries highlighted particular aspects of rural development, including the problems faced by smallholder farmers, the need for infrastructure development and market access, women's role in agriculture and the importance of access to and ownership of land for poor people.

IFAD Engagement in the FfD Preparatory Process

The three Rome-based United Nations agencies - IFAD, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) - pursued a joint approach towards FfD at the intergovernmental level, bearing in mind the complementary of mandate and similarity of objectives and thematic focus. The collaboration of the three agencies extended from the Third and Fourth Sessions of the FfD preparatory committee (PrepCom) to the Monterrey Conference itself.

· Third Session of the PrepCom, 15-19 October 2001. The President of IFAD delivered a joint statement on behalf of IFAD/FAO/WFP during the Session, highlighting the need for mobilizing resources and providing financial, technical and food assistance in the fight against hunger and rural poverty. The President of IFAD also discussed the institution's approach towards FfD in greater detail with the FfD Bureau members in a private meeting. In addition, IFAD/FAO and WFP jointly prepared and widely circulated the agencies' comments on the first draft of the outcome document, later called the Monterrey Consensus.

· Fourth Session of the PrepCom, 14-25 January 2002: The Deputy Executive Director of WFP addressed the session on behalf of the three Rome-based United Nations agencies. The jointly prepared comments on the second draft of the outcome document were shared with delegations. Representatives of the three agencies also engaged in a coordinated and sustained outreach effort with a view to building support among member states for inclusion of pro-rural poor language in the outcome document.

IFAD Involvement in the FfD

IFAD's participation at the FfD Conference was based on the principle that through continuous and sustained engagement in multilateral processes IFAD can contribute to redirecting resources towards rural development and agriculture. The Monterrey Consensus requires follow-up actions, and institutional stakeholders and other participants need to ensure that the commitments contained in the document are indeed realized on the ground.

A two-pronged approach marked IFAD's engagement in the FfD Conference. On the one hand, IFAD, FAO and WFP continued to participate jointly in a number of activities in areas where a coherence of message of the three Rome-based agencies has proven to be an effective strategy in the preparatory process. On the other hand, IFAD also pursued separate and individual activities to highlight IFAD-specific aspects of financing for development, particularly as it affects the rural poor.

(a) Joint activities of the three Rome-based agencies included the following:

  • A joint press conference was scheduled for the opening day of the Conference. The President of IFAD, the Deputy Executive Director of WFP and the Assistant Director General of FAO were in attendance and met the press. A joint press release had been prepared by the three agencies in advance and was made available to the press.
  • A side event on the topic of " Reducing Poverty and Hunger: The critical role of financing for rural development, food and agriculture", co-sponsored by IFAD, FAO, WFP and the World Bank, took place on the second day of the conference. The event was chaired by the treasurer of Mexico, and participants included the finance minister of Mozambique, an under secretary of state of the United States and representatives of academia, the science community and civil society. The president of IFAD, deputy executive director of WFP and assistant director general of FAO were actively engaged in the debate following the presentations.
  • Background Paper: As a background note for the side event, the three agencies prepared an analytical report on the subject of "Reducing Poverty and Hunger: The critical role of financing for food, agriculture and rural development". The report concludes that the eradication of poverty and hunger is within the capacity of the global society provided the political will for acting on those objectives can be mobilized. Agriculture and rural development are identified as key dimensions for achieving overall economic growth and poverty reduction for most developing countries, given that the majority of the poor live in rural areas and depend for their livelihoods on agriculture and the rural economy.

(b) IFAD-specific activities undertaken at the Monterrey Conference

  • Participation in the general debate of the ministerial segment: The President of IFAD delivered a statement in the general debate of the ministerial segment. His statement focuses on the need to increase ODA resources for rural poverty eradication and in support of the productive activities of the poor.
  • Participation in round tables: The President participated in both ministerial and summit-level round tables organized as part of the official conference programme. The discussions centred on the topics of "Coherence in Development" and "International Conference on Financing for Development: Looking Ahead", respectively. The President actively engaged in the round table dialogues by highlighting that national development efforts need to be supported by international action and resources, including ODA.
  • Bilateral meetings: The President used the occasion to hold bilateral meetings with a number of government representatives, including the president of Venezuela, the United States secretary of the treasury, several European Union ministers, members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and representatives from major developing countries.
  • Media: A tour to an IFAD-supported project located near Monterrey was organized for journalists to provide them with a view of the practical and concrete dimension of financing for rural development. In addition, the President of IFAD gave about 25 interviews to members of the print media, radio and television services.
  • Exhibit: IFAD participated in an exhibit to display and distribute publications and other IFAD information material to delegations and the press.
  • Publication: A revision of the paper entitled "Financing Development: The rural dimension", which had been prepared for the discussion on the same subject at the Twenty-Fifth Session of the Governing Council, was made available to delegations at the conference and served as an additional input to the IFAD/FAO/WFP-organized side event on "Reducing Poverty and Hunger: The critical role of financing for food, agriculture and rural development."

World Food Summit: Five Years Later

At the Seventy-Second Session of the Executive Board in April 2001, Board Directors recommended that IFAD play a proactive role in preparing for the World Food Summit: Five Years Later (WFS:fyl) in response to the information provided in document EB 2001/72/R.32 on action taken by IFAD to follow up on the recommendations of the 1996 World Food Summit. The present report updates the information contained in that document and describes activities undertaken or planned in the run-up to WFS:fyl.

At the World Food Summit held in November 1996, world leaders meeting in Rome committed themselves to halving, by the year 2015, the number of undernourished people in the developing world. To that end, the Summit endorsed seven commitments setting out how, and by whom, policies and actions aimed at sustained poverty alleviation and assuring food security might be achieved. While an emphasis on working with local often physically remote communities has been a feature of IFAD's lending activities, recent experience has also confirmed that the scope of IFAD operations must include working with governments at the national level to ensure that policies and programmes are fully consistent with activities being planned and implemented at the community level.

The Rome-based United Nations agencies - FAO, WFO and IFAD - recently collaborated to produce System-wide Guidance on Household Food Security and Nutrition, a document that underlined fundamental points of common understanding on household food security: "Although there have been a variety of definitions used in the last decade as the concept developed, there are no serious underlying contradictions. Households are considered food secure when they have year-round access to the amount and variety of safe foods their members need to lead active and healthy lives. Thus, household food security has three key dimensions: the availability of food, access to food, and utilization of food."

IFAD projects typically address more than one of these key dimensions. Even when projects do not intentionally address household security, they often create consequences for food security at the household level, whether positive or negative. Nutrition status is broadly determined by three factors: food security, health and caring practices.

The natural focus of IFAD projects tends to be on the security factor. However, in project areas where primary health systems are severely constrained and communities prioritize improvements in these services, IFAD projects retain the flexibility to address such needs and priorities.

Five years later, however, the indications are that the number of undernourished people is falling at the rate of only 8 million people each year, which is less than half the average rate of 20 million per year that is needed to reach the 2015 target. Moreover, with three quarters of the world's poor located in the rural areas of developing countries, much greater emphasis will need to be placed on rural development and, in particular, on stimulating growth in the agricultural sector.

In view of the foregoing, the FAO Conference recommended at its November 2000 session that a 'Five Years Later' follow-up meeting be held in order to consider measures for achieving more rapid progress in meeting the World Food Summit's target to reduce by half the number of undernourished people in the developing world. At the proposed Summit to be held in Rome, Italy, on 10-13 June 2002, World leaders will be requested to outline the measures needed to achieve the goal, and make suggestions on how to accelerate progress. They are also expected to consider how to increase resources available for agricultural and rural development.

WFS:fyl related activities

IFAD has taken a number of initiatives in preparing for WFS:fyl, including a series of informal discussions and meetings with officials of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). IFAD provided general comments on the two main papers prepared for WFS:fyl by FAO - "Mobilizing Resources to Fight Hunger" and "Fostering the Political Will to Fight Hunger" - that were discussed at the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) held in May 2001. In addition to providing comments, the Vice President of IFAD delivered a statement to the CFS on the subject of the Fund's Rural Poverty Report 2001 and the challenge of ending rural poverty.

IFAD chaired the two-day High-Level Panel on Resource Mobilization, convened by FAO in June 2001 and attended by representatives of regional development banks, multilateral institutions and international financial institutions. The goal of the panel was to:

  • strengthen the resolve of participating institutions to ensure adequate multilateral resource flows for hunger and poverty reduction, giving priority to agricultural and rural development and to the broadening of access to food to make sure that the goals of the World Food Summit are achieved;
  • identify ways of increasing the amounts and improving the terms and conditions under which multilateral resources are made available to low-income countries, especially for agricultural and rural development and poverty alleviation programmes, including those for hunger reduction, and ensure that committed countries do not once again burden themselves with unserviceable debt; and
  • examine ways and means of financing the provision of transboundary and global public goods to guarantee safe and sufficient worldwide food supplies and sustainable management of land and water resources.

The panel agreed that the chances of success would be increased through improved operational efficiency and strengthened partnerships between the institutions involved. Closer partnerships would promote a common understanding of the links between food security, agriculture and economic development and of the ways in which improved investment in agriculture and rural development can contribute to the achievement of the Summit's goals. An adequate supply of pertinent global public goods was needed in order to create and maintain an environment that would allow for maximum impact of international lending to agriculture and rural development.

While the Summit's Plan of Action places the responsibility for ensuring food security on the governments themselves, both civil society and the private sector have an important role to play. In light of this, IFAD is also preparing for its participation in the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Forum to be held at the time of WFS:fyl and the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue.

IFAD is in close contact with the Summit organizers and is exploring avenues for joint activities with FAO and other agencies. In addition to delivering statements to the plenary, IFAD will actively participate in the roundtable discussions and the general debate. The Summit will also be an opportunity for the President of IFAD to meet with the heads of delegations and government representatives.

On the public information side, IFAD will have its own exhibit stand to display and distribute publications and other information material to delegations and members of the press. In addition, a press kit containing topical fact sheets has been prepared in all the IFAD official languages and Chinese. The kit will be included in the joint WFS:fyl press material.

On the initiative of IFAD, the three Rome agencies prepared city maps of Rome for general distribution: these maps include information on the three agencies. IFAD also negotiated with the Aeroporto di Roma to have eight large advertisement boards displayed at the terminal, and free of charge, for one year. The boards serve as visual pictorial displays of the presence of the three UN agencies in Rome that are supported by the Government of Italy.

IFAD took part in the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping System (FIVIMS) Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG). The Summit will provide an opportunity for Member States and agencies to reaffirm their commitment to the FIVIMS initiative and to increase efforts in this regard so as to rapidly transmit the benefits of improved information to decision-makers at all levels.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development

At its fifty-fifth session, the UN General Assembly agreed to organize the 10-year review of progress in the implementation of United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) as the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). The Summit will be hosted by South Africa in Johannesburg from 26 August to 4 September 2002. IFAD, like other international organizations, were invited to participate fully in the 10-year review "in order to reflect their experiences and lessons learned as well as to provide ideas and proposals for the way forward for further implementation of Agenda 21 in relevant areas."

IFAD experience illustrates that one of the keys to successful poverty alleviation is enabling rural poor people to have access to natural resource and to the technologies to use these resources productively and sustainably. Seventy-five percent of the world's poor live in rural areas and make their living largely through the land on which they live. Their enterprises and households collectively account for much of the land, water and labour engaged in agricultural production. They play a critical role in managing and conserving the world's natural resources. Indeed, the Fund's Strategic Framework for 2002-2006 recognizes that "improving equitable access to productive natural resources and technology" is key to poverty alleviation.

The 1992 UNCED Conference in Rio de Janeiro, was a landmark event to secure economic, social and environmental well being for present and future generations. With the adoption of Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and the UNCED related conventions, world leaders defined a clear sustainable development project. The agenda that was established at the Rio summit was a well-balanced vision of sustainable development, i.e. it integrated people's economic and social needs in respect to earth's resources and its ability to regenerate itself. It was regarded as a powerful, long-term vision.

Nonetheless, ten years later, despite initiatives by governments, international organisations, business, civil society groups and individuals to achieve sustainable development, progress towards the goals established at the Rio Summit has been slower than anticipated and in some cases conditions are worse then they were ten years ago.

Thus, the goal of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa (24 August - 4 September 2002), is to conduct a review of Agenda 21 and its implementation, with one of the key outputs being a "concise and focused document that emphasizes the need for a global partnership and integrated and strategically focused approach to the implementation of Agenda 21, addresses the main challenges and opportunities faced by the international community, and reinvigorates at the highest level, global commitment to a North-South partnership, a higher level of international solidarity, accelerated implementation of Agenda 21 and promotion of sustainable development."

Hence, the Johannesburg Summit is expected to reaffirm the goal of sustainable development in terms that can command broad understanding and support. It is also intended to articulate the importance of partnerships between countries and between governments and civil society.

Global preparations for WSSD

Global preparations for the summit are taking place under the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), which meets annually to monitor and follow up on the Earth Summit agreements. Preparatory meetings began in April/May 2001 and will continue into 2002, with:

  • PrepCom-II: 28 January - 8 February 2002 at the UN headquarters in New York;
  • PrepCom-III: 25 March to 5 April 2002 at the UN headquarters in New York;
  • PrepCom-IV and final: 27 May to 7 June 2002, in Bali, Indonesia.

The issues for the Johannesburg Summit include the following key topics which have been clustered as follows:

  • poverty eradication,
  • unsustainable patterns of consumption and production,
  • sustainable management of natural resources, and
  • the underpinning need to make globalization work to promote sustainable development.

For each broad topic, there are several dozen recommendations for immediate action. The Summit is expected to result in three outcome documents:

  • a political declaration that expresses new commitments and direction for implementing sustainable development;
  • a negotiated programme of action that will guide government implementation; and
  • a non-negotiated compilation of new commitments and partnership initiatives for specific actions

IFAD Involvement in the WSSD

IFAD has followed the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) process from its inception and has been actively engaged in the preparatory discussions at various critical junctures including during the sessions of the WSSD Preparatory Committee meetings (or PrepComs) when negotiations of the outcome document are being discussed.

IFAD's involvement in the process should be viewed within the context of declining official development assistance (ODA) in support of agriculture and rural development programs and is guided by the combined objectives of sharing its knowledge and experience in mainstreaming Agenda 21, and exchanging information on new ways of achieving sustainable development so as to improve the resource rights of the rural poor. The Fund's advocacy role will make a case in favor of redirecting and/or increasing the share of committable resources to sustainable agriculture, rural development, and food security over the coming decade and that agriculture and rural development receives balanced attention throughout the WSSD process.

The President will lead the IFAD delegation to the Johannesburg Summit and will participate in the high-level segments and in side events planned around the Summit.

In preparation for the Summit, a WSSD Working Group, chaired by the Assistant President for External Affairs Department, and composed of representatives from various departments was formed earlier this year. The Working Group Chair reports to the President on a regular basis.

IFAD participated and played an active part in the recently held WSSD sessions of PrepCom-II and PrepCom-III, both held at the UN headquarters in New York earlier this year. The sessions were an opportunity for IFAD to meet informally with various delegations and Major Groups to present its views. These contacts are also useful in that they help gauge countries' and groups' views regarding specific issues.

During the PrepCom-II, the Vice-President of IFAD delivered an address to the WSSD plenary on behalf of the President. The Vice President also joined an IFAD co-sponsored panel discussion on "Rural Matters". Other participants included the World Bank, FAO, CGIAR and a representative from NGOs. The side event was well attended.

IFAD's engagement in the WSSD is being pursued jointly and in coordination with other UN-Rome based agencies. In this respect, and prior to each WSSD PrepCom session, IFAD participated at coordination meeting to exchange views on Rome-based agencies' planned activities leading up to the Johannesburg Summit. These meetings were followed by post-mortem discussions to review the outcome of PrepCom sessions on the WSSD.

The Assistant President for External Affairs Department led the IFAD delegation to PrepCom-III. During the visit, the IFAD delegation built on the momentum developed during the previous PrepCom session and took part at a number of parallel events including a day-long high-level roundtable organized by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) on Land, Water & Food Security. A number of bilateral meetings with heads of delegations attending the PrepCom were also conducted, including participation at plenary discussions and group meetings. The IFAD delegation also met with the Secretary General of the WSSD Summit to discuss IFAD participation at the Johannesburg Summit.

IFAD is currently preparing, with other partners, its participation at the next session of the PrepCom to be held in Indonesia. The Bali meeting is expected to bring the world closer toward implementing an action-oriented sustainable development agenda. It will be the last major opportunity before the Summit for Ministers to shape the political declaration that Heads of States and Governments will adopt in Johannesburg.

IFAD and the GEF

As an executing agency of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), IFAD helps governments to develop and implement projects that address global environmental concerns. The GEF is an independent financial organization that provides grants to developing countries for projects in the areas of biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, and persistent organic pollutants.

IFAD and GEF work together to identify and develop projects that address GEF focal areas, particularly land degradation. Some examples include: the Drylands Ecological Conservation and Rehabilitation project in China ; the Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Natural Resources in the Niger Delta project in Mali ; and the Combating Land Degradation in the Arid and Semi-Arid Zones of Falcón and Lara States project in Venezuela .

Since 2003, IFAD has been able to directly access GEF funds for projects concerning land degradation. (Previously, IFAD had to go through one of the GEF’s implementing agencies, the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Development Programme or the World Bank.) This opportunity allows IFAD to better promote sustainable land management and rural development while helping countries to meet their obligations to prevent land degradation under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

IFAD is a member of an inter-agency task force on land degradation and an observer of the GEF Council.

United Nations Convention to Comat Deserticication Fifth Conference of Parties - UNCCD COP-5

A high-level delegation participated at the Fifth Conference of the Parties (COP-5) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD), which took place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, 1-13 October 2001. COP-5 was organized on the overall theme of poverty and the environment, in preparation for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). The preparations were undertaken through an NGO dialogue session, High-Level Special Segment, parallel meetings of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST), the fourth Interparliamentary Round Table and a Panel of Eminent Personalities.

The President of IFAD addressed the COP-5 High-Level Special Segment, inviting the parties of the UNCCD to increase their awareness - among both donors and partner countries - of the critical link between desertification and poverty. IFAD argued that desertification or land degradation is at the same time the cause and the consequence of rural poverty. Thus solutions for combating desertification lie in attacking the root causes of land degradation. These can best be addressed through a common platform for poverty eradication and food security on an environmentally sustainable basis. Hence, failure to address land degradation is a failure to address a root cause of poverty for the poorest people.

UNAIDS

IFAD participated in the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on HIV/AIDS in New York in June 2001. This event was an opportunity for IFAD to underline the social dimensions of HIV/AIDS and its close interlinkage with poverty. In order to address the issue of HIV/AIDS in rural communities from a development viewpoint, using its projects as platforms, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was concluded between IFAD and the UNAIDS Secretariat and signed on 27 September 2001.

The two agencies will collaborate in identifying and promoting best practices in mitigating the impact of the epidemic, especially on the rural poor. IFAD will obtain technical assistance from UNAIDS and professional interaction between the two organizations will be enhanced through interagency and technical meetings.

ECOSOC

IFAD was represented at the United Nations High-Level Segment of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), held in Geneva in July 2001. The meeting debated The Role of the United Nations System in Supporting the Efforts of African Countries to Achieve Sustainable Development. For IFAD, the event was an opportunity to highlight issues confronting the rural poor and the challenges facing the African continent.

1/ The membership of UNCEB comprises executive heads of the United Nations specialized agencies (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, International Civil Aviation Organization, IFAD, International Labour Organization, IMF, International Telecommunications Union, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Universal Postal Union, World Bank, WHO, World Intellectual Property Organization and World Meteorological Organization), plus the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and World Trade Organization; and nine United Nations programmes (UNCTAD, United Nations Environment Programme, UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDCP and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East).

 

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International Organizations and UN Agencies