Agency Proposes Better Targeted Attack on Poverty

UN Agricultural Agency Proposes Better Targeted Attack on Poverty and Hunger

New York, May 24 2005 12:00PM

With the world’s progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing many socio-economic ills by 2015 appearing to be too slow, the United Nations agricultural agency today proposed giving lagging countries more focused assistance.

In a discussion paper presented to one of its governing bodies, the Committee on World Food Security, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said it would campaign for wider recognition of the critical roles of the rural and agricultural sectors in meeting the MDGs, targets elaborated at a UN summit in 2000.

It would provide policy and capacity-building support to countries that incorporate the MDGs into their national development strategies, create or reinforce partnerships and work towards harmonizing and aligning UN assistance.

It would also form closer relationships with civil society (CSOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved with agriculture, rural development, food security and sustainable management of natural resources.

It was “committed to making changes that may be necessary and to do so has embarked on a process of critically re-examining the way it is organized and its structures, its methods of working and its role within the UN system,” FAO said.

ENDS

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