G77 Ministerial meeting in Rome celebrates with theme on agriculture and food security
The commemorations of the 50th anniversary of the Group of 77 and China in Rome began with a Ministerial Meeting on the theme of “The Group of 77 & China in 2014: Realities and Prospects” held at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters on 17 June 2014. In his welcoming remarks, H.E. Dominique Awono Essama, Ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon and Chairperson of the Group of 77 and China – Rome Chapter said that the choice of this theme had been driven by the ambition to take a look back at the successes achieved by the group, but also the difficulties encountered since its creation on the one hand, and on the other hand, to look to the future to deal with the new socio-economic development challenges of its members.
Dr. José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General, said that the diversity of the group is what gives the strength to stand united behind a common purpose and share the same commitment to build a common and constructive agenda for sustainable development. “The role that the G77 and China plays has received widespread recognition in the international arena. I also want to manifest my appreciation for your efforts” he said. Referring to the G77 Summit held in June in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, the FAO Director-General highlighted three key points of the declaration which related to the work of the institution. Firstly, he highlighted the importance of South-South Cooperation in areas such as promoting food security and nutrition, and facing climate change. Secondly, he highlighted the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), to be jointly organized by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) next November, as a major forum to define how to tackle malnutrition.
Thirdly, he highlighted the fact that the declaration acknowledges the re-appointment of the President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, His Excellency Evo Morales Ayma, and the First Lady of Peru, Her Excellency Nadine Heredia De Humala, as FAO Special Ambassadors for the International Year of Quinoa. “Their advocacy in favor of quinoa and food security will continue to be relevant as we celebrate the International Year of Family Farming in 2014” he said. Dr. Graziano da Silva ended by acknowledging that the Group of 77 and China has been a strong supporter of FAO and that both share an understanding of the role that FAO plays in helping reach food security and sustainable development goals.
H.E. Essimi Menye, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Cameroon, said that the Group of 77 and China has succeeded to constitute an unavoidable negotiating force on international forums. The group succeeded in many cases, particularly, at FAO. He mentioned the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture; the reform of FAO and its governance bodies; reform of the Committee on World Food Security; the Principles for Responsible Agricultural Investment which is under negotiation; the successive consultations for the replenishment of the International Fund for Agricultural Development resources; South-South cooperation among others.
H.E. Abdullah Al-Islam Jakob, Deputy Minister of Environment and Forest of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, stated that the G77 and China Rome Chapter fulfilled its mandate by playing an effective role in the three Rome based UN agencies to promote food security, agriculture and rural development and thanked the group for its capacity for negotiating different issues particularly in the fields of agriculture, food security and nutrition.
H.E. Antolín Ayaviri Gómez, Ambassador of the Plurinational State of Bolivia to FAO, IFAD and WFP, also spoke during the meeting, and provided a briefing of the key outcomes of the declaration of the Santa Cruz Summit of the G77 and China on the issues related to the mandate of the Rome Chapter.
H.E. Gladys Urbaneja Durán, Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to FAO, IFAD and WFP, on behalf of the former Chairpersons of the G77 & China – Rome Chapter said that the G77 now has 133 members and has become a major player in diplomacy in economic, political and social issues. The group has improved their bargaining, strengthening multilateralism and ideas, concepts and initiatives that they promote to implement the Charter of the United Nations and therefore, for the realization of fundamental human rights, based on the broader concept of “erga omnes”, ie obligations “must be met with respect to the whole world and all its inhabitants”. She also said that through this collective action, the group has gained strength to influence at international level, which would be impossible to achieve individually.
Mr. Rasit Pertev on behalf of Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), congratulated the G77 and China for reaching this important 50-year milestone. “The ability of the G77 and China – which now consists of some 133 Member States – to act collectively is a powerful tool for eliminating the poverty that so often lies at the root of this devastating hunger” he said. In a speech with strong emphasis on the role of the 500 million smallholder family farms (mostly in the developing world), he stressed the need to have a broad response to the key issues facing smallholders and poor rural people, and to mobilize cofinancing for rural development programmes. The IFAD representative ended by stressing that the G77 and China has an essential role to play in creating the conditions for inclusive economic growth and food and nutrition security for all.
The Director of the South-South and Resource Mobilization Division at FAO, Mr. Jong-Jin Kim, reiterated that FAO is “strongly committed to promote and facilitate South-South Cooperation as a means to ensuring food security for all”. FAO has a key role to play as facilitator of South-South Cooperation: acting as a neutral broker; connecting Southern partners; and ensuring the quality of the cooperation. He highlighted the aims of FAO strategy on South-South Cooperation which includes: 1. facilitating the exchange and uptake of development solutions; 2. promoting platforms for knowledge sharing; 3. mobilizing upstream policy support; and 4. fostering an enabling environment for South-South Cooperation.
By Adriano José Timossi
