Highlights from the World Summit on Food Security

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IISD Reporting Services (IISD RS) has produced daily reports and a summary from this meeting. To download our reports, please click below on the HTML or PDF icons.

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World Summit on Food Security (WSFS)

16-18 November 2009 | Rome, Italy

Wednesday, 18 November 2009

View of Rome from the venue.

The third World Summit on Food Security, held from 16-18 November 2009 at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome, Italy, ended early Wednesday afternoon. Representatives from 23 countries and UN agencies made statements. Delegates attended a parallel round table on the role of rural development, smallholder farmers and trade to enhance global food security. Prior to the Summit’s closure, delegates heard summaries of the declarations and charters adopted at pre-summit events held by parliamentarians, the private sector, NGOs and civil society, and the Second Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) First Ladies Summit. They also heard summaries of the Summit’s four round tables. Following a closing statement by FAO General-Director Jacques Diouf, the Summit closed at 12:44pm.

High-Level Segment

Participants during the High-Level Segment.

Abdulaye Combary, Minister Delegate to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Fishery Resources of Burkina Faso, said poor countries need support to adapt food production in the context of climate change.

Tony Burke, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry of Australia, emphasized the need for enhanced research and knowledge exchange on agriculture.

John Hickey, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock of Papua New Guinea, said allowing the free movement of food is crucial for food security.

Boediono, Vice-President of Indonesia, regretted the lack of urgency surrounding hunger.

Christopher Gantar, Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs of Malta

Akhylbek Kurishbayev, Minister for Agriculture of Kazakhstan

Rene Montero, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries of Belize

Miloś Milovanović, Assistant Minister for Agrarian Policy of Serbia

Musa Maroofi, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to FAO, highlighted investment in water storage as a major priority.

Egly Pantelaki, Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment of Cyprus, stressed the need for better coordination among the FAO, WFP, IFAD and relevant UN agencies.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights applauded recognition of the FAO 2004 voluntary guidelines.

Hiroyasu Ando, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Japan to FAO, argued that while no single institution can address food security alone, FAO can play a more effective role in coordination.

Charalambos Rocanas, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Greece to FAO, said the answer to food insecurity is not giving food aid, but strengthening affected countries’ agricultural sectors.

Jan de Bock, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Belgium to FAO, emphasized that good governance is necessary to ensure lasting effects of investments.

Emile Frison, Director-General of Bioversity International, stressed the criticality of food quality and ensuring that populations in developing countries have access to food that is rich in both energy and nutrients

Maria del Carmen Squeff, Chair of the Contact Group for the Reform of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), emhasized the need to expand the number and types of actors involved.

Olivier de Schutter, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food

Clemens Boonekamp, Director of the Agriculture and Commodities Division, World Trade Organization

Enrico Pianetta, Rapporteur for the pre-Summit Parliamentary Forum

Lucio Stanca, Rapporteur for the Private Sector Forum

The rapporteur for the NGO and civil society Forum stressed that all humans have the right to available, accessible, nutritious and culturally acceptable food.

Round Table 4: Measures to enhance global food security: rural development, smallholder farmers and trade considerations

L-R: Alexander Sarris, Director EST FAO; Joachim von Braun, Director-General of the International Food Policy Research Institute; Kanayo Nwanze, President of IFAD; Co-Chair Tina Joemat-Peterson, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of South Africa; Co-Chair Karel de Gucht, European Commissioner for Development; Karen Serres, International Federation of Agricultural Producers; Clemens Boonekamp, Director of the Agriculture and Commodities Division, WTO; Mobido Traore, Assistant Director-General, FAO; and Luisa Dias Diogo, Prime Minister of Mozambique

Co-Chair Tina Joemat-Peterson, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of South Africa, said that agricultural production is the cornerstone of economic development.

Luisa Dias Diogo, Prime Minister of Mozambique, described her country’s experience in bolstering food production

Co-Chair Karel de Gucht, European Commissioner for Development, explained the EU’s non-trade distorting policies

Kanayo Nwanze, President of IFAD, said food security is an integral part of international security.

Joachim von Braun, Director-General of the International Food Policy Research Institute, reported that research on proven success stories in agriculture.

Clemens Boonekamp, Director of the Agriculture and Commodities Division, WTO, explained the status of the Doha negotiations.

Karen Serres, International Federation of Agricultural Producers, said trade policies must favor small farmers in the food value chains.


Delegates discussed, in particular, agriculture as part of a comprehensive policy package.

Round Table 4 participants.

Closure of the Summit

The dais during the closing of the Summit.

The Summit was closed at 12:44 pm.

Jacques Diouf, FAO Director-General, said important steps had been taken in achieving the objective of a world free from hunger.

Marcela Villarreal, FAO, read a draft message from the second NAM First Ladies Summit, held in Rome, 15 November 2009

Side Event on Genetic Diversity and Food Security in a Time of Climate Change Hosted by the Nordic Council of Ministers

The side event focused on the importance of genetic diversity for securing food for growing populations in a time of climate change. By focusing on perspectives and experiences from the Nordic Countries, FAO and their partners, the side event showed that genetic resources and agriculture can be part of the solution to climate change and food security.

The side event also presented the regional cooperation in the Nordic Countries and in the SADC region and promoted the use of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault as a global back-up for genebank collections. Finally, progress on the exchange of plant genetic resources for food security and benefit-sharing under the International Treaty was reported.

Cary Fowler, Executive Director, Global Crop Diversity Trust, provided an introduction to the side event.

Jessica Kathle, Director, NordGen, presented on Nordic experiences in genetic resources cooperation.

Alexander Müller, FAO Assistant Director-General gave a presentation on “The Climate Change Challenge to Food Security with a Focus on Genetic Resources: The FAO Perspective.”

Alexander Müller’s presentation

Press Conference at Summit Closure

Around the Summit

The Media Centre at the closing of the Summit.

Art around FAO.

Your IISD team. L-R: Alexandra Conliffe (Canada); Simon Wolf (Germany); Nancy Williams (US); Diego Noguera (Colombia); and Andrey Vavilov (Russia)

Daily web coverage (click on the following links to see our daily web pages)

16 November - 17 November - 18 November