 The World Bank, the IMF and the UN are mobilizing a global drive to deal with the food price crisis that threatens to plunge millions more poor people into hunger. Recognizing the vital role civil society plays in addressing the crisis, the World Bank hosted a roundtable discussion with the heads of the IMF, UNICEF, and UN Food Crisis Taskforce, and leaders of some 30 CSOs who work directly with food delivery and security issues.
The meeting, held on May 23, 2008 was chaired by World Bank Group Managing Director, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and was attended by Robert B. Zoellick, President of the World Bank Group, Dominique Straus-Kahn, Managing Director of the IMF, Anne Veneman, Executive Director UNICEF, and David Nabarro, Deputy Coordinator of the UN Task Force on the Global Food Crisis, who all spoke briefly at the outset. (See agenda and participants list below). Zoellick outlined policy initiatives that the Bank and its partners and the international community are taking to address the problem. He explained that the Bank intends to set up a fast track financing mechanism to assist the 15 most vulnerable countries, as well as continue to address medium and long term food security issues. He also outlined a series of meetings, beginning with the TICAD meeting in Japan in late May and culminating in UN meetings in September that will devote attention to the crisis. The crisis presents a solutions-focused opportunity for collaboration and cooperation among a wide array of actors.  Veneman observed the real test of dialogue is collaboration and replication that should follow. She highlighted the need to focus on women and vulnerable groups in the crisis and on issues such as the trend of remittances that have a bearing on the wellbeing of many in the developing countries. Straus-Khan said the most immediate problem is to get the food to the hungry, and, in the medium term, to provide finance for investment for stepped up production while reinforcing social safety nets. In the long term it will be necessary to look into the causes of the problem, which range from high energy cost to poor policies, and how they interact.
These initial remarks was followed by a discussion that underscored the urgency presented by the food crisis. The civil society leaders present and those participating via video conference from 7 country sites offered candid assessments of the food situation and proposed practical responses to immediate and longer term needs. Here were some of the views expressed by the CSOs: World Vision’s President, Dean Hirsch, said 35 million children under 2 were at risk of malnutrition, but that the collaboration of the agencies represented could ensure adequate resources, and make a difference. InterAction’s CEO, Sam Worthington, thanked Mr. Zoellick for “raising the alarm bells” on the food crisis but urged more robust engagement in agriculture by the Bank and vulnerable countries. Devinder Sharma of the Forum for Biotechnology and Food Security in India said Bank policies had put too much faith in the market, contributing to the vulnerability of some affected countries. Sam Bickersteth of Oxfam GB, acknowledged the Bank's quick action to propose a rapid response mechanism, and for calling for this dialogue at the ‘front end’ of the food crisis. Leonid Kozachenko, President of the Ukranian Agrarian Confederation urged the Bank to press for further policy changes that would spur increased agricultural productivity in his country. He commended Bank efforts to date, noting that more could be done. Madame Seck Wore, President of the Senegalese NGO Coalition CONGAD, made an impassioned plea to Bank management to assist CSOs in Senegal who are engaged in helping farmers in harvest storage management. Geert Engelen of the European Platform for Food Sovereignty, read an advocacy statement which stated that “the right to food trumps trade provisions,” and recommended restructuring of the agencies responsible for food policy. Haji Gambo, National Coordinator of the Better Life Program for the African Rural Woman in Nigeria, made a plea for the WBG to create a trust fund to provide credit to rural women in Africa.
 Tasked with summarizing the discussion, Nabarro highlighted seven key messages: i) definition of issues and differential impacts they engender; ii) need to tailor responses based on local contexts; iii) an ‘actions framework’ needs to be developed by international agencies; iv) this framework needs to identify action areas ranging from needs assessments to research into plant and animal diseases; v) adapt on the ground responses as needed; vi) need to understand the underlying political processes; and vii) need to mobilize additional resources. He also outlined the eight actions that the Working Group of the UN Task Force on the Global Food Crisis had identified as part of its comprehensive response framework.
Zoellick welcomed continuing dialogue with CSOs, and agreed with Ken Hackett, President of Catholic Relief Services, that this dialogue should be “rolled out” at the country level. In her closing remarks, Okonjo-Iweala described the session as rich and informative and also affirmed the need for similar dialogues to be held at country level. Okonjo-Iweala promised that Bank management would pay close attention to issues raised in the discussion such as vulnerability of women and children. More Information:
List of participants
Agenda of the Meeting
World Bank website on Food Crisis
|
RSS