Second Bank - Civil Society Roundtable on the Global Food Crisis

World Bank President Zoellick convened a second roundtable on the global food crisis with CSO, IMF, and UN representatives on July 15, 2008.  The purpose of the meeting was for Mr. Zoellick to report on the G8 Meeting, and on what actions the Bank, CSOs, and the donor agencies have undertaken in the last month to deliver assistance to vulnerable people and increase funding for food security measures.  CSOs raised a number of issues and recommendations including the need to close the gap between donor financing commitments and action at the country level, encourage greater media coverage of food crisis, and to better integrate CSOs in UN and donor coordination efforts.  

The meeting follows the first CSO roundtable on May 23, where CSOs recommended that similar stakeholder dialogues be facilitated at the country level as a way to bring CSOs, governments, the World Bank Group (WBG), UN and other agencies together to share needs assessments, discuss policy options for food security, and enhance operational collaboration. The Bank convened several CSOs to help identify participants and organize the agenda.

The second roundtable, chaired by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director, was attended by more than 30 leaders of leading developed and developing country CSOs and senior IMF, UN and WBG officials (see participant’s list).  CSOs in 8 locations, from Geneva and Paris to Bangladesh and Ukraine, were linked by videoconference. Issues raised ranged from the need to re-examine the role of the state in agriculture, to completion of the Doha Round, and the need for CSO to link with the Comprehensive Framework of Action under the UN’s High Level Task Force.

Zoellick said that “the double hit of food and fuel prices had entered a danger zone.” He reported on his participation at the G8 Summit, where he stressed near-term needs, improved productivity, and elimination of export bans. Welcoming Zoellick’s report, Sam Worthington, President and CEO of InterAction, said CSOs perceived a leadership gap in the global response system, compounded by low public confidence in key relevant institutions and their willingness to invest in this crisis. However, while commending the role the WBG was playing, he suggested that its focus and scope needed to be carefully thought out.

In the meantime, in what has become a familiar theme among CSOs activists, Ray Offenheiser, Executive Director of Oxfam America, asked if the WBG could consider speaking publicly about its own role in bringing this about the food crisis, suggesting that this could help strengthen its credibility as a leader in addressing the global food crisis.

Stressing the urgency and gravity of the crisis – which they said could trigger political instability in some countries - CSOs reiterated that they could play a more significant role in the response, and that many were already working on short and longer term food security issues. However, they asked for ideas on how they could engage more meaningfully – at the global, regional and country level - in order to achieve the greatest impact. Some suggested that CSOs and the World

CSOs also called for enhanced social protection measures, including subsidies and conditional cash transfer programs, while affirming the need for a long term development perspective. Dr. Mahbub Hossain, Executive Director of BRAC in Bangladesh, said CSOs, including BRAC, had a big role to play, especially in rice production. In the ensuing discussion, Mr. Zoellick asked how the Bank could help to remove barriers and ensure that assistance to vulnerable groups is delivered efficiently, given the urgency of the crisis. In terms of Bank support, he said, the Bank is trying to move as quickly as possible from analysis to action on the ground, (See the Bank’s food price crisis website below.)

Speaking at the technical session that followed, the WBG’s Agriculture and Rural Development team briefed participants on progress made since the Global Food Crisis Response Program (GFRP) was approved on May 29, and the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) established. Some $44 million had been approved in new grants under the GFRP to Haiti, Liberia, Djibouti, Tajikistan, and Yemen, $10m IDA credit to Kyrgyz Republic, and $10m to Honduras; plus $156 million in new TF grants committed for operations in another 21 countries.

Tom Arnold, CEO of the Irish NGO Concern Worldwide, who also chairs the European Food Security Group, highlighted the plight 2.6 million Somalis who urgently need assistance. He also asked how oil producing countries could be made to do more to help vulnerable countries deal with the impact of high food prices. Meanwhile, Victor Mhoni, Executive Director of the Malawi Civil Society Network on Agriculture and Food Security, asked the WBG to help enhance subsidies under the social protection system so it can extend support the “productive poor”, left out of the current program with its focus on only the poorest.

This has clearly become a highly valued platform for dialogue on the food crisis for the WBG, CSOs, the UN and the Fund. The hope is that it can be translated quickly into real partnerships on the ground that are focused on results for people whose livelihoods are severely strained by the food crisis. This should define the work program for the parties for the months to come.

Meeting Agenda
Participant’s List
First Bank – CSO Roundtable on Food Crisis
Bank’s Food Crisis Website
A Note on Rising Food Prices