WORLD FOOD SUMMIT FIVE YEARS LATER: INFORMAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 002487

SIPDIS

USDA FOR FAS/LYNN REICH AND DICK HUGHES
STATE FOR IS/EDA ROSE BERSTEIN
USAID FOR RALPH CUMMINGS

FROM US MISSION ROME

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC EAID FAO AGR EAIDAORC FAO AGR
SUBJECT: WORLD FOOD SUMMIT FIVE YEARS LATER: INFORMAL
CONSULTATIONS 5/17/02 ON WFS5YL DECLARATION

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REF: ROME 2188


1. SUMMARY: AN INFORMAL MEETING WAS HELD AT THE FAO TO
EXCHANGE VIEWS ON THE DRAFT DECLARATION FOR THE WORLD FOOD
SUMMIT: FIVE YEARS LATER MEETING (WFS5YL) TO BE HELD IN ROME
JUNE 10-13, 2002. PARTICIPANTS AGREED TO START FROM THE
DRAFT LEFT UNFINISHED BY THE OPEN ENDED WORKING GROUP (OEWG)
IN JUNE 2001. WHEN REQUESTED TO IDENTIFY AREAS OF CONCERN
OR INTEREST, SOME DELEGATES HIGHLIGHTED THE DIRECTOR
GENERAL'S REPEATED REFERENCES TO A "GLOBAL COALITION," THE
ISSUE OF DEFINING A FIXED PERCENTAGE OF OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT
ASSISTANCE (ODA) GOING TO AGRICULTURE AND A RIGHTS-BASED
APPROACH TO HUNGER. WITH THE NOTABLE EXCEPTION OF THE
UNITED STATES, CANADA AND AUSTRALIA, THERE WAS STRONG
SUPPORT FOR A VOLUNTARY CODE OF CONDUCT ON THE RIGHT TO
FOOD. THE U.S. STATEMENT WAS WELL RECEIVED, ALTHOUGH CANADA
LAUNCHED A VIGOROUS ATTACK ON THE US FARM BILL. THE GROUP
WILL MEET AGAIN MAY 24 FOR FURTHER DISCUSSIONS AND POSSIBLY
AGAIN IN EARLY JUNE BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON FOOD SECURITY
(CFS) RECONVENES ON JUNE 6. END SUMMARY


2. THE INFORMAL MEETING ON THE WFS5YL DECLARATION TOOK
PLACE ON MAY 17 CHAIRED BY THE IRANIAN PERMREP AS REQUESTED
BY THE INDEPENDENT CHAIRMAN OF COUNCIL. THERE WAS NO OECD
CO-CHAIR. DESPITE EARLIER EFFORTS TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF
PARTICIPANTS BY REGIONAL GROUPS, IN THE END THE MEETING WAS
OPEN-ENDED. APPROXIMATELY 50 PERMREPS WERE PRESENT.


3. MOST OF THE TIME WAS SPENT DISCUSSING PROCEDURAL MATTERS
RATHER THAN EXCHANGING VIEWS AS ORIGINALLY HOPED. THE GROUP
AGREED TO USE THE HEAVILY BRACKETED DRAFT DECLARATION THAT
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HAD BEEN LEFT UNFINISHED BY THE OEWG DURING THE CFS AND FAO
COUNCIL MEETINGS LAST JUNE. PROPOSALS TO LIMIT THE
DISCUSSION TO BRACKETED TEXT WERE NOT ACCEPTED.
PARTICIPANTS WANTED TO BE ABLE TO INCORPORATE LANGUAGE THAT
RECOGNIZES THE MANY SIGNIFICANT EVENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED
SINCE LAST JUNE, INCLUDING MEETINGS IN NEW YORK, DOHA AND
MONTERREY (AND THE RECENTLY-SIGNED U.S. FARM BILL, PER
CANADA AND AUSTRALIA).


4. THE LATIN AMERICAN GROUP (GRULAC) PRESSED HARD TO
EXAMINE THE DOCUMENT PARAGRAPH BY PARAGRAPH BUT THE EU IN
PARTICULAR RESISTED. THE EU STRESSED THAT IT WAS WORKING
ACCORDING TO THE SCHEDULE AGREED AT THE FAO CONFERENCE LAST
NOVEMBER, AND WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE TEXT UNTIL
AFTER THE EUROPEAN REGIONAL GROUP MEETING (MAY 28-30).
AUSTRALIA ALSO STRONGLY OPPOSED DEVIATING FROM THE AGREED
SCHEDULE, BUT CANADA JOINED THE LATINS IN PRESSING FOR MORE
FORMAL NEGOTIATIONS. THE AFGHAN DELEGATE PROPOSED AN
EXCHANGE OF POSITION PAPERS AMONG THE REGIONAL GROUPS, BUT
MOST MEMBERS WERE NOT READY TO PUT THEIR POSITIONS INTO
WRITING. THERE SEEMED TO BE GENERAL AGREEMENT, HOWEVER, ON
IDENTIFYING AREAS OF CONCERN IN THE TEXT.


5. SEVERAL OF THESE CONCERNS SLOWLY EMERGED. POLAND ASKED
HOW THE CONCEPT OF THE "GLOBAL ALLIANCE" WOULD FIT INTO THE
DECLARATION (CURRENTLY DISCUSSED IN AN ANNEX TO THE
DOCUMENT.) COMMENT: WE UNDERSTAND THAT SOME (IN THE EU)
HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING SETTING UP A SMALL SECRETARIAT TO
IMPLEMENT THE GLOBAL ALLIANCE, ALTHOUGH IT REMAINS UNCLEAR
WHAT SUCH A BODY WOULD DO AND HOW IT WOULD BE FUNDED. END
COMMENT. PERU SAID THE COALITION SHOULD INVOLVE CSO'S AND
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NGO'S.


6. NORWAY SUPPORTED A RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH TO FOOD
SECURITY AND WAS JOINED BY OTHERS CALLING FOR A VOLUNTARY
CODE OF CONDUCT (PARAGRAPH 8). PERU SUPPORTED NORWAY AND
ASKED WHETHER THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS OR FAO
WOULD HAVE THE LEAD.


7. CANADA EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF TRADE ISSUES AND
SHARPLY CRITICIZED U.S. FARM SUBSIDIES CONTAINED IN THE
RECENTLY ADOPTED FARM BILL. AUSTRALIA JOINED HIM IN
CRITICIZING THE UNITED STATES. AUSTRALIA ALSO ASKED WHAT
CONCRETE PROGRESS IN REFERENCE TO WSSD MEANT.


8. NEW ZEALAND ASKED WHAT WAS MEANT BY LANGUAGE CALLING FOR
AN INCREASED SHARE OF ODA, LENDING BY INTERNATIONAL
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, AND BUDGETARY ALLOCATIONS OF LDC'S.
HE ALSO SUGGESTED DROPPING ALTOGETHER THE PARAGRAPH ON THE
VOLUNTARY TRUST FUND, WHICH WAS SO CONTROVERSIAL WHEN
ADOPTED LAST JUNE.


9. JAPAN NOTED THAT FISHERIES AND FORESTRIES HAD BEEN
OMITTED AND SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN NEW LANGUAGE. PROPOSALS
TO INCLUDE GENDER BALANCE, HIV/AIDS, AND NEPAD WERE NOT

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PAGE 01 ROME 02487 02 OF 02 210856Z
ACTION EUR-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 AMAD-00 CIAE-00 COME-00 CTME-00
DODE-00 ITCE-00 SRPP-00 EB-00 EXME-00 UTED-00 TEDE-00
INR-00 IO-00 ITC-01 NSAE-00 OES-01 OIC-02 OMB-01
OPIC-01 SS-00 STR-00 TEST-00 TRSE-00 SAS-00 /006W
-------------- B16935 210925Z /38
R 210816Z MAY 02
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 3837
INFO USDA FAS WASHDC 2141
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
USMISSION GENEVA

UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 002487

SIPDIS

USDA FOR FAS/LYNN REICH AND DICK HUGHES
STATE FOR IS/EDA ROSE BERSTEIN
USAID FOR RALPH CUMMINGS

FROM US MISSION ROME

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC EAID FAO AGR EAIDAORC FAO AGR
SUBJECT: WORLD FOOD SUMMIT FIVE YEARS LATER: INFORMAL
CONSULTATIONS 5/17/02 ON WFS5YL DECLARATION

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02 ROME 02487 02 OF 02 210856Z
DISPUTED.


10. THE STATEMENT BY THE UNITED STATES (BASED ON DRAFT
TALKING POINTS) WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED. SEVERAL DELEGATES,
NOTABLY ITALY, ASKED FOR COPIES FOR FURTHER STUDY. THE U.S.
PERMREP ALSO STATED THE U.S. POSITION OPPOSING A VOLUNTARY
CODE OF CONDUCT ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD, LANGUAGE ON RIGHT TO
FOOD, AND FIXING A NUMERICAL PERCENTAGE OF ODA FOR
AGRICULTURE. AFTER THE U.S. PERM REP HAD MADE THESE POINTS,
CANADA AND AUSTRALIA TOOK THE FLOOR TO STATE THEIR
COUNTRIES' OPPOSITION TO A VOLUNTARY CODE OF CONDUCT ON THE
RIGHT TO FOOD. AUSTRALIA ALSO STATED THAT IT COULD NOT
SUPPORT LANGUAGE DEFINING A FIXED PERCENTAGE OF ODA GOING TO
AGRICULTURE.

11. THE GROUP DECIDED TO MEET AGAIN ON MAY 24 TO DISCUSS
AREAS OF CONCERN AND AGREED TO CONVENE INFORMALLY IN THE
FIRST WEEK OF JUNE PRIOR TO THE OPENING OF THE CFS. THE
U.S. PERMREP ASKED FOR A REPORT ON THE EXPENSES GENERATED BY
THESE MEETINGS WHICH ARE NOT PART OF THE REGULAR BUDGET.
HEILEMAN

UNCLASSIFIED

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2002ROME02487 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED