GODR RESPONSE TO GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 001807 SIPDIS STATE/EEB FOR MICHAEL LURIE AND JANET SPECK USAID FOR BILL HAMMINK USDA FOR KIRK MILLER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ETRD EAGR TBIO EAID PGOV DR SUBJECT: GODR RESPONSE TO GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR AGRICULTURE AND FOOD (GPAF) REF: STATE 123480 ¶1. FAS Counselor delivered talking points as per reftel to Minister of Agriculture Salvador Jimenez. On November 25, Jimenez responded by letter conveying his support for the proposed Global Partnership for Agriculture and Food (GPAF). Jimenez said he views GPAF as having the potential to reassert the value of agriculture as a producer of wealth, a provider of food and raw materials to the world,s people, a promoter of social peace, a generator of foreign currency and a provider of environmental services. In his view, GPAF could "become a forum to promote the leadership role of the agricultural sector, as well as the use of science and technology, to define priorities, establish strategies and apply policies that guarantee food security and counteract the effects of price increases." ¶2. Jimenez suggested that GPAF be established under the United Nations as a collaborative project between the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). He also called for regional alliances, including in Latin America the involvement of the IFPRI and FAO working with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). FANNIN