29 July 1983

Twentieth anniversary of the World Food Programme

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 1714 (XVI) of 19 December 1961, 2095 (XX) of 20 December 1965 and 3404 (XXX) of 28 November 1975 and resolutions 1/61 of 24 November 1961, 4/65 of 6 December 1965 and 22/75 of 26 November 1975 of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, setting up the World Food Prgramme as a programme jointly undertaken by the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and establishing, for the purposes of providing guidance on policy, administration and operations, the Committee on Food Aid Policies and Programmes,

Taking note of the eighth annual report of the Committee on Food Aid Policies and Programmes,

Noting that the World Food Programme is celebrating its twentieth anniversary in 1983,

Noting also the activities of the World Food Programme during the past twenty years in the use of food aid to promote development and to relieve distress, especially in emergencies,

Conscious that the World Food Programme, originally established on an experimental basis, is now an important element in the development activities of the United Nations system,

Noting the versatility of food aid as an instrument for promoting general economic and social development, including rural development,

1. Expresses its appreciation to the World Food Programme on its twentieth anniversary and for the initiatives of the Programme to provide added impetus as it enters the third decade of its existence;

2. Also expresses its appreciation to Governments and to organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system for their support of the World Food Programme;

3. Calls upon Governments to intensify their efforts to enable the World Food Programme to fulfil its assigned role in accordance with its mandate even more effectively and for this purpose to channel, to the maximum extent possible and feasible, their food aid through the Programme;

4. Encourages the World Food Programme to continue to explore opportunities to improve the constructive use of food aid in support of the social and economic development of the developing countries.