29 July 1983

Cross-sectoral review of food and agriculture

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling its resolution 1982/50 of 28 July 1982 on the revitalization of the Council, in which, inter alia, it decided to review every six years selected major issues in the proposed medium-term plans of the organizations of the United Nations system,

Recalling also its decision 1983/101 of 4 February 1983, by paragraph 2 (c) of which it decided that food and agriculture and population would be the two areas for review in 1983,

Bearing in mind its resolution 1983/71 of 29 July 1983 on food problems,

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General containing a cross- sectoral review of the food and agriculture sector in the medium-term plans of the entities of the United Nations system;

2. Reiterates the importance of food and agriculture in the development process of the developing countries, and urges the international community to keep this issue as one of its highest priorities, with a view to increasing the food production and agricultural development of those countries to enable them to achieve self-reliance and eliminate hunger and malnutrition;

3. Requests the relevant entities of the United Nations system to assist, where so requested, in the development and implementation of national food strategies, plans and programmes;

4. Affirms that the activities in the food and agriculture sector undertaken by the United Nations system should represent a comprehensive approach towards the issues relating to trade, financial flows and food security questions, and to efforts covering the whole range of production, conservation and storage, processing, marketing, distribution and consumption issues;

5. Requests the entities of the United Nations system to continue and strengthen their efforts to fulfil the objectives of the Programme of Action adopted by the World Food Conference, the Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition contained therein, and the International Development Strategy for the Third United Nations Development Decade;

6. Emphasizes the importance of adequate external financial and technical assistance through multilateral and other channels, to supplement the efforts of the developing countries to achieve their objectives in the field of food and agriculture;

7. Invites the concerned entities of the United Nations system in the field of food and agriculture to consider appropriate action towards the attainment of the objectives of the enlarged and integrated concept of world food security, in accordance with the decision, as adopted, of the Committee on World Food Security of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations;

8. Emphasizes the responsibilities of the relevant institutions, in accordance with their mandates, to work towards the solution of problems of trade in the food and agriculture sector;

9. Urges international organizations, including their respective governing bodies, to make every effort, in close co-operation with each other and keeping each other fully informed and in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions, so that their policies and programmes complement each other and that there is efficient co-ordination of their activities, avoiding duplication and gaps;

10. Takes note of the assessment to be carried out by the World Food Council for its tenth session on the progress made and the tasks ahead to achieve the objectives of the 1974 World Food Conference, and requests it to include a complete, global assessment of the flow of resources through the United Nations system broken down by various subsectors in the food and agriculture sector.