STATES PLEDGE $341 MILLION TO WFP ACTIVITIES IN 1999-2000
Press Release
DEV/2190
SAG/17
STATES PLEDGE $341 MILLION TO WFP ACTIVITIES IN 1999-2000
19981103 Some $341 million was pledged this afternoon to the World Food Programme (WFP) for 1999-2000 at the United Nations/Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Pledging Conference for the Programme.Secretary-General Kofi Annan, opening both the United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities, which will continue tomorrow, and the WFP Pledging Conference, which concluded this afternoon, said funding for development programmes were declining while calls for assistance were rising. The total resources channelled through United Nations funds and programmes had dropped from some $4.5 billion in 1996 to about $4 billion in 1997. The gap between what the United Nations was asked to do and what it was able to do was widening, even amid far-reaching reforms and improved operational efficiency in development activities.
The Executive Director of the WFP, Catherine Bertini, said 800 million people were chronically hungry. She hoped governments could find funds to help people improve their lives. Last year, the Programme had reached over 50 million people with food assistance, and this year it would reach almost twice as many. At the same time, emergency needs were twice as great this year as last year.
Speaking for the European Union and associated States, the representative of Austria said that the timing of the pledging conferences caused difficulties for many donors. Those conferences should be reviewed, with a view to discontinuing them.
Of the total pledged today, $325 million was to come from the United States. Belgium pledged 450 million Belgian francs; China pledged $2.3 million, as well as local currency for the WFP field office; Ghana, $5,000; and Yemen, $3,847. The Government of Greece pledged an in-kind contribution of rice valued at $300,000.
In addition to the pledged contributions, several countries stated their intention to announce pledges as soon as their respective budgetary cycles allowed. Such statements were made by the representatives of Republic of Korea, Japan, Italy and Germany.
Gian Nicola Filippi Balestra (San Marino) was elected President of the Conference, and Zamira B. Eshmambetova (Kyrgyzstan) was elected Vice-President.
The Conference also adopted its report this afternoon.
The 1998 United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities will convene at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 4 November.
Pledging Conferences for WFP and Development Activities
The Joint 1998 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Pledging Conference for the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations 1998 Pledging Conference for Development Activities opened this afternoon. The Development Activities Conference, scheduled to continue tomorrow, is the primary forum for Member States to announce their pledges to programmes such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). At the United Nations/FAO Conference, to be held this afternoon, pledges will be made for the WFP only.
The WFP was established by parallel resolutions of the General Assembly and the FAO Conference in 1961. It is the food aid organization of the United Nations system. All contributions to the WFP are voluntary.
Statement by Secretary-General
Secretary-General KOFI ANNAN, opening the 1998 United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities and the United Nations/Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Pledging Conference for the World Food Programme (WFP), said those Conferences were taking place at a critical moment for United Nations development programmes. Core funding was in decline, while calls for assistance were rising.
Some countries had reached the official development assistance (ODA) target of 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), most had not, he said. The combined total of core and non-core resources channelled through United Nations funds and programmes had dropped from $4.5 billion in 1996 to $4.O billion in 1997. That trend must be reversed if the United Nations was to play its role in the current development context.
The gap between what it was asked to do and what it was able to do was widening, he said. That was difficult to understand when far-reaching reforms were leading to improved efficiency and effectiveness of operation activities for development. The United Nations system was now better placed than ever before to meet development challenges.
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He noted that the WFP had set a pledging target for 1999-2000 biennium at 2.1 million tons of food, or $1 billion in food, cash and services.
Other Statements
The representative of Austria, speaking on behalf of the European Union, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Iceland and Norway, said the Union -- the major donor to United Nations operational activities -- believed the United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities had not fulfilled the expectation that it would be a useful mechanism for predicting or increasing the volume of funding. The timing of the Conferences caused difficulties for many donors. The Union, therefore, proposed to review the usefulness of the Pledging Conferences, when agencies had reviewed their funding modalities, with a view to its discontinuance.
The representative of Ghana said his country would contribute $5,000 for the International Emergency Food Reserve.
The representative of the Republic of Korea said his delegation could not announce concrete pledges for 1999 due to his country's national budgetary processes. It would do so when the necessary procedures were completed.
The representative of Japan said his domestic budget system did not allow a firm contribution at the present time, but it intended to contribute in spite of its recent financial difficulties. Unspent portions of the 1998 contributions should be carried over to the upcoming biennium.
The representative of Italy said his Government could not decide amounts for individual funds and programmes until the national budget, presently being debated by Parliament, was approved. Once the size of the development cooperation budget for 1999 was agreed on, the apportionment exercise for voluntary contributions to the various multilateral funds would take place. Italy was committed to increasing its ODA in 1999, with special emphasis on collaboration with the United Nations system.
The representative of China said his Government would contribute $2.3 million to the WFP for 1999-2000. In addition, China would contribute government local cost of 350,000 RMB yuan for the WFP field office in China.
The representative of the United States questioned the utility of pledging conferences, since the budgetary cycles of most donors did not allow them to make pledges. Pledges should be submitted by donors in writing when funds became available or when that availability date could be determined. Her country would be contributing $325 million to WFP during the 1999-2000 biennium.
1998 UN/FAO Pledging Conference - 4 - Press Release DEV/2190 PM Meeting SAG/17 3 November 1998
The representative of Belgium pledged 450 million Belgian francs for 1999, subject to his Parliament's approval of the multilateral cooperation budget. His Government was currently unable to make a pledge for the year 2000.
The representative of Greece said his delegation would contribute to the WFP for the next two years a quantity of rice, of value equal to $300,000.
The representative of Germany said that the country was not yet in a position to pledge, but it would notify the Secretary-General of its commitment as soon as its new budget was completed.
The representative of Yemen expressed appreciation for the work of the WFP and pledged $3,847.
CATHERINE BERTINI, WFP Executive Director, thanked all present. All attendees, even if they were not able to make a commitment, were there because they recognized the importance of food aid. Governments around the world had been generous to the WFP because food aid had been successful.
Last year, the WFP reached over 50 million people with food assistance -- to keep people alive, to help children to grow and to improve economic self-sufficiency, she said. This year, they would reach almost twice as many. This year, the WFP expected to distribute $1.7 billion in food, transportation and support.
The WFP refugee programme, whereby it provided food for refugees through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), was almost fully funded for this year, she said, as was the development resources programme. Contributions were decreasing, as the Secretary-General had stated, but the WFP had lowered its expectation and was, therefore, meeting its goals. Emergency needs were about 80 per cent funded and were twice as much this year over last year, because emergency needs were twice as much. Efforts to assist people in the Sudan now included the largest air drop ever of food in the world. In Bangladesh, there were now 19 million people needing food.
She highlighted the continuing programmes, notably development, as key areas of need in WFP's activities. The development ladder was not as tall, not because the needs were not as great. There were 800 million people in the world who were chronically hungry. She hoped governments could find additional funds to help people improve their lives. Ongoing discussions aimed at tightening the focus of the WFP were encouraging. She was confident that the WFP could detail how it had directed resources to the poorest in the poorest countries, and she was pleased to note that many countries had now been graduated from WFP needs lists.
1998 UN/FAO Pledging Conference - 5 - Press Release DEV/2190 PM Meeting SAG/17 3 November 1998
The WFP immediate response account -- a small account designed to allow quick responses to emergencies -- was very short, and she hoped governments would look at that account when considering additional contributions.
She thanked Member States for their support, both in pledges and in other ways, and said she looked forward to being advised of their pledges of those who had said they were currently unable to make a commitment. As a voluntary fund, the WFP must be on the cutting edge of reform, of accountability, of targeting and delivering its aid, and of finding those most invested in defeating hunger -- women in households.
Today, just under $350 million was pledged, she said. Together, Member States and the WFP kept people alive and helped children to grow. Together, they could make an even more positive contribution in future.
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