Established in 1997 by the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) as a follow-up mechanism to the World Food Summit, the ACC Network has proved effective in mobilizing support for government efforts to implement the World Food Summit Plan of Action and rural development and food security programmes; building new and reinforcing existing partnerships between UN system organizations and other stakeholders, including civil society; and exchanging and disseminating information, experiences and best practices. By June 2001, the ACC Network was comprised at the international level, of 20[1] UN system organizations and associated international and regional NGOs, and at the country level of 69 national Thematic Groups working on rural development and food security, that have been established within the UN Resident Coordinator System in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean and the Near East. A further 14 national Thematic Groups are in the initial stages of development.
The Thematic Group is integral to the ACC Network. Composed typically of representatives from the UN, government, civil society and donors, the Thematic Group aims to respond in a demand-driven and participatory way to country-specific needs and priorities, initiating and supporting activities that range from the development of food security and poverty alleviation strategies, country nutrition profiles, rapid rural appraisals and information systems, to the design, implementation and monitoring of development programmes and projects. Thematic Groups have contributed to the development of national FIVIMS (from identifying vulnerable areas and populations at risk, to coordinating data collection from various country partners and producing reports). Other Thematic Groups have supported the various stages of the United Nations Development Framework (UNDAF) and Common Country Assessment (CCA) process (from coordinating the inputs of the UN agencies to participating in the development of indicators).
For further information about the ACC Network on Rural Development and Food Security see http://www.accnetwork.net or e-mail [email protected].
