International acceptance of FAO's normative work is a result of the Organization's ability to provide a truly neutral forum for policy dialogue and the preparation, negotiation and conclusion of international agreements. FAO's role in providing such a forum for policy discussion and technical dialogue is demonstrated in the work of many of its committees. One example is the Committee on Commodity Problems (CCP), another is the Intergovernmental Commodity Groups. The preparation of the Rome Declaration and World Food Summit Plan of Action by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) also illustrates this role. Other FAO committees address a wide range of normative issues such as: food standards; nutritional requirements; the monitoring of food insecurity and vulnerability; the implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action; national commodity policies; technical issues concerning international trade, such as biotechnology and environmental regulation; and programme development, such as nutrition education and consumer protection.
In the field of agriculture, every two years FAO convenes the Committee on Agriculture (COAG). The Organization provides the secretariats for the:
· Committee on World Food Security;· Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture;
· Commission on Fertilizers (which is likely to be renamed the Commission on Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition);
· International Rice Commission;
· Asia and Pacific Plant Protection Commission;
· European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease;
· International Task Force on Hybrid Rice (in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute).
FAO convenes the only specialized global forum on fisheries, the Committee on Fisheries (COFI), to discuss key issues and formulate global policy. In addition there are nine FAO regional fisheries bodies:
· Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC);
· General Fisheries Council for the Mediterranean (GFCM);
· European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission (EIFAC);
· Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic (CECAF);
· Indian Ocean Fishery Commission (IOFC);
· Committee for Inland Fisheries of Africa (CIFA);
· Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC);
· Commission for Inland Fisheries of Latin America (COPESCAL);
· Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC).
Serving as a neutral forum for policy and technical dialogue on forests and forestry is a major role for FAO. Examples at the global and regional levels are the:
· Committee on Forestry (COFO), which brings together senior forest officials every two years to identify emerging issues, seek solutions to common problems and advise FAO;· Ministerial Meeting on Forestry, first convened in 1995 to offer the highest-level input available to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) - future meetings can be convened as needed to address key issues;
· technical bodies, i.e. statutory bodies on paper and wood products, forest gene resources and poplars and various ad hoc fora that address priority technical issues and advise FAO;
· six Regional Forestry Commissions, of which there is one each for Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Near East and North America and which are convened biennially to consider emerging regional issues, seek solutions and advise FAO.
Much work is complementary to that of other international organizations with which FAO also cooperates, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC). FAO provides the secretariats for the:
· CCP and its system of Intergovernmental Commodity Groups and the Consultative Sub-Committee on Surplus Disposal;· Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission;
· Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Nutrient Requirements.
FAO provides the secretariat for the Technical Advisory Committee of CGIAR and also serves as the focal point for the Network on Rural Development and Food Security, which has been newly established under the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) to act as one of the principal mechanisms for coordinating follow-up to the World Food Summit by the UN system.
Global and regional networks are becoming an increasingly important vehicle for disseminating technologies, building capacity and exchanging experience. Examples of such networks in which FAO is closely involved include:
· the Global Network on Integrated Soil Management for Sustainable Use of Salt Affected Soils;· the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies;
· the Network on Conservation Tillage in Latin America (RELACO);
· regional networks for vegetable research and development in Africa;
· the Network on Identification, Conservation and Use of Wild Plants in the Mediterranean Region (MEDUSA);
· the Information Network on Post-Harvest Operations (INPHO), incorporating coordinated inputs from institutions worldwide;
· regional networks on food marketing in Africa, Asia, the Near East and Latin America;
· regional networks on rural finance in the Near East, Africa and Asia.
