ACC
Administrative Committee on Coordination
AFRICOVER
Land Cover Map and Geodatabase for Africa
ARTEMIS
Africa Real-Time Environmental Monitoring using Imaging Satellites
ASFA
Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts
CCP
Committee on Commodity Problems
CFC
Common Fund for Commodities
CFS
Committee on Food Security
CGIAR
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
COAG
Committee on Agriculture
COFI
Committee on Fisheries
COFO
Committee on Forestry
DAD-IS
Domestic Animal Diversity Information System
ECE
Economic Commission for Europe
EMPRES
Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases
FORIS
Forest Resources Information System
GIEWS
Global Information and Early Warning System for Food and Agriculture
GTOS
Global Terrestrial Observing System
IAEA
International Atomic Energy Agency
ICSU
International Council of Scientific Unions
IFAD
International Fund for Agricultural Development
ILO
International Labour Organisation
INPHO
Information Network on Post-Harvest Operations
JECFA
Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives
MEDUSA
Network on Identification, Conservation and Use of Wild Plants in the Mediterranean Region
NELAREN
Negotiated Land Reform Network
OECD
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
REIMP
Regional Environmental Information Management Project
RELACO
Network on Conservation Tillage in Latin America
SIS
Seed Information System
TEMS
Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring Sites
UNCED
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
UNCTAD
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNDCP
United Nations International Drug Control Programme
UNDP
United Nations Development Programme
UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UNEP
United Nations Environment Programme
UNIDO
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
WAICENT
World Agricultural Information Centre
WHO
World Health Organization
WMO
World Meteorological Organization
WTO
World Trade Organization
As this century draws to a close, one of the most vital and urgent challenges facing the world is the fight against hunger and food insecurity. Drawing on 50 years of experience, a newly reformed and streamlined FAO is able to offer its member countries the normative as well as the operational support required to develop their food and agricultural sectors and achieve sustainable food security.
Each month, FAO's statistical database on the Internet is accessed more than 2 million times and 9 million records are downloaded, a clear sign of the significant global impact made by two of FAO's key normative activities: maintaining statistical databases and collecting and disseminating information. Equally important is the Organization's function as a world centre of knowledge and expertise and as a neutral forum for policy dialogue and the preparation of international agreements.
In this era of globalization, FAO's unique advantages in the development of food and agricultural standards and conventions are coming increasingly to the fore. The Uruguay Round Agreements and their implementation in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, for example, stands out as an area in which FAO provides not only technical assistance but also legal and policy advice -yet another of the crucial normative roles described in this review.
