2- Objectives
The objectives of this FAC are essentially two-fold. Firstly
to contribute to global food security and secondly to improve the ability of
the international community to respond to food emergencies and other food needs
of developing countries. In particular these two objectives will be fostered
by:
- Making appropriate levels of food aid available on a
predictable basis using the FAC.
- Encouragement in ensuring that the food aid is targeted at
the alleviation of hunger (and poverty) of the most vulnerable groups.
- Providing food aid consistent with agricultural development
in recipient countries.
- Maximising the impact, the effectiveness and quality of food
aid granted so as to be a tool in support of food security.
- Providing a platform for coordination and information
sharing on food aid matters.
- The pursuit of improved coherence between food aid and other
policy instruments.
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3- Commitments
The members of the FAC are Argentina, Australia, Canada,
European Community (EC), Japan, Norway, Switzerland and the United States (US).
In practice these donors pledge to provide a minimum amount of food aid to
developing countries in the form of grains and other eligible products each
year. The text of the convention itself defines what these quantities of
donated food should be, and determines that all products provided must meet
international quality standards, and be consistent with the dietary habits and
nutritional needs of recipients. The pledges under the FAC are as follows:
|
FAC Member
|
Annual Aid Tons
|
%
|
|
Australia
|
250,000
|
5
|
|
Canada
|
420,000
|
9%
|
|
European Community
|
1,320,000
|
27%
|
|
Japan
|
300,000
|
% 6
|
|
Norway
|
30,000
|
1%
|
|
Switzerland
|
40,000
|
1%
|
|
USA
|
2,500,000
|
51%
|
|
Total
|
4,895,000
|
100 %
|
Table 3: Food Aid Convention Commitments. Source:
FAC
These are minimum tonnages, and these are usually exceeded.
The overall aim is to provide double this amount. The FAC's preamble and
Article I stipulate that the objective is actually to commit at least 10
million tonnes of food aid annually. This is mainly in the form of grain but
also includes other accepted food products suitable for human consumption, like
rice, oil or sugar. An increasing proportion of FAC food aid is purchased
locally within the recipient country or in neighbouring developing countries,
supporting the agricultural sector and local food markets. These triangular
transactions help to boost regional agricultural trade, while the rise in local
purchases has greatly
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reduced the food aid component in international trade flows,
according to the IGC. Note that countries not listed in the above table can
still provide food aid; they simply do not have a treaty obligation to do so.
The treaty does not allow for the participation of recipient countries. Given
the area of impact of the undertakings under the FAC, African countries are
thus glaringly absent in their participation under the Convention.
The advantage of this formalised treaty, participation aside,
is that FAC members make food aid available to developing countries with the
greatest needs on a predictable basis, and theoretically this is not related to
fluctuations in world food prices and supplies.
4- The Food Aid Committee (Fac)
To achieve greater efficiency in food aid operations there is
an emphasis on the monitoring and evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of
food aid operations. Rules 9 and 10 of the FAC require each member report of
each of its food aid operations which form part of its treaty contributions
including those channelled through international organizations or NGO's. The
FAC is operationalised through a food aid committee (Fac) which consists of all
parties (signatories) to the FAC. It is these donor members, distinct from
observers, who operate the tactical side of the business, mainly by exchanging
information on food aid needs and operations.
The Fac monitors the performance of its members' undertakings
under the Convention on the basis of records maintained by the IGC Secretariat.
Information supplied under Rule 9 is detailed in a 12 point reporting list and
ranges from information on price to details of third country purchases done
using cash donations. It shares information on policy developments affecting
food aid and discusses the world food situation and prospects in developing
countries. It also considers ways in which donors' aid efforts may best achieve
their objectives, with emphasis on the evaluation of world food needs and on
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the effectiveness and impact of food aid operations on those
receiving the food aid. The Fac usually holds two meetings a year in June and
December. The Fac sessions may also be attended by invited observers from
international organisations concerned with food aid. These include the UN Food
and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the World
Trade Organisation (WTO), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Countries party to the IGC can also request observer status at these
meetings17.
Notable in recent times is the participation at Fac meetings
of government observers from some new potential members. South Africa has been
the only African country to show an interest in this regard, and has been
admitted as an observer to the proceedings on several occasions since July
2004. The Secretariat has felt encouraged by this `new' interest.
The Food Aid Committee deals formally with the ongoing
business under the Convention but also has informal meetings in order for FAC
members to share ideas on the objectives and form of a new Convention on food
aid. At these informal discussions, ongoing since 2008, it has been confirmed
that the FAC would take its cue from the WTO as to its own renegotiation and
that any formal negotiations would have to take into account the outcome of the
ongoing WTO agriculture negotiations. It was agreed that there is indeed space
to improve the operation of the Fac under the existing FAC, notably as regards
information exchange and the coordination of donor activities. In looking to a
future incarnation of the FAC, the Fac members agreed to explore how the FAC
could be improved by expanding the list of eligible products for donation and
reviewing some of the
17 South Africa has participated in the FAC using this method
of attendance, being a long standing member of the IGC. The fact that South
Africa had itself become a modest donor also played a role.
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procedural rules. The example was cited of donations of
fortified products and micronutrients being added as eligible products in
addition to the present grains, pulses, oil, root crops, sugar and milk
powder.
In deference to the decision to await progress from the WTO
negotiations it was agreed that the FAC of 1999 (as extended) should be renewed
for yet another term to be decided and made effective from 1 July
200918. It is notable that resigning the FAC has been on ice as it
were since June 2004 based on the premise that the WTO negotiations need to set
the pace and that the FAC can then take its lead from the WTO. This is
reminiscent of the birth of the FAC during the Kennedy trade round of the late
1960's. Note also that the linkage between the FAC and the WTO is emphasised by
an exchange of letters of understanding as between the FAC and the WTO.
The FAC is not only cross linked to the WTO, but also to the
FAO. In this regard note that Article IX of the FAC makes reference to the
requirement that food aid transactions are executed so as to be consistent with
the FAO's `Principles of Surplus Disposal and Consultative Obligations'
(CSSD).
5- The Food Assistance Convention (FAC)
After the FAC expiration in 2007, negotiations were held to
continue the mechanism of regulation of food aid world widely. The FAC is
indeed the latest in a long series of such multilateral cooperation instruments
and it was adopted on 25 April 2012 in London. Following the deposit of
instruments of ratification by 6 Parties (EU, Canada, Denmark, Japan,
Switzerland and the United States), as at 30 November 2012, the Food Assistance
Convention entered into force on 1 January 2013.
18 Meeting of the Food Aid Committee, FAC Press
Release, 16th December 2008.
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The objectives of the Food Assistance Convention are to save
lives, reduce hunger, improve food security, and improve the nutritional status
of the most vulnerable populations by:
- addressing the food and nutritional needs of the most
vulnerable populations through commitments made by the Parties to provide food
assistance that improves access to, and consumption of, adequate, safe and
nutritious food;
- ensuring that food assistance provided to the most
vulnerable populations is appropriate, timely, effective, efficient, and based
on needs and shared principles; and
- facilitating information-sharing, cooperation, and
coordination, and providing a forum for discussion in order to improve the
effective, efficient, and coherent use of the Parties' resources to respond to
needs.
The new FAC was open for signature to many other states, in
accordance with article 12. To meet the objectives of this Convention, each
Party agrees to make an annual commitment of food assistance, set in accordance
with its laws and regulations. Each Party's commitment is referred to as its
«minimum annual commitment» as follow: Australia A$80m. ; Austria :
€1.495m.; Canada: C$250m.; Denmark: DKK185m.; European Union : €300m.
; Finland : €6m. ; Japan : JPY10bn. ; Luxembourg: €4m.; Russia:
$15m.; Slovenia: €30,000; Sweden; SEK200m.; Switzerland: CHF34m; United
States of America: $1.6bn.
Up to now, 3 sessions of the Fac were organized: the first on
15 February 2013. The same year, the 11th and 12th November, was held the
second session. From the 29 to the 30 May 2014, the third session took place.
On 17 and 18 November 2014, is scheduled the fourth session.
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