The High Level Task Force (HLTF) held its twelfth meeting on 5 February 2010 in New York under the chairmanship of the Secretary-General.

The Secretary-General opened the meeting by stressing that 2010 will be about putting commitments into practice and achieving results in countries. He asked HLTF members to provide updates on the current food security situation and prospects for 2010. Mr. Jacques Diouf, Director-General of FAO and Vice Chair of the Task Force, reported that the overall food security situation has not changed. While the food stocks are being replenished and the oil price is not as high as during the food price crisis in 2008, other factors such as population growth, increasing demand and the impact of climate change remain and could trigger another crisis.

Representatives of WFP, FAO and IFAD reported on the response to food insecurity in Haiti following the devastating earthquake in January. They emphasized the need for well coordinated action during the emergency and recovery phase in Haiti. The Rome Permanent Representatives of the US and Brazil and the Minister of Agriculture of Haiti will convene a High-Level Meeting on Food Security and Nutrition in Haiti on 12 February in Rome. HLTF members expressed great concern over the food security situation in the Eastern Sahel and the Horn of Africa for which sustained advocacy for urgent action is essential. Also important is to address all dimensions of food security – not just food production and availability, but also nutrition, including access to, and utilization of food.

On the outcomes of the November 2009 World Summit on Food Security, the revitalization of the Committee on World Food Security and progress with the L’Aquila Food Security Initiative, HLTF members exchanged views on how the different processes to support country- led action could be moved forward. Mr. Diouf thanked the Secretary-General for his participation and support at the World Summit on Food Security. He was pleased with the outcomes as captured in the Summit Declaration despite the fact that no agreement was reached on a target date for eradicating hunger and quantitative targets of ODA support.

The five ‘Rome Principles’ were endorsed and the importance of the Right to Food stressed. The World Bank reported on the first contributions (USA, Canada and Spain) to the newly established financial pass-through mechanism, the ‘Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme’ (GAFSP). The HLTF agreed that coordinated support for establishing comprehensive national investment plans that address all dimensions of food security is key. There are some good signs of coordinated financial support, including the resources allocated to the GAFSP. The OECD reported that overall aid to developing countries in 2010 will reach record levels in dollar terms but will still be less than the overall amount that the world’s major aid donors promised five years ago at the 2005 Gleneagles and Millennium + 5 summits, in part because of the economic crisis. A report published by OECD in 2009 provides more detailed information on aid specifically supporting agriculture (‘Aid activities in support of Agriculture’). UNCTAD highlighted that attention must be paid not just to agricultural production but also to markets.

The five Rome Principles: (1) Support for country-led processes; (2) Ensuring a comprehensive approach to food security; (3) Strategic coordination of assistance; (4) Supporting a strong role for multilateral institutions; and (5) Sustaining a robust commitment of financial resources.

On the World Economic Forum (WEF) the Secretary-General noted that he was not able to attend due to the tragic events in Haiti, but that the HLTF was well represented thanks to the proactive participation of many HLTF member agencies. In particular, Mr. Nwanze, President of IFAD, Ms. Sheeran, Executive Director of WFP and Mr. Diouf, Director-General of FAO encouraged greater collaboration with the private sector. Mr. Nabarro concluded that an important stream of work is evolving around sustainable development, with greater attention to the involvement of the private sector.

The Secretary-General proposed that the next meeting of the HLTF be held towards end of March or April.