22 November 2008: The 35th Special Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference, which convened from 18-22 November 2008, in Rome, Italy, has adopted a three-year Immediate Plan of Action (IPA), which will implement an agenda for “reform with growth” as recommended by an independent external evaluation completed last year.

The Plan provides for enhancing FAO governance and improving its
performance through streamlined management, and by focusing more
closely on core objectives and functions. It is expected to equip FAO
to deal with the crucial challenges it must address, including hunger
and poverty reduction, food crises, climate change, bioenergy and the
impact of the ongoing financial crisis on agriculture. The IPA
introduces a results-based framework for all FAO’s work, consisting of
global goals, strategic objectives, organizational results and core
functions.
Strategic objectives relating to the impact of climate
change include: sustainable management of land, water and genetic
resources, and improved responses to global environmental challenges
affecting food and agriculture; and improved preparedness for, and
effective response to, food and agricultural threats and emergencies.
The section on organizational results includes a box with indicative
impact focus areas, including: action towards global food security in
the context of the current food crisis and climate change; and coping
with scarcity of land and water resources, including the implications
of climate change, with a special emphasis on Africa.
The section on
core functions defines the means of action and modalities to achieve
these results, and describes strategies for coherent approaches, which
are complemented by two functional objectives: effective collaboration
with member States and stakeholders; and efficient and effective
administration. The IPA further lays out strategies and timetables for
reforming FAO’s governing bodies, systems and organizational
structures, as well as further actions to improve the effectiveness of
FAO governance. The Plan’s Annex provides a summary of costs, savings,
resource requirements and implementation schedule. [FAO press release] [Resolution and Immediate Plan of Action]