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I- Objectives/Mandate:

A- Genesis:

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is leading international efforts in the fight against hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO is also a source of knowledge and information. It helps developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and guarantees good nutrition for all. Since its founding, in 1945, FAO paid special attention to developing rural areas, where 70 percent of the world’s poor live.

B- Brief history:

FAO was founded on October 16, 1945. Its mandate consists of elevating levels of nutrition and standards of living, improving agricultural productivity, and upgrading the quality of life of rural populations in both developed and developing countries, as well as contributing to the rapid growth of the world economy.

FAO is one of the largest specialized agencies of the United Nations (194 Member States), and the lead agency for agriculture, forestry, fisheries and rural development. The Organization has its own governing bodies which guaranteeing that its vision and policies are implemented in an effective and transparent way, so that the Organization can fully carry out its task, and help build a world without hunger.

The main significant events since its founding are established chronologically, as such:

2006
FAO unveils its advanced technology Crisis Management Center to fight avian flu and other emergency situations concerning animal health and food safety. The service closely monitors disease outbreaks and is able to dispatch experts to different corners of the world in less than 48 hours.

2005
- The 60th anniversary of FAO’s founding celebrated in a solemn ceremony attended by Heads of State and Government, Ministers and other dignitaries from all regions of the world.
- Director-General Jacques Diouf re-elected for a third term of six years.
- FAO Conference approves additional reforms, including a new decentralization of staff.

2004
FAO announces the entering into force of the “International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture”, a legally binding agreement that encourages sustainable agriculture through the fair sharing of genetic material and its benefits among plant breeders, farmers as well as public and private research institutions.

2002
- The World Food Summit: five years ago, attended by delegations from 179 countries in addition to the European Commission, reaffirms the international community’s commitment to reduce hunger by half by 2015.
- Founding the Alliance against Hunger: Resulting from the World Food Summit: five years later it recognizes “the urgent need to consolidate the efforts of all partners and create an international alliance against hunger in the world in order to achieve the objective of the World Summit of 1996”. The main purpose of this alliance is to favor local and national initiatives (Non Governmental Organizations), aiming at giving destitute and undernourished  populations the means to enjoy sustainable food security by mobilizing the will of civil society, as well as the technical knowledge, and the financial resources necessary for that purpose.

2000
At the request of the United Nations Secretary-General, FAO develops a concerted action strategy for governments and UN agencies to combat chronic hunger in the Horn of Africa.

1997
FAO launched the campaign against hunger initiative, TeleFood. TeleFood ‘97 reaches a global audience of 500 million people.

1996
In November, FAO hosts 186 Heads of State and Government and other high officials at the World Food Summit to discuss and combat world hunger, with the objective of: The engagement of the international community to halve world hunger by 2015.

1994
- FAO launches the Special Program for Food Security (SPFS), targeting low-income food-deficit countries (LIFDCs).
- FAO launches the Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES), strengthening the Organization’s contribution to prevention, fight and, when possible, eradication of disease and pests.
- FAO begins its most significant restructuring since its founding in order to decentralize its operations, rationalize its procedures and reduce costs.

1991
The International Plant Protection Convention is ratified with 92 signatories.

1986
AGROSTAT (now FAOSTAT) becomes operational. It’s the world’s most comprehensive source of agricultural information and statistics.

1981
The first World Food Day is celebrated on October 16, by more than 150 countries.

1980
FAO concludes 56 agreements for the appointment of FAO Representatives in developing member countries.

1974
In Rome, UN World Food Conference recommends to reach an international commitment on world food security.

1962
The FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission is established to set international food standards.

1951
FAO transfers its headquarters from Washington D.C. (the United States) to Rome (Italy).

1943
Forty four governments, meeting in Hot Springs, Virginia, (the United States), commit themselves to founding a permanent organization for food and agriculture.

C- Topical questions:

Influenza A/H1N1 virus:
The world crisis management Center put in place by FAO-OIE can bring early responses to relevant governments thanks to the mobilization of operational groups of experts, in order to halt pandemics and assist States with their efforts to protect and fight against the disease.

Avian influenza:
Investing to control and contain avian influenza is in the best interest of both developed and developing countries. The objective of FAO is to protect human health on a local and international level, and to promote food security. The strategy of the Organization focuses on controlling this disease at its source on a preventive basis, in order to halt the geographical expansion of this pathology and fight against any primary disease outbreaks.

Biodiversity:
FAO is actively promoting the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity for food and agriculture. In this respect, FAO provides a forum for intergovernmental debates where biodiversity-related policies are discussed and agreements are negotiated and adopted by member countries. This is the case with the “International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture” that came into effect in 2004. The Organization also addresses legal and economic aspects of agricultural biodiversity, and seeks to capitalize on its multidisciplinary expertise through an integrated approach to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

Bioenergy:
Bioenergy and biofuel have been important issues on FAO’s agenda for decades. These last few years, the topics have drawn attention again because of global concerns over the rise of agricultural products prices, the environmental degradation, the sustainability of current energy systems and the competition for land between food crops and energy crops.

Climate change:
The importance of the effects of climate change on the objectives of the declaration of the world food summit of 1996 led the Organization to highlight this significant and symbolic relationship on world day in 2008, entitled: “World food security: the challenges of climate change and bioenergy” and development programs conceived in this respect.

Food safety:
Food Quality and Standards Service (AGNS) aims at protecting consumers and promoting the production and trade of safe and quality food, knowing that a sustainable food security policy is unfailingly linked to a food safety strategy.

Millennium Development Goals:
There are eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that the member States in the United Nations have agreed to reach by 2015. The main objective is to halve the number of people who are not getting sufficient quantities of food, which is namely a population of 450 million people.

Water:
Today, everyone agrees that sustainable food security is an integral part of an integrated management and a rational use of water resources strategy. In fact, the volume of water used has doubled in the last century in comparison with the demographic growth, causing water shortages in all continents and affecting 40 percent of the world population.
As a first result of water shortage, around 4000 children die every day from diseases linked to clean drinking water shortage and lack of hygiene.
FAO’s concerns are in connection with the role and importance of water resources for the development objectives of the agricultural sector which consumes alone around 70 percent of all fresh water withdrawal and this percentage reaches 5 percent in some developing countries.

II- FAO representation in Lebanon:

Lebanon was one of the first countries to benefit from a FAO representation to strengthen the Organization’s program on the ground. The FAO office was established there in September, 1977.

In accordance with the Organization’s mandate, the FAO representation in Lebanon has always sought to promote a harmonious and sustainable development of the agricultural sector in consultation with directly or indirectly-related ministerial departments, having in common the following concerns:

• To promote national agricultural policies intended for sustainable food security objectives.
• To implement tools for the protection and conservation of biological resources (genetic and plant genetic)
• To support the promotion and development of human resources on a scientific and technological level.
• To respond to extraordinary situations in order to reduce incidents following emergency and unexpected situations such as wars, natural disasters, etc…

Funding these projects comes from three sources: FAO’s Regular Program, and namely the Technical Cooperation Program; Trust Funds, paid to FAO by member States and finally TeleFood funds.

A – Activities in Lebanon:

Since its founding, the FAO representation in Lebanon has funded, implemented and executed about 173 projects. These projects are divided into regular and emergency programs.

Regular programs have a medium and long-term impact on institutional and structural plans.

They focus on the definition of policies and implementation strategies, mobilization and setting up of development tools as well as the promotion and development of skills.

As for emergency programs, they consist of bringing a direct and immediate assistance to farmers affected by conflicts, climate disturbances and natural disasters.

a- Emergency programs:

These programs are divided into 3 parts.

1- Recently completed projects: Reserved within the scope of an emergency program due to the devastating effects of the July-August 2006 war, these projects, which consist of two projects, are:

1- a- Early recovery assistance for horticulture small-holders:

(FAO/OSRO/LEB/701 /UNJ):
The emergency assistance for horticulture small-holders and land revitalization was designed to provide urgent relief to 1600 vulnerable horticulture farmers who have suffered significant direct or indirect losses. This urgent relief anticipates the improvement of the current greenhouse design, the use of certified vegetable seed for cultivation, the production of quality material for plantations and the use of localized irrigation systems, as well as the use of an integrated pest management. This project was closed in April 2009.

1-b- Early recovery assistance for war-affected small-scale livestock keepers:

(FAO/OSRO/LEB/702 /UNJ):
This project focuses on providing an early recovery assistance to war affected livestock keepers in South Lebanon and it aims at facilitating early recovery to the livelihoods of livestock keepers severely affected by the 2006 hostilities. Its actions revolve around dairy products distribution/restocking, provision of feed concentrate and forage, distribution of bucks to upgrade the quality of local herds “baladi goats”, with the prospect of rebuilding livestock. This project was closed in April 2009.

2- Projects under implementation:

2-a- Integrated forest management, prevention, control, assessment and rehabilitation of damaged forests:

(OSRO/LEB/703/UNJ)
This ongoing project revolves around the reinforcement and early recovery of damaged forest stands, thanks to the adoption of modern systems of preventive forest fires management. This project is being implemented jointly by FAO, the Ministry of Environment and the Association for Forest Development and Conservation (AFDC).

This ongoing project revolves around the mobilization and distribution of specialized equipments, forest fire uniforms as well as the acquisition of six fire trucks for early intervention.

2-b- Regional Animal Health Center - RAHC

(OSRO/RAB/701/SWE)
This center aims at organizing and reinforcing regional capacities to manage risks due to animal pathology by setting up regional prevention, organization and evaluation structures that form the Regional Centers (RAHC).
This initiative was jointly launched by FAO and OIE through a signed agreement set up by the GF-TADs (Global Framework for Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases) and therefore allowed the establishment of a Regional Animal Health Center for the Middle East region, based in Beirut. The Center aims at providing a framework for the coordination and harmonization of follow-up and control strategies regarding Avian Influenza and other Transboundary Animal Diseases in the region:

Its main objectives are:

• Early detection and eradication of primary Avian Influenza outbreaks.
  Elaboration of emergency measures on the national and regional level, as well as setting up Avian Influenza preparedness and response programs.
  Surveillance and control of the Foot and Mouth Disease and other Transboundary Animal Diseases.
  Setting up a signaling system and a launching operation for the fight against RinderPest in the countries of the region.

3- Future Projects:

3-a- Recovery and Rehabilitation of the dairy production sector in the Bekaa Valley and the Hermel-Akkar Highlands

(OSRO/LEB/901/UNJ)
The objectives of this project focus mainly on enabling the rehabilitation and promotion of the dairy industry in the Bekaa Valley and the Hermel-Akkar Highlands, a region known for its capacities in this matter and characterized by personnel of managers (farmers, producers) of which one-third are female-headed households.
The interventions are focused mainly on strengthening the capacity of milk production while securing the sector of dairy products and providing farmers with alternative income-generating activities as an alternative to the production of illicit crops.

3-b Contribution to the socio-economic development of the Palestinian refugees’ community in South Lebanon via the promotion of sustainable agricultural activities:
The objectives of this project focus mainly on: (i) improving the income of the Palestinian refugees families working in agriculture (ii) establishing small agricultural enterprises regarding agriculture, gardening, poultry production, etc. (iii) and promoting new agricultural techniques by training farmers and perfecting their skills.

4- Ordinary programs:

4-a- GCP programs: Defined by a structural character, the two ongoing projects aim at reinforcing institutional capacities in managing and implementing agricultural development programs.

The Lebanese National Observatory for agricultural Development (GCP/LEB/020/ITA)
This project aims at putting in place an agricultural observatory within the Ministry of Agriculture, open to all partners and it should constitute a base tool for the definition of sectional policies and the identification of appropriate strategies for a harmonious and sustainable development of Lebanese agriculture.
Specific activities linked to this project consist of: (i) conducting surveys on agriculture; (ii) providing reliable information partners for decision support systems; (iii) establishing agricultural development and performance analysis indicators of the agricultural sector on the national, regional or international level; (iv) elaborating agricultural development plans on the basis of a sustainable food security vision.

Promoting the production and commercialization techniques for Lebanese agricultural products: (GCP/LEB/021/ITA)
This project focuses mainly on the improvement of the production chain systems, the development of products in accordance with the requirements defined by the different international agreements and conventions, monitoring the production and commercialization of agricultural products, which Lebanon signed or is in the process of signing (European Union Association Agreement, Negotiations for accession to the WTO).

4-b Technical Cooperation Program TCP:
Through its Technical Cooperation Program, the FAO allocates limited, but identifiable and reliable resources to fulfill one of its constitutional functions, i.e. “respond to governmental requests for technical assistance”.
The TCP is an integral part of the Organization’s Regular Program and is funded by the budget allotted to the Organization.
The projects funded by FAO can be either in the form of expertise (introduction of new technologies, staff training...) or in the form of pre-investment studies.

The Technical Cooperation Program between FAO and Lebanon focuses mainly on three ongoing projects:

• Preparation and reinforcement of national institutional capacities to face emergency situations due to avian influenza and other epizootic diseases. (TCP/LEB/3102)
• Setting up an organizational mechanism for popularization and agricultural education at the sector level. (TCP/LEB/3202)
• Establishment of a regional platform for the detection and management of genetically modified organism. (TCP/RAB/3202)

Future ideas, regarding TCP, focus on the following issues:

• Preparation of a food consumption survey.
• Reinforcement of the National Codex Alimentarius committee and harmonizing the food standards and regulations.
• Modernization of agricultural irrigation schemes in Lebanon.
• Technical assistance for the improvement of olive and olive oil quality in South Lebanon and Hermel.
• Setting up a preventive system of socio-economic risk management linked to a potential rise in agricultural products prices.
• Identification of national scientific skills to be integrated in the elaboration and execution of agricultural development programs in Lebanon and initiated by FAO.

4-c- Trust Funds:
When field activities need to be conducted on a larger scale, or extend over a longer time period, or involve cross-border issues, a Trust Fund may be the feasible answer. A Trust Fund is a partnership involving:

• Donors providing the funding,
• Beneficiary country or countries,
• FAO, which provides technical and operational expertise.

Trust Funds allow donors to concentrate on their preferred issues, regions or countries. Thus, they can profit from FAO’s comparative advantages and technical expertise, as well as its trained personnel and large spectrum of international experts.

Trust Funds provide the funding for field programs in various areas, such as programming, agricultural policies, community involvement in environmental issues, regional food security programs, cross-border water resource management, training in reliable pest control methods and implementing the code for Responsible Fisheries.

Future Trust Fund projects deal with the following issues:

• Integrated River Basin Management,
• Strategy on re-using waste water,
• Water Quality Management

4-d TeleFood

Since its launch, FAO’s TeleFood program has funded more than 30 projects in Lebanon covering the activities of several agricultural sectors.
The ongoing small scale projects which have reached 11 to this day, aim at providing assistance to families and communities who need it the most and improving their living conditions. These small scale projects generally handles beekeeping, the transformation of agricultural products, agricultural education, and are executed by specialized Non Governmental Organizations (Associations for environmentalists, Associations for the disabled, etc.) and school establishments.

5- FAO’s activities comprise four main areas:

• Putting information within reach: FAO serves as a knowledge network. The Organization uses the technical expertise of its staff - agronomists, foresters, fisheries and livestock specialists, nutritionists, social science experts, economists, statisticians, etc - to collect, analyze and disseminate data that’s useful for development. The FAO website gets a million visitors per month, either to consult a technical document or read about the Organization’s work with farmers. FAO also publishes hundreds of newsletters, reports and books, distributes magazines, creates numerous CD-ROMS and host dozens of electronic forums.
• Sharing policy expertise: FAO lends its years of experience to member countries in elaborating agricultural policies, supporting planning, drafting effective legislation and creating national strategies aiming at reaching rural development and hunger alleviation goals.
• Providing a meeting place for nations: On any given day, dozens of officials and experts from around the world convene at the FAO headquarters or in the Organization’s field offices to forge agreements on major food and agriculture issues. As a neutral forum, FAO provides the setting where rich and poor nations can come together to build common understanding.
• Bringing knowledge to the field: FAO’s range of knowledge is put to the test in thousands of field projects conducted around the world. FAO mobilizes and manages millions of dollars provided by industrialized countries, development banks and other sources to make sure projects achieve their goals. FAO provides the technical knowhow and the funding in some cases. In crisis situations, the Organization works side by side with the World Food Program and other humanitarian agencies to protect rural livelihoods and help farmers rebuild their lives.

6- Priorities of Representation:

a- Achieving sustainable food security:

Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO's efforts: Making sure people have regular access to sufficient good quality food to lead active, healthy lives.

b- Communication and dialogue:
FAO is also a source of knowledge and information. The Organization helps developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition for all. Since its founding in 1945, FAO has focused special attention on developing rural areas, where 70 percent of the world's poor and malnourished people live.
FAO is also a source of knowledge and information. Its communication networks provide a better sharing of knowledge and information between communities that share the same interest and objectives on sustainable agriculture and food security. These networks of thematic knowledge give people access to diverse information about specific fields susceptible of providing them with answers to their questions.

For more information about the FAO programme in Lebanon:

Dr. Ali Moumen, FAO Representative
Ms. Solange Matta-Saadé, Assistant for the FAOR (Programme)

FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Representation to Lebanon
Rayess Building, Rayess Street
P.O. Box 40010
Baabda, Lebanon
Tel.: 961-5-924005/6/7
Fax: 961-5-922128
E-mail: fao-lb@fao.org
Website www.fao.org


Updated in June 2009

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