FAO Regional Conference, 25fth Session, Riga, Latvia, 8 - 9 June 2006

Statement by Mr Ola T. Heggem,
State Secretary for Agriculture and Food in Norway

Round Table - FAO as provider for Global Public Goods

Honourable Ministers,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen!

“The great aim of education is not knowledge but action!” as Herbert Spencer once put it. This may serve as a heading for my intervention at this Round Table.

Chairperson,
In document ERC/06/4, the Secretariat presents us with a theoretical background to our discussion today. I wish to commend them for this document, which I find both interesting and thought-provoking.

Chairperson,
The Secretariat challenges us in the document before us and seeks guidance on priorities and strategies for FAO. As I see it, the organization has unique qualities as a global agricultural organization. It represents a combination of highly specialized expertise and practical tools for development in agriculture and related fields. Thus, FAO may contribute to development through training and education on the basis of an extensive knowledge base built up over years.

The most important feature of FAOs work should be its normative work. FAO has played, and should continue to play, an important role in standard setting work. A good example here is the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources which is very much due to FAOs efforts in that particular field. Currently, there is ongoing work to put the treaty into action. I believe that this work will be important also in this region and should be supported by all members.

There is clearly a shortage of global common goods in the world today. This is the case in a number of fields; peace and security, sustainable management of global commons, access to knowledge and the control of communicable diseases are just a few examples. The spread of avian influenza from small isolated outbreaks, mainly in Asia, to a threat against all forms of poultry production globally, is the most recent example of the magnitude of the challenges we are facing. The bird flue is the fastest spreading animal disease ever known to man, and we have now witnessed outbreaks in 53 states. In its present form avian flue represents only a low risk to human beings, but the possibility of the virus mutating into a human pandemic virus is a scenario the world has to prepare for.

Norway commends FAO for the lead it has taken on containing the avian flue. We are particularly pleased with the constructive cooperation with other agencies, both inside and outside the UN-family. The world has responded to the appeals. The donor conference in Beijing in January was a success. But the avian influenza is evolving more rapidly than the international response and Norway therefore urges the international community to stand by its pledges from Beijing. Norway has disbursed its pledge from Beijing, and has even topped up this pledge by supporting UN appeals for support for efforts in the Palestinian areas.

The strengthening of the international community’s capacity to fight avian influenza represents a case in point when we are discussing production of global common goods. Even if avian flu does not evolve into a pandemic, investments in global pandemic preparedness and strengthening of animal health systems - and health systems in general, are investments in global public goods that we will all benefit from. In our view this is at the heart of FAO and other specialized agencies’ mandate.

Chairperson,
In paras. 17 and 18 in the document before us, the Secretariat has drawn up some challenges for future work by FAO in our region. I concur in the priorities for the region as they are set out in the first part of paragraph 17. Poverty reduction and reduction of hunger and malnutrition must remain the most important issues in our region as they are still a fact of life for too many Europeans. Further in this paragraph, the Secretariat asks for guidance regarding FAOs architecture at the regional level. I believe that the findings of the IEE could provide important contributions to the basis for deciding on the future organizational structure at the regional level.

Bullet point 3 relates to possible technical assistance to new EU members to implement the acquis communautaire. This should perhaps not be a goal in itself. The focus could instead be shifted more towards how members in the region can adapt to changing global demands both in relation to trade and other important fields like environment.

Chairperson,
This focus on common global goods is very much in line with the government which I represent. We are convinced that common goods are best protected and upheld by common solutions in the form of sovereign states acing in close international cooperation. As a consequence, we believe in binding global agreements to protect global public goods, in particular the ones called natural global commons in the document before us. Our aim is to use our global commons to create wealth and distribute it equally, while respecting the principle of sustainable development and solidarity with future generations.

In conclusion, I wish to concur fully with what is said in paragraph 19 regarding FAOs role. FAO would indeed serve its members best by encouraging a long term perspective and by providing empirical and analytical inputs to national and regional debates. In this lies the future for the organisation as I see it. There are few other organisations with the same potential. FAO should take the opportunity and strive to fully realize this potential.

Thank you for you attention!