Affiché le 26 août 1998

Groupes thématiques nationaux

Yemen: Task Force on Rural Development and Food Security

Membership

The Task Force on Rural Development and Food Security in Yemen brings together representatives of: FAO (chair), UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, UNHCR, WFP, UNIC, the World Bank, The Netherlands Embassy, the E.U., GTZ, ICARDA, Ministry of Agriculture (MAI). It plans to involve civil society organizations with experience in rural development and food security when specific items on the agenda are being discussed and implemented.

Objectives

The Task Force on Rural Development and Food Security aims to promote food security, rural development and sustainable agricultural development in Yemen with a view to achieving three main objectives: i) rural poverty alleviation; ii) effective and sustainable utilization and management of natural resources; and iii) social and gender equity. Task Force participants believe these objectives can be achieved through enhanced coordination and collaboration among UN Agencies, Government, donors and aid agencies, and national and international governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Terms of reference

The Task Force has discussed and adopted terms of reference (TORs) to guide its work and the implementation of activities in support of its objectives. The specific TORs include:

• enhance coordination and collaboration and develop common positions on food security and rural development;
• assist the Government in the promotion of inter-ministerial and Govt/NGO coordination on food security policy, rural development policy and the implementation of various programmes/projects concerning food security and rural development;
• exchange information, ideas and views on projects and programmes within its terms of reference, aimed at ensuring effective donor coordination and minimizing negative impact of overlap;
• advocate for a sufficient level of resources from the Government and donors to pursue the attainment of food security and adequate nutrition in the country;
• discuss specific topics on food security and rural development which meet the common interest of the Task Force members;
• identify opportunities for convergence of programmes, including at the field level, related to food security and rural development;
• interact with other thematic groups and Task Forces in areas of common interest e.g. water, environment etc.

A forum for information exchange and joint activities

The Task Force is regarded as an important forum for information exchange and dissemination. It is hoped that it will enhance the sharing of experiences and best practices and help to disseminate knowledge on activities and programmes implemented by different partners, including UN organizations, donors and the Government. Important progress is being made. For instance, the Vice Minister of the MAI briefed a meeting of the Task Force on 8 July 1998 on the series of studies being undertaken to analyse and redefine MAI’s role and to introduce reforms, as a result of which further cooperation from donors is expected in this exercise. Participants are also considering ways to collect and share information on projects and programmes and have decided to follow the example of the Thematic Group in China and create a resource book or compendium on investments in food security and rural development.

In response to the concern regarding the lack of information on specific pockets of vulnerability and hunger in Yemen, the Task Force has initiated a dialogue on the Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information Mapping System (FIVIMS) and plans to undertake activities in support of FIVIMS. Effort will be made to tailor FIVIMS activities to Yemen's capacity and needs and to collaborate with UNDP’s Poverty Information Monitoring System (PIMS) in the Poverty Alleviation and Employment Generation Programme. As a first step, an inventory and appraisal of relevant information/data systems will be carried out in order to determine how to weave together existing information into a workable country-specific FIVIMS for Yemen.