Peru: Several institutions constitute a Multi-sector Food-Security Commission

Peru now has a Multi-sector Food-Security Commission. In November 2002, the president of the Consejo de Ministros (Council of Ministers), together with the ministers of Agriculture, Foreign Trade and Tourism, Education, Women and Social Development, Production, Foreign Relations, Health and Employment, as well as the president of the Board of Concerted Fight Against Poverty, formed the commission in order to coordinate, articulate and evaluate sector policies and measures related to the food security of the population, and, in particular, of the vulnerable groups.

The decree 118/2002, which formed this commission, recognizes food security is not the responsibility of a single sector, but rather "several sectors of the State, the private sector and the society as a whole." This is in line with the commitments ratified by the Peruvian state in the World Food Summit: Five Years Later, and the National Accord, signed in July of 2002 between the government, the political parties and civil society.

The functions of the Multi-sector Food-Security Commission are, among others:

• To formulate a National Strategy for Food Security.
• To design a National Plan for Food and Nutrition based on the above strategy.
• To promote mechanisms and measures for the co-ordination and complementarity of the different food-security programmes in the country.
• stimulate the participation of the representatives of the institutions of the public sector, regional and local governments as well as institutions representative of the society in the National Strategy for Food Security.
• To prepare the reports required on advances in fulfilling the Action Plan of the World Food Summit of 1996.
• To encourage the spread of knowledge in the population and public institutions as well as private sectors concerning the contents, objectives and principles of the National Strategy for Food Security.