Primarily, these include country level preparations, regional and sub-regional workshops, and support for delegations from the least developed countries to participate in the Conference itself
Extra-budgetary funds for team papers and case studies will also be helpful. FAO and WHO will continue to seek the support and involvement of bilateral donor agencies which we believe will be most useful.
We have emphasized the importance of the ICN as the first intergovernmental meeting where nutrition issues related to developing as well as industrialized countries can be considered on a global basis
We are also continuing efforts to involve actively the NGO community and industry actively in the ICN preparations and its follow-up activities. FAO has been greatly encouraged by the interest that has been generated by the ICN. We look forward to the full participation of all Member Nations, and the continued support of the UN family, donor agencies, nongovernmental organizations and industry as we continue our preparations for this important undertaking.
Ms Kirsti ESKELINEN (Finland): I have the honour of making this statement on behalf of the four Nordic countries, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland.
The Nordic countries have presented their views on the International Conference on Nutrition on previous FAO contexts either in national or joint statements. This shows the interest we take in the preparations as well as the outcome of the forthcoming Conference. The initiative that was taken by the ACC Sub-Committee on Nutrition to convene such a Conference was motivated by a real need to coordinate the UN system approach to nutritional questions. This of course underlines the necessity to prepare the Conference as a joint effort of the UN system. An early involvement of all the partners concerned, governments and organizations alike, is therefore instrumental in securing a successful outcome for the Conference. In the view of the Nordic countries the ICN must primarily focus on the needs of the developing countries and its preparations and objectives must be finalized with this approach in mind.
The Nordic delegations have studied with interest the progress report in document CL prepared for this session of the Council.
We have to admit that the progress report before us is less informative than we would have expected. The document lists carefully the sequence of events and meetings where the ICN preparations have been discussed. Yet it refrains from giving adequate information on the contents and outcome of such discussions. The most interesting of the documents that are referred to in the progress report seems to be a joint FAO/WHO framework paper entitled «Meeting the Nutrition Challenge», which has been discussed by inter-agency meetings. The document before us states that the framework paper, when revised, will provide a comprehensive framework for the preparations of the Conference and constitute a basis for a coordinated inter-agency approach to the preparations for the ICN. The Nordic countries take considerable interest in the forthcoming paper and request that it be provided without delay to all the Member Governments.
We would like to note in this context that the Nordic countries have on earlier occasions drawn attention to the site there fact that some of the broad
objectives of the ICN, which have been formulated without consultations with the governing bodies of the sponsoring agencies, are of such a nature that they should be dealt with during the preparatory process or be further clarified as to the results aimed at. Here I am referring to the identification of nutrition problems, mobilization of resources, awareness-raising as well as to the data collection and monitoring, which are listed among the objectives. In our view the objectives of the Conference should be focused on the major policy issues on nutrition. The Conference should draw conclusions and give recommendations on the policy orientation and action needed in this multisectorial field.
