A/RES/68/209 GA

United Nations A/RES/68/209 General Assembly Distr.: General 29 January 2014 Sixty-eighth session Agenda item 19 13-45199 *1345199* Please recycle Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 20 December 2013 [on the report of the Second Committee (A/68/438)] 68/209. Agricultural technology for development The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 66/195 of 22 December 2011 on agricultural technology for development, Recalling also the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 1 Agenda 21, 2 the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, 3 the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development 4 and the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg Plan of Implementation),5 Recalling further the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 20 to 22 June 2012, entitled “The future we want”,6 Recalling the special event to follow up efforts made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, held on 25 September 2013, and its outcome document,7 Recalling also the 2005 World Summit Outcome,8 Recalling further its resolution 67/228 of 21 December 2012 on agriculture development and food security, _______________ 1 Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3–14 June 1992, vol. I, Resolutions Adopted by the Conference (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigendum), resolution 1, annex I. 2 Ibid., annex II. 3 Resolution S-19/2, annex. 4 Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 August– 4 September 2002 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.03.II.A.1 and corrigendum), chap. I, resolution 1, annex. 5 Ibid., resolution 2, annex. 6 Resolution 66/288, annex. 7 Resolution 68/6. 8 Resolution 60/1. A/RES/68/209 Agricultural technology for development 2/5 Recalling its resolution 64/136 of 18 December 2009 on cooperatives in social development, in which it proclaimed 2012 the International Year of Cooperatives, Recalling also its resolution 66/221 of 22 December 2011 on the International Year of Quinoa, 2013, Recalling further its resolution 66/222 of 22 December 2011 on the International Year of Family Farming, 2014, Recalling the World Summit on Food Security, convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome from 16 to 18 November 2009, and underlining the importance of advancing and implementing agricultural technologies, Recalling also the outcome of the thirty-eighth (special) session of the Committee on World Food Security, held in Rome on 11 May 2012, at which the Committee endorsed the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries, and Forests in the Context of National Food Security,9 and the outcome of the thirty-ninth session of the Committee, held in Rome from 15 to 20 October 2012, Welcoming the work of the fortieth session of the Committee on World Food Security, held in Rome from 7 to 11 October 2013, and taking note of its outcome document, Welcoming also the Zero Hunger Challenge initiative launched by the Secretary-General at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development as a vision for a future free from hunger, Welcoming further the commitments set out in the Joint Statement on Global Food Security, adopted in L’Aquila, Italy, on 10 July 2009, which focused on sustainable agriculture development, Recalling the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals, held in New York from 20 to 22 September 2010, and its outcome document, 10 reaffirming its commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, while concerned by the pace of progress to date in achieving those Goals, particularly in countries lagging furthest behind, Recognizing the beneficial impact that the adoption of agricultural technologies can have for the achievement of food security and nutrition, poverty eradication, empowering women and ensuring environmental sustainability, Taking note of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011–2020 adopted at the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 9 to 13 May 2011,11 and recognizing the need to continue to work towards fulfilling the commitments made in the Programme of Action, Stressing the critical role of women in the agricultural sector and their contribution to enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and nutrition and eradicating rural poverty, and underlining the fact that _______________ 9 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, document CL 144/9 (C 2013/20), appendix D. 10 Resolution 65/1. 11 Report of the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Istanbul, Turkey, 9–13 May 2011 (A/CONF.219/7), chap. II. Agricultural technology for development A/RES/68/209 3/5 meaningful progress in agricultural development necessitates, inter alia, closing the gender gap and ensuring that women have equal access to agricultural technologies, related services and inputs, all the necessary productive resources, including tenure rights and access to land, fisheries and forests as well as to education and training, social services, health care, health services and financial services, and access to and participation in markets, Recognizing that young people are an asset for sustainable economic growth and that agricultural technology has an essential role to play in facilitating access to agricultural skills for young women and men and in improving the livelihoods of youth, Acknowledging the role and work of civil society and the private sector in furthering progress in developing countries, in promoting the use of sustainable agricultural technology and in the training of smallholder farmers, in particular rural women, Considering the increasing need for innovation in agriculture food chains in order to respond to the challenges posed by, inter alia, climate change, depletion and scarcity of natural resources, urbanization and globalization, and recognizing that agricultural research and sustainable agricultural technologies can greatly contribute to agricultural, rural and economic development, adaptation of agriculture and food security and nutrition and help mitigate the negative impact of climate change, desertification, land degradation and drought, 1. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on agricultural technology for development;12 2. Urges Member States, relevant United Nations organizations and other stakeholders to strengthen efforts to improve the development of sustainable agricultural technologies and their transfer and dissemination, under mutually agreed terms, to developing countries, especially the least developed countries, in particular at the bilateral and regional levels, and to support national efforts to foster utilization of local know-how and agricultural technologies, to promote agricultural technology research and access to knowledge and information through suitable communication for development strategies and to enable rural women, as well as men and youth, to increase sustainable agricultural productivity, reduce post-harvest losses and enhance food and nutritional security; 3. Encourages international, regional and national efforts to strengthen the capacity of developing countries, especially smallholder and family farmers, in particular rural women and youth, in order to enhance the productivity and nutritional quality of food crops and animal products, to promote sustainable practices in pre-harvest and post-harvest agricultural activities and to enhance food security and nutrition-related programmes and policies that take into consideration the specific needs of women, young children and youth; 4. Calls upon Member States and relevant United Nations organizations and other stakeholders to mainstream gender into agricultural policies and projects and to focus on closing the gender gap to achieve equal access for women to labour- saving technologies and agricultural technology information and know-how, equipment, decision-making forums and associated agricultural resources to ensure that agriculture, food security and nutrition-related programmes and policies take _______________ 12 A/68/308. A/RES/68/209 Agricultural technology for development 4/5 into consideration the specific needs of women and the barriers that women face in accessing agricultural inputs and resources; 5. Encourages Governments to develop and implement youth-focused agricultural development projects and programmes, including through training, education and capacity-building, in order to stimulate the interest and the involvement of youth in agriculture; 6. Invites Governments and international organizations, in collaboration with cooperatives and cooperative organizations, to promote, as appropriate, and consistent with the rules of the World Trade Organization, the growth of agricultural cooperatives through easy access to affordable finance, the adoption of sustainable production techniques, investment in rural infrastructure and irrigation, strengthened marketing mechanisms, access to appropriate risk management instruments and support for the participation of women in economic activities; 7. Underlines the importance of supporting and advancing research in improving and diversifying crop varieties and seed systems, as well as supporting the establishment of sustainable agricultural systems and management practices, such as conservation agriculture, animal disease control and integrated pest management, in order to make agriculture more resilient and, in particular, to make crops and farm animals more tolerant to diseases, pests and environmental stresses, including drought and climate change, in accordance with national regulations and relevant international agreements; 8. Stresses the need to significantly reduce post-harvest and other food losses and waste throughout the food supply chain through, inter alia, increased promotion of appropriate harvesting practices, agro-food processing and appropriate facilities for the storage and packaging of food; 9. Underlines the importance of the sustainable use and management of water resources to increase and ensure agricultural productivity, and calls for further efforts to develop and strengthen irrigation facilities and water-saving technology; 10. Notes the ongoing discussions on responsible agricultural investments within the framework of the Committee on World Food Security; 11. Encourages Member States, civil society and public and private institutions to develop partnerships to support financial and market services, including training, capacity-building, infrastructure and extension services, and calls for further efforts by all stakeholders to include smallholder farmers, in particular rural women, in planning and in taking decisions about making appropriate sustainable agricultural technologies and practices available and affordable to them; 12. Recognizes the potential of information and communications technologies as tools for improving agricultural productivity, practices and smallholder livelihoods, strengthening agricultural markets and institutions, improving agricultural services, empowering farmer communities and connecting farmers in developing countries to regional and global agricultural markets, and stresses the need to ensure women’s access to information and communication technologies, especially in rural areas; 13. Calls upon Member States to include sustainable agricultural development as an integral part of their national policies and strategies, notes the positive impact that North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation can have in this regard, and urges the relevant bodies of the United Nations system to include elements of agricultural technology, research and development in efforts to achieve Agricultural technology for development A/RES/68/209 5/5 the Millennium Development Goals, with a focus on the research and development of technology that is affordable, durable and sustainable and that can be easily used by and disseminated to smallholder farmers, in particular rural women; 14. Requests relevant United Nations organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, to promote, support and facilitate the exchange of experience among Member States on ways to augment sustainable agriculture and management practices, such as conservation agriculture, and to increase the adaptive capacity of agriculture and the use of agricultural technologies that positively impact the entire value chain, including technology for post-harvest crop storage and transportation, including in pressing environmental circumstances; 15. Underlines the instrumental role of agricultural technology, agricultural research and technology transfer on mutually agreed terms and the sharing of knowledge and practices in furthering sustainable development and in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, calls, therefore, upon Member States and encourages relevant international bodies to support sustainable agricultural research and development, and in this regard calls for continued support to the international agricultural research system, including the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research and other relevant international organizations and initiatives; 16. Invites Member States and other stakeholders to give appropriate consideration to the issue of agricultural technology for development in the discussions on the post-2015 development agenda; 17. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its seventieth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution. 71st plenary meeting 20 December 2013

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