SUGGESTED RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE INFORMAL DONOR GROUP
(Desert Locust Control Meeting FAO Rome, 29 November – 2 December, 2004)
The group of donors (participants listed in separate list) gathered informally and identified four major issues:
Coordination and joint planning
Pesticides
Contingency planning
Monitoring, review and evaluation
For each of these issues we have formulated specific recommendations.
Issue 1: Coordination and joint planning for EMPRES
The Group recommends continuing to support long-term preventive approach to Desert Locust. In particular for the Western Region which was the origin of the current invasion. The recommendations are:
For all parties to collaborate within the EMPRES Program. The FAO is managing the EMPRES Program, within which the CLCPRO co-ordinates the Desert Locust component for the Western Region.
To donors to accelerate processing and delivery of projects to support the preventive measures in the Western Region.
For all parties to explore synergies and complementarities in their participation in the EMPRES program and to create a single planning framework to control the desert locust.
For FAO to create a steering committee for the EMPRES-WR program as soon as possible.
To strengthen, in addition to the national locust control centers, the CLCPRO to fully implement their mandate as a regional platform for both the national centers and for the coordination of the Desert Locust component of EMPRES.
For the CLCPRO to create a monitoring tool allowing interested parties to access in real time the status of execution of locust survey and control efforts. The purpose of the tool is to detect failures in the system.
Issue 2: Pesticides
The donors would like to draw attention to the need to consider the use of environmentally friendly pesticides, and prevent environmental and social problems resulting from misuse. Excessive supplies of pesticides under declared emergency situations are likely to contribute to the build up of stockpiles of obsolete pesticides. There is a need to seriously consider the concept of a "Pesticide Bank" to supply the countries in small consignments, spread over time to reduce the risk of build up of stocks. New consignments would be released upon confirmation that the minimum strategic stocks in the respective countries are being depleted at the anticipated rate.
The Group recommends that FAO and concerned Member Countries, in collaboration with Advanced Research Institutions (ARIs) and International Agricultural Research Centers (IARCs) continue their efforts in seeking the use of safe, effective and environmentally friendly locust management practices that reduce the reliance on synthetic chemical pesticides. It is also recommended that pesticides be handled, stored, transported, applied, and disposed of, in an environmentally sound manner. Related capacity building could be provided through FAO.
The Donor Group recommends that FAO consults with donors and affected countries to set up the appropriate mechanisms for a "virtual pesticide bank" for the procurement and timely delivery of the needed pesticides (chemical or biological).
The Donor Group recommends that FAO consults with the respective countries, establish the approved list of registered pesticides used in that country and make the necessary arrangements with the corresponding suppliers to deliver in a timely manner.
The Donor Group recommends that the proposed pesticide donations and consignments take into consideration the country's capacity to store, transport or apply such pesticides.
Issue 3: Contingency planning
To be able to tackle the locust problem, it is essential to be prepared for outbreaks, upsurges and plagues. We have noticed that at all levels (countries, regions, FAO and donors) this preparedness was not sufficient. It is essential that all the parties involved know how to respond at times of an emerging crisis. Timely and accurate information will be a crucial aspect of contingency planning.
More specifically we have the following recommendations:
We see the countries as the basis for all planning and implementation of activities.
This implies that the countries need to develop a national contingency plan and define the kind and level of minimum standing capacity that they will maintain. In such plans we envisage that they will define what they will do at various levels of threat, and how and when they plan to engage others (FAO, donors) in their planning and implementation of activities.
The FAO as major player in the locust campaigns, for them it is as essential to have a clear contingency plan. At the very moment of an outbreak, the FAO should be able to deploy very quickly the necessary means and capability to implement their contingency plan, including a communication plan.
As the reaction of the international community to the current crisis has been important but too slow, donors are invited to explore new financial mechanisms allowing to sustain the preventive control as well as allowing to react quickly at an early stage of an outbreak/upsurge with the aim to prevent or at least minimise the crisis. Such a mechanism should be fast and flexible. We call upon the FAO to elaborate a modality/mechanism ('Emergency Fund') to do this.
Issue 4: Monitoring, review and evaluation
Most projects, if not all, have procedures for regular monitoring and review. Each donor has its own policy and rules for evaluating the effectiveness of the contributions that they have made. Besides this, we recommend:
Regular external review of the campaign as a whole. This should be based on the needs of the countries, the CLCPRO, the FAO and the donors and used to update their respective contingency plans. We call upon FAO and the countries to investigate the possible role for a kind of panel of experts (like the pesticide reference group).
The reasons for the quick and disastrous upsurge of the plague in the Western Region as compared to the moderate developments in the Central Region have to be identified in order to draw lessons for the campaign in 2005 and onwards. We recommend an independent evaluation, looking at organisational aspects, technical and financial aspects of the activities since 2003.
Donors are requested to explore possibilities for funding the evaluation.
