MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION (ILO) AND THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS (FAO)

1. LEGAL STATUS, BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

1. The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) share a long history of fruitful collaboration. The Cooperation Agreement of 1947 supplemented by additional agreements concerning migration, land settlement, vocational training, cooperatives and rural industries have provided the legal basis for inter-agency cooperation and remain valid

2. The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding, concluded under Article 8 of the 1947 Cooperation Agreement, is to update the framework for cooperation between the two organizations in accordance with their strategic objectives in order to meet the challenges of globalization and the internationally agreed global development agenda, in particular the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

2. CONCEPTUAL BASIS FOR COLLABORATION

3. FAO and ILO share a commitment to support people-centred, sustainable development and fair and inclusive globalization. Joint activities will combine the respective capacities of the two organizations to help countries address more effectively the need to combat hunger and rural poverty by improving and diversifying the livelihoods of the rural poor and hungry and broadening opportunities for decent work and fair conditions of employment in rural areas in recognition of the fact that poverty is both a cause and result of food insecurity, and that productive employment is the principal path out of poverty. Attention will be given to improving, in a balanced, participatory and equitable way, the main assets of the poor - their human, social, natural, physical and financial resources.

4. The primary goal of ILO is to promote opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. ILO's strategic objectives comprise respect for fundamental principles and rights at work and international labour standards, enhanced employment and income opportunities for women and men, social protection for all, and social dialogue to ensure greater voice and representation for people at work.

5. The primary goal of FAO is to contribute to the reduction and eventual elimination of hunger and rural poverty through the sustainable development of agriculture, rural areas and their natural resources. Strategic components include action along two mutually supportive tracks: (i) improvements to rural livelihoods, especially improving the productivity of small-scale farms and (ii) simultaneously broadening access to food for those that cannot produce or buy it, thereby allowing the poor to raise their food consumption and consequently increase their labour productivity; raise their incomes and create greater demand for goods and services, which are produced locally in rural areas. This, in turn, opens more job and investment opportunities for the poor.

6. Cooperation will be both bilateral and in the context of wider inter-agency initiatives and frameworks.

3. OBJECTIVES

7. The principal objective of this Memorandum of Understanding is to improve the effectiveness of the support provided by the two organizations to their members, so that such support:

• is more comprehensive and coherent in responding to challenges where a joint approach is desirable;
• promotes greater policy coherence between the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development policies at the global, regional and country levels;
• strengthens synergies between ILO and FAO activities at country level in support of national development plans and programmes, including in the context of poverty reduction strategies (PRS), development assistance frameworks and common country assessments;
• contributes to more coherent and comprehensive normative instruments, as well as technical assistance for their implementation, developed by the two organizations.

4. AREAS OF COLLABORATION

8. ILO and FAO will strengthen their collaboration in areas of strategic interest to both organizations. This will include -

• follow-up to the major global conferences, in particular the World Summit for Social Development (1995), the World Food Summit (1996), the Millennium Summit (2000), and the World Summit on Sustainable Development (2002), including support for attainment of their goals and targets, which are of relevance to the two organizations;
• follow-up to the Report of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization (2004) as a major area of collaboration;
• the promotion of sustainable agriculture and rural development as a key priority for hunger and poverty reduction, with particular attention to rural livelihood improvement, decent work and employment creation.

5. INSTRUMENTS OF COLLABORATION

9. The instruments of collaboration will include -

• demand-driven consultations between technical units to translate the broad areas of collaboration identified in section 4 into more specific and concrete joint action;
• consultations on flagship publications (e.g. the ILO's World Employment Report, and the FAO's The State of Food and Agriculture);
• enhanced operational interaction at the national level, including -
  
  
  • coordinated country needs assessments;
  • collaboration in support of PRSPs and the achievement of MDGs;
  • joint collaboration with relevant regional and subregional institutions formulating development policies;
  • joint fund-raising activities for joint action;
  • joint implementation of technical cooperation activities.

10. Detailed working arrangements for cooperative activities in specific areas will be defined by the technical units concerned, in close collaboration with country and/or regional offices, as appropriate.

6. MONITORING AND EVALUATION

11. The implementation of this Memorandum of Understanding will be reviewed at an appropriate level every five years. Operational interaction at the national level will be monitored and evaluated regularly and a brief report will be submitted to both Heads of Agencies on an annual basis.

7. FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS

12. In accordance with Article 7 of the Agreement of 1947, when there are requests made by either organization to the other involving substantial expenditure for the organization complying with the request, consultations shall take place to determine the most equitable manner of meeting such expenditure in accordance with the relevant procedures of each organization.

8. ENTRY INTO FORCE, DURATION, AMENDMENTS AND TERMINATION

13. This Memorandum of Understanding shall enter into force on the date of signature by both parties. It may be amended by mutual written agreement of FAO and ILO. The Memorandum of Understanding shall remain in force until terminated by mutual consent or by either Party, giving to the other six months' written notice of termination.

Done in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on 7 September 2004

For the International Labour Organization
(signed) Mr. Juan Somavia
Director-General

For the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Mr. Jacques Diouf
Director-General

***

To be published in the Official Bulletin of the ILO.