Sixty-second session Second Committee Agenda item 54 (a) Sustainable development: implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development Brazil, Chile, Côte d’Ivoire, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Grenada, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Nepal, Norway, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda and United States of America: draft resolution Agricultural technology for development The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 58/218 of 23 December 2003, 59/227 of 22 December 2004, 60/193 of 22 December 2005 and 61/195 of 20 December 2006, Recalling also the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (“Johannesburg Plan of Implementation”), as well as the Monterrey Consensus of the International Conference on Financing for Development, Reaffirming the commitment to implement Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, including the time-bound goals and targets, and the other internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, Recalling the 2005 World Summit Outcome, Reaffirming the goals set in paragraph 19 of the Millennium Declaration, to halve poverty and hunger by 2015, and taking note of the report of the Secretary-General entitled “In larger freedom: towards development, security and human rights for all”, especially paragraph 27 of the report, Noting the preparatory work being carried out by the Commission on Sustainable Development for its next two-year cycle, with the thematic focus on agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification and Africa, Concerned by the relatively slow progress so far in achieving the above-mentioned goals, especially the hunger target, and recognizing the need to redouble the efforts of the international community in its attempt to reach those goals, Considering the increasing need to innovate in agriculture and food production to adapt, inter alia, to climate change, urbanization and globalization, Cognizant of the fact that technological methods to advance these goals could be sustainable, accessible and of benefit to poor people, Recognizing that appropriate, affordable and sustainable agricultural technologies can play an important role in helping Member States alleviate poverty and eradicate hunger, 1. Encourages Member States and United Nations organizations to make greater efforts to develop and transfer appropriate agricultural technologies, foster utilization of local know-how and technologies, promote agricultural research and technologies and enable poor rural men and women to increase agricultural productivity and enhance food security; 2. Underlines the need for Member States to make their knowledge and know-how in the field of agricultural technology more accessible, subject to appropriate arrangements; 3. Notes with satisfaction the contribution made by the “Technology for Agriculture” initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and its contribution in supporting the transfer and use of appropriate technology aimed at the sustainable intensification of production systems; 4. Urges the relevant bodies of the United Nations system to include elements of agricultural technology, research and development in efforts to achieve relevant Millennium Development Goals, specifically alleviation of poverty and hunger; 5. Calls on public and private institutions to further develop improved varieties of crops that are appropriate for various regions, especially those worst affected by climate change, and also calls for further efforts by all the relevant stakeholders to ensure that improved crop varieties are distributed to smallholder farmers; 6. Recognizes the importance of institutions providing effective extension, financial and market services to farmers, in particular smallholder farmers, so that the benefits of new knowledge and improved technology may reach them and be used by them; 7. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution. Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 314 June 1992, vol. I, Resolutions Adopted by the Conference (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigendum), resolution 1, annex I. Ibid., annex II. Resolution S-19/2, annex. 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. Ibid., resolution 2, annex. Report of the International Conference on Financing for Development, Monterrey, Mexico, 1822 March 2002 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.02.II.A.7), chap. I, resolution 1, annex. See resolution 60/1. See resolution 55/2. A/59/2005. __________________ __________________  sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/C.2/62/L.23 sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/C.2/62/L.23 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 07-57726 \* MERGEFORMAT 2 \* MERGEFORMAT 3 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 07-57726 United Nations A/C.2/62/L.23 General Assembly Distr.: Limited 1 November 2007 Original: English jobn \* MERGEFORMAT 07-57726 (E) 021107 Barcode \* MERGEFORMAT *0757726*