The General Assembly,
 
      Recalling its resolution 50/109 of 20 December 1995 and Economic and
Social Council resolution 1995/1 of 10 February 1995,
 
      Expressing deep concern at the widespread phenomenon of chronic
undernourishment, in particular among women and children in the developing
countries,
 
      Expressing concern that the scarcity of freshwater in developing
countries, in arid and semi-arid regions, has hampered development efforts,
especially agricultural development, which is necessary for food security,
 
      Reaffirming the right of everyone to have access to safe and nutritious
food consistent with the right to adequate food and the fundamental right of
everyone to be free from hunger,
 
      Recognizing the contributions made by the major United Nations
conferences of the 1990s to an international consensus on food security and
related issues,
 
      Recalling Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/36 of 26 July 1996
on follow-up to the major international United Nations conferences and
summits, including the implementation of their respective programmes of
action,
 
      1.    Welcomes the outcome of the World Food Summit, held at Rome from
13 to 17 November 1996;
 
      2.    Urges all members of the international community, as well as
relevant bodies within the United Nations system, including international and
regional financial institutions, to cooperate actively in a coordinated manner
in the implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action adopted at the
Summit;
 
      3.    Recommends that, at its special session for the purpose of an
overall review and appraisal of the implementation of Agenda 21, the General
Assembly give due attention to the follow-up to the World Food Summit Plan of
Action;
 
      4.    Invites the Secretary-General to ensure that the Administrative
Committee on Coordination decides on the inter-agency mechanism for the
implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action and the incorporation
of the mechanism into existing arrangements, and to report to the Economic and
Social Council at its substantive session of 1997 in the context of Council
resolution 1996/36;
 
      5.    Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that a coordinated
follow- up at the field level to the World Food Summit is undertaken in the
context of the resident coordination system, taking into account the
coordinated follow-up to United Nations major international conferences;
 
      6.    Also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General
Assembly at its fifty-second session on the implementation of the World Food
Summit Plan of Action, in the context of the follow-up to the major United
Nations conferences of the 1990s, including the implementation of their
respective programmes of action;
 
      7.    Reiterates its invitation to the Director-General of the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to submit to the General
Assembly at its fifty-second session, through the Economic and Social Council,
a report on the outcome of the World Food Summit, including actions to be
taken to follow up the outcome of the Summit at all appropriate levels.