Committee on World Food Security

Introduction:

The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) formally adopted “Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition” on 10 February 2021 during its 47th plenary session. Resulting from a five-year inclusive multi-stakeholder consultation and negotiation process informed by the scientific evidence of the CFS High Level Panel of Experts, these Guidelines represent a concrete tool in the hands of governments, UN agencies, civil society, private sector, financial institutions and other development actors to provide guidance on policies and interventions to address malnutrition in all its forms through a holistic ‘food systems’ perspective.

The Guidelines aim to promote policy coherence and reduce policy fragmentation between relevant sectors like health, agriculture, education, environment, gender, social protection, trade and employment - all of which impact food systems and nutrition. The Guidelines recognize the importance of interventions within and across food systems to improve their ability to deliver healthy diets and generate positive outcomes along the three dimensions of sustainable development.

They include a wide range of recommendations to promote transparent and accountable governance, sustainable food supply chains, access to healthy diets, food safety, nutrition education, gender equality, and resilient food systems in humanitarian contexts.

Ministerial-level Event:

A Ministerial-level event, hosted by the Government of the United Arab Emirates, FAO and CFS, took place at Expo Dubai on 24 February 2022 as part of Middle East and North Africa’s (MENA) Agri-Food Innovation Days.

The event sought to raise awareness about the CFS Voluntary Guidelines, its substantive content and priority areas, and to encourage policy actions to advance sustainable food systems that deliver healthy diets. The high-level ministerial event mobilized political commitments by governments, donors, civil society, private sector, and others for further promotion and implementation of the Guidelines and other flagship CFS policy products, especially within national food system transition pathways linked to the September 2021 UN Food Systems Summit.

The event also showcased UAE’s global and regional leadership on sustainable food systems, including how efforts to implement the CFS Voluntary Guidelines can help countries achieve their national food security plans and achieve the relevant Sustainable Development Goals – especially SDG-2 on hunger and nutrition.