Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

In line with the Committee on World Food Security’s Multi-year Programme of Work (MYPoW) 2020-2023, a monitoring event is planned to be organized during the October 2021 Plenary Session of the CFS to share experiences and good practices in the use and application of two sets of policy recommendations:

• Food security and climate change (CFS 39: 2012)
• Water for Food Security and Nutrition (CFS 42, 2015)

The CFS invites stakeholders[1] to provide inputs on their experiences in using and applying any of these policy recommendations by 31 May 2021 to inform an event to be held at CFS 49 Plenary Session in October 2021.

The event will focus on how food producers and consumers have effectively benefitted or are expected to benefit from the use and application of these two sets of CFS policy recommendations.  It will also look into the potential application of CFS policy outcomes, especially for the achievement of the SDGs, and in the context of the follow up to the Food Systems Summit, the Climate Action Agenda, and the UN Decade of Action on the SDGs. 

The CFS has endorsed these policy recommendations in 2012 and 2015 respectively on how best to address climate and water issues for food security and nutrition. These recommendations are premised on the understanding that different regions face context-specific challenges associated with water scarcity, climate change, food production for a growing population, increasing competition for water and other natural resources, increasing degradation of those resources and ecosystems, and a lack of fair and transparent allocation mechanisms that recognize and protect the interests and rights of all users - especially the most vulnerable and marginalized. 

These policy recommendations are of great relevance to all CFS stakeholders, and particularly to the most vulnerable and marginalised groups, such as smallholder producers and pastoralists, whose livelihood often depends on marginal lands.  They are key protagonists of the 2030 Agenda, and strengthening their resilience to climate shocks, and promoting sustainable management and conservation of ecosystems (including water) is essential to the fulfilment of the pledge of ‘leaving no one behind’ and to the achievement of the transformative promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The policy recommendations on water, based on a report of the CFS High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (CFS-HLPE) “Water for Food Security and Nutrition”, stress the key role of water in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the importance of sound management of water to achieve food security and nutrition.  They encourage States and other relevant stakeholders to take an ecosystem approach and a people-centred approach to address the challenges related to water’s contribution to food security and nutrition.  

The policy recommendations on climate change stem from a CFS-HLPE report on “Food security and climate change”.  The resulting policy recommendations adopted by the CFS focus on the serious threats of adverse climate change to food security, especially to small scale food producers’ lives and livelihoods, and to the progressive realization of the right to food in the context of national food security.  

CFS has consistently encouraged stakeholders to share their experiences on a voluntary basis in using and applying CFS policy main products and other recommendations, either through reporting “individual” experiences by one group of stakeholders (e.g. a member state, civil society, private sector) or through reporting the results of multistakeholder consultations (organized to discuss experiences) by several groups of stakeholders. Guidance to hold multistakeholder consultations at national, regional and global levels is provided in the Terms of Reference to share experiences and good practices in applying CFS decisions and recommendations through organizing events at national, regional and global levels, approved by CFS in 2016.

The recommended approach by CFS to organize multistakeholder consultations promotes country-owned and country-led events organized in collaboration and partnership with existing coordination mechanisms and initiatives.  National actors should play an active role in the organization of such events at all levels, with possible support from the Rome-based Agencies (Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and World Food Programme) or other stakeholders.  The results are expected to be documented in reports prepared in consultation with all groups of stakeholders participating in the event.

All inputs received in the context of this call for experiences will contribute to monitoring progress on the use and application of the two CFS policy documents. All inputs will be compiled in a document made available for delegates at CFS 49 in October 2021.

Please use the attached template for sharing your experience in applying any of these policy recommendations. You can upload the completed form below or send it via email to [email protected]. The deadline for submissions is 31 May 2021.

Submissions can be made in any of the UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish).

We thank you very much for your valuable contributions and look forward to learning from your experiences.

Fabio Isoldi

CFS Secretariat

[1] CFS stakeholders include member countries, participants (UN agencies and bodies, civil society and non-governmental organizations and networks, international agricultural research systems, international and regional financial institutions and private sector associations and philanthropic foundations) and observers.