FAO presents the Urban Monitoring Framework at the fourth edition of the MUFPP’s Mayors Summit
Providing cities with the opportunity to measure their impact in strengthening local food policies
The fourth edition of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP) Mayors Summit, which has brought together cities from all around the world to discuss best ways to reach a sustainable development of their food systems, is coming to an end today. This year, mayors from over 176 cities that pledged in 2015 to fight against hunger, malnutrition and food waste, met in Tel Aviv to exchange information on the progress made towards implementing sustainable food policies and discuss key issues relating to healthy and sustainable nutrition, food waste reduction, food supply in an era of climate change and sustainable urban development.
During the Summit, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, which has partnered with the MUFPP initiative since its inception in 2015, has presented the Urban Food Monitoring Framework of the Pact. Developed through close consultation with all the signatory cities and with the active collaboration of 14 cities[1], the framework will be a key tool that cities will use to monitor progress and results achieved within their commitment to the Pact.
“The framework will help cities keep in consideration the food perspective while planning for their urban policies,” said Marcela Villarreal, FAO Director of Partnerships and South-South Cooperation Division during the presentation of the framework. “It will also be crucial to assist them in identifying hotspots for intervention as well as mobilizing resources and investments for action,” she added.
The framework covers every key food policy area, from sustainable diets and nutrition to food production and territorial development. It also provides cities with a common narrative against which they can compare their experiences and progress.
Some of the signatory cities, including the city of Toronto, have already started to pilot the framework and to adapt it to their local context and needs. Next year FAO will support a group of cities in developing and emerging countries in piloting the monitoring framework.
During the Summit, FAO and MUFPP presented a series of 50 case studies detailing practices and initiatives that cities have developed to improve and strengthen their local policies to achieve better food security and nutrition outcomes. All case studies are available on the Urban Food Action Platform: http://www.fao.org/urban-food-actions/knowledge-products/en/
The Milan pact
The Urban Food Policy Pact is an independent initiative and constitutes one of the main legacies of the Milan Expo 2015, whose theme was “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, which was presented to the UN Secretary General during the World Food Day ceremonies held in Milan in 2015. Previous editions of the MUFPP Mayors’ Summit were held in Milan (2015), Rome (2016), and Valencia (2017).
The pact has now been adhered to by 176 cities from all over the world with more than 450 million inhabitants. Its members pledge to promote fairer and more ecologically rational food systems in urban areas, and commit to respecting fundamental principles such as guaranteeing healthy food for all, fostering sustainable food systems, educating the public on healthy diets and reducing food loss and waste.
To find out more about the Tel Aviv MUFPP Mayors’ Summit 2018 and FAO related work:
[1] Antananarivo, Austin, Copenhagen, Ede, Funchal, Ghent, Milan, Quito, Sao Paulo, Tirana, Toronto, Washington, West Sacramento, and Windhoek.