Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

1) Responsible investment needs to be clearly defined. Rather than saying that responsible investment results in certain positive outcomes, as in the first Principle, it needs to be stated that “investment is responsible when it [fulfills certain criteria]”. This should be repeated for all of the criteria mentioned in the Principles.

2) The elements of responsible investment include:

a) Consultation with, and the free, prior and informed consent of, the people and communities affected before any investment is implemented.

b) Inclusion of women, indigenous, farm workers, migrants, and food harvesters as full participants in all negotiation processes, with respect for their perspectives and knowledge.

c) Focus on sustainability and resiliency over productivity, particularly as measured by market norms.

d) Promotion of positive environmental impacts and resilience in relation to climate change

e) Privileging investment by families and communities in their own food systems with the goal of increasing their own long and short-term food security, as opposed to those made by outside bodies whether state or corporate.

f) Respect for the rights conferred on traditional people by their commitment to take responsibility for their territories, even where legal title is in dispute or does not exist.

3) The protocol must apply equally in wealthy “developed” countries along with poor countries, regardless of the source of the investment.

4) Since the protocol is voluntary and non-binding, there must be stringent monitoring and effective sanctions for non-compliance.

5) These principles must be respected and upheld in the trade and investment agreements signed by states with other states as well as with private entities.

(I might add that, as was pointed out in the North American consultation, the graphic logo, with a smokestack coming out of the globe, is an indication of the industrial, productivist mindset.)