GISA is strongly committed to an inclusive participation of all stakeholders in the preparation of ICN2 as well as during the conference. Thus, we would like to thank the secretariat for organizing this second electronic consultation on the draft V0+2 of the political statement.
We recognize that there has been positive progress made in this new version of the “Draft of the Rome Declaration on Nutrition”. However other drivers of nutrition as health, care and education should be strengthened in the declaration in order to ensure that malnutrition is addressed in a more holistic and multisectoral manner.
GISA's general comments on the draft V0+2 of the Rome Declaration on nutrition are the following:
- The text should reaffirm more broadly respect for human rights in all fields when it comes to tackling food and nutrition insecurity.
- Food people's preferences should also be added right from the introductory section, as this principle is part of the food security definition (world food summit, 1996).
- Access to quality health services, care practices, hygiene and prevention should be better included in the text, both in the section on “multiple threats of malnutrition”, and in the section on “vision for global action”. A commitment should be added to encourage country health system strengthening strategies (such as national IHP compacts) while ensuring the full integration of nutrition within basic health care to ensure the sustainable delivery of direct interventions.
- The nutrition goal of agriculture should be recognized and the importance of nutrition sensitive approaches through the diversification of crops/livestock within production system should be underlined.
- Smallholders and family farming are the primary victims of hunger (75% of those suffering from hunger are smallholders) while they are the main producers of food. They play an important role in reducing malnutrition and contributing to a balanced diet, and need to be supported by public policies to this effect. It should be added in the section on “vision for global action”.
- Women play a central role in nutrition. Specific efforts to protect and empower women should be added in the section on “vision for global action”.
- In order to promote healthy dietary patterns in food systems, nutrition and taste education is a key issue in order to develop varied food habits as well as take pleasure in eating.
- Consistency between the various global frameworks on nutrition and food security should be ensured. This should be specified in the Declaration.
- In its role as the most inclusive international and intergovernmental platform for all stakeholders to work together to ensure food security and nutrition globally, the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) should be mentioned in the section “a vision for global action”.
- Finally, GISA stands in favor of the adoption of an inclusive framework for action which should serve to monitor progress towards fulfilling the commitments agreed in the Rome Declaration on nutrition, in order to ensure accountability.
GISA (Groupe interministériel sur la Securité Alimentaire)