1. To date, the efforts towards SDGs have not succeeded in reducing socio-economic inequality within and between countries.
How can FAO and CSOs work together to regain the momentum lost and work jointly to "leave no one behind”?
• Livestock make a huge contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet this topic is largely absent from discussions of sustainable development. FAO should champion the inclusion of livestock in the broader sustainable development agenda, working closely with a variety of stakeholders, including CSOs, especially those who work directly with livestock-owning communities.
• CSOs working on the ground can help FAO identify its ‘blind spots’. FAO defines livestock as ' all terrestrial animals used for food and agriculture’. This definition includes working animals, such as donkeys, horses and mules. However, in practical terms these animals are not considered in FAO’s work, which means that millions of poor people relying on the work of these animas to feed themselves are left behind. NGOs such as Brooke can help FAO understand and begin to address those blind spots.
• FAO and animal health/welfare CSOs can work together to engage animal health practitioners, who play a key role in several SDGs (including 1, 2 and 3). For instance, Brooke has an extensive network of animal health practitioners who work in communities and play a key role in major development issues such as food security (ensuring the health and welfare of production animals and working livestock) and global health (e.g. combatting AMR and zoonotic disease spillover).
• FAO should ensure CSOs are involved in the implementation of country and regional projects funded by the World Bank Pandemic Fund, to gain momentum around and achieve SDG 3. Part of the criteria for funding is that CSOs are involved in the implementation of proposals and FAO should ensure this is happening.
2. FAO seeks to accelerate transformation of agrifood systems to be more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable as a mean to achieve the 2030 agenda.
What and how can CSOs contribute to such transformation to boost impact on the ground? Please suggest concrete actions.
• CSOs play a key role in engaging local communities – often they have been working closely with these communities for many years, they know their needs and have their trust.
• CSOs can provide ‘proof of concept’, as many have on-the-ground projects related to sustainable food production, and have many tools and resources that can be scaled-up that contribute to transformation of agri-food systems. For instance, Brooke has frameworks for training animal health practitioners to ensure the health and welfare of both production animals and working livestock. Working livestock contribute to resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, and healthy production animals contribute to efficiency, resilience and sustainability.
3. Climate change threatens our ability to ensure global food security, eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development.
What FAO and CSOs could maximize collective impact to adapt and/or mitigate climate change?
• Again, CSOs can provide proof of concept from projects and programmes that could be scaled up by FAO. CSOs can provide data and insights (including voices of communities, farmers, animal-owners etc) for reports, and FAO-endorsed solutions.
• FAO needs to think beyond ‘business as usual’ and work with a variety of CSOs to explore solutions to that may have been under the radar. For example, livestock are vital climate disaster resilience assets and investing in their health and welfare contributes to climate adaptation.
4. Based on your partnering experience, can you share a good example of meaningful engagement with FAO or another UN agency/development partner? Please highlight what/why it worked well in your opinion.
Brooke has supported the development of a mentoring programme as part of the Sustainable Business Development for Veterinary Paraprofessionals project with FAO/EuFMD. We developed a module specifically for the training and delivered an online workshop. This worked well because there was a specific contact person for the work and there was personal engagement between Brooke and the project team. Another ingredient of success was that Brooke had the relevant experience and ready-made tools that FAO could draw on.
5. At present, what are the most significant challenges CSOs face in their engagement with FAO? What could FAO do to address some of those challenges? Please provide concrete examples.
FAO can be challenging for CSOs to engage with. Information is dispersed and not always provided in a timely and user-friendly manner. Contrary to other UN agencies, FAO does not have an online platform for CSO engagement (like Indico). All communication goes via email, and is often fairly last minute or incomplete (eg if one is not subscribed to a particular mailing list).
Our recommendation is that FAO:
• Establishes an online platform for CSOs to respond to consultations, register for events and make written statements.
• Shares information including requests for input well in advance so CSOs can plan ahead.
• Introduces annual passes so CSOs with consultative can have easier access to the FAO building.
Anna Marry