Voices of Female African Parliamentarians at the 16th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA)
Members of African national and regional parliaments actively took part in events organized by FAO at the 16th GFFA in Berlin, Germany in January 2024. They shared their knowledge and perspectives on the role of Parliamentarians to achieve zero Hunger.
On 18 and 19 January 2024, Honourable Neema Lugangira, Member of Parliament of Tanzania, and Honourable Francoise Uwumukiza, Member of the East African Legislative Assembly (from Rwanda), two frontline advocates in the fight against hunger and malnutrition took part in discussion co-organized or facilitated by FAO at the 16th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) held in Berlin, Germany.
On 18 January 2024, Hon. Lugangira, Member of Parliament of Tanzania, participated in an Expert Panel “School meal nutrition standards as a tool to support the right to food in schools”, co-organized by FAO and the World Food Programme (WFP). Neema Lugangira highlighted the significance of prioritizing the incorporation of mandatory school meal nutrition standards into legislation. She also outlined specific actions that parliamentarians can take to support children’s right to adequate food in schools.
“When school meals are not provided, it is important to regulate the school food environment, which includes the areas surrounding the school premises, to ensure that the food that vendors are selling contributes to schoolchildren’s health and nutrition needs. On the other hand, when school meals are provided, the food is not necessarily nutritious – and kids should not be receiving a meal for the sake of a meal, but it should be a nutritious one. Nutrition standards have the potential to regulate both cases, contributing towards the health and wellbeing of schoolchildren” stated Neema Lugangira.
On 19 January 2024, Hon. Uwumukiza, Member of Parliament from Rwanda and Chair of the Committee on Agriculture, Tourism, and Natural Resources of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), sat on a High-Level Panel on “Realizing the Right to Adequate Food: Ending hunger and leaving no one behind”, organized jointly by FAO and the Committee on World Food Security (CFS). Francoise Uwumukiza stressed the key role of parliamentarians to enact binding legislations to ensure access to adequate food for all. She also noted that the close relationship between food security and peace, security and conflict resolution, and that joint collaborations on these issues is therefore crucial to achieve zero hunger.
Referring to the Global Parliamentary Pact adopted during the Second Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition held in Chile on 15-16 June 2023, she noted that “the Pact we made is now guiding our work because we have committed ourselves to make sure that we advocate for zero hunger and for the right to food as a fundamental right. No one left behind is not a favour. It is not a privilege. It is a must because everyone’s right should be respected.”
Related links
FAO at the 2024 Global Forum for Food and Agriculture
School meal nutrition standards as a tool to support the right to food in schools (18 January 2024, 4:00 p.m.)
Realizing the right to adequate food: Ending hunger and leaving no one behind (19 January 2024, 1:30 p.m.)
