Parliamentary perspectives were in the spotlight at a side event of the 2024 Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development in April, where Honourable Francoise Uwumukiza, representative of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), and Hon. Marie Jeanne Kouloumbou, President of the Environment, Food Safety and Sustainable Development Commission of the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Congo shared insights.  Focusing on ending hunger and eradicating poverty through human rights-based food systems transformations placing human well-being at the centre, the multi-stakeholder dialogue was co-organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Food and Agricultural Organization of the...

On 14 March 2024, FAO presented a proposal for a Model Law on Agroecology to the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament’s (PARLATINO) Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Committee. The proposal was formally requested by PARLATINO in 2022, following a four-year process that started in 2020 with the FAO publication "Legislating to promote agroecology in the Latin America and Caribbean region: Guidelines for a PARLATINO model law on agroecology". There have been significant advancements in agroecology that can help drive more sustainable agroecological practices and forge progress for family farming and agroecology. Underlining the important role of collaborations...

Mexico City, March 7, 2024.- FAO celebrates and applauds the approval of the first legislation in Mexico that regulates the human right to nutritious, sufficient and quality food, as recognized in Article 4 of the Mexican Constitution. After more than two decades of work, Mexico leads the way in protecting and promoting this fundamental right with the approval of its General Law of Adequate and Sustainable Food. The new law has 111 articles, and its main objective is prioritizing the right to health, the environment, water, and the best interests of children in all policies related to adequate nutrition by the...

FAO joined the Parliamentary Conference on South-South Cooperation in Rabat in February, where the focus was on the “Role of National Parliaments and Regional and Continental Parliamentary Unions in Africa, the Arab World, and Latin America in Enhancing Strategic Partnerships and Achieving Joint Integration and Development”. The conference was attended by more than 260 participants from 40 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, including 30 presidents of national parliaments and regional and continental parliamentary unions. Held at the initiative of the House of Councillors of Morocco in...

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...