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FAO Regional Office for Africa

Launch of the SADC Parliamentary Alliance on Agrifood Systems, Food Security, and Nutrition

Empowering Parliamentarians to Drive Action for Sustainable Agrifood Systems and a Hunger-Free Southern Africa

Livingstone (Zambia), Hybrid Event, 08/12/2024 - 09/12/2024

FAO

21 August 2024. Chereponi, North-East Region, Ghana. Women farmers enjoying a groundnut stew with fonio porridge prepared with the help from Chef Fatama Binta. Eating communally by hand is of cultural importance in Ghana.

©©FAO/Fanjan Combrink

On 9 December 2024, the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), will officially launch the SADC Parliamentary Alliance on Agrifood Systems, Food Security, and Nutrition. The event will take place during the 56th Plenary Assembly of the SADC PF in Livingstone, Zambia.

This historic initiative aims to address the growing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, and unsustainable agrifood systems in Southern Africa. By uniting parliamentarians from across the region, the Alliance seeks to strengthen legislative and policy frameworks that support food security, improve nutrition, and transform agrifood systems to ensure sustainable access to healthy food for all.

The launch event will provide an opportunity to:

  • Announce the establishment of the Alliance and its vision for a hunger-free Southern Africa.
  • Highlight the critical role of parliamentarians in shaping policies and legislation for food security and nutrition.
  • Present the Alliance’s Charter, which outlines its governance structure, operational principles, and commitment to regional cooperation.
  • Engage with stakeholders from governments, civil society, and development partners to foster collaborative partnerships and resource mobilization for the region’s food security goals.

The launch is a major milestone in efforts to promote SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and build resilient, sustainable agrifood systems in line with Africa’s development goals, including Agenda 2063 and the Malabo Declaration. As food insecurity and malnutrition continue to rise, the SADC Parliamentary Alliance represents a vital step towards ensuring that political and legislative actions align with the pressing needs of the region.

Related links

https://www.fao.org/partnerships/parliamentary-alliances/en/

https://www.sadcpf.org/index.php/en/ 

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Concept Note

Pre-launch workshop

8 December 2024, Livingstone, Zambia

 

Background

Africa is committed to achieving SDG 2 and prioritizes food security, nutrition and agrifood systems transformation in its political and legislative agendas. This aligns with Africa’s developmental goals, including the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 (Aspiration 1) and the Malabo Declaration (Commitment I).  

 

Human rights, including the Right to Adequate Food, are protected by international agreements such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and regional instruments like the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and the Maputo Protocol. 

 

In Southern Africa, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has a Food and Nutrition Security Strategy for 2021-2025. Under Strategic Objective 4, this strategy aims “To ensure stable and sustainable availability, access and utilisation of food”. It includes the development and enforcement of policies and laws that protect the right to adequate food.

 

The SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) is mandated to develop, adopt, and monitor the domestication of model laws, minimum standards, and other related normative instruments on key issues, based on relevant United Nations and AU human rights treaties, while adapting them to the Southern African context.  

 

FAO has extensive experience supporting parliamentary efforts on food security, nutrition and agrifood systems transformation. It has created practical tools, organized two Global Parliamentary Summits against Hunger and Malnutrition, and is planning a third summit in Africa by 2026. FAO also provides policy and technical support to parliamentary networks that help to improve actions to address hunger and malnutrition.

 

Recently, FAO and SADC-PF have been working together to set up a SADC  parliamentary network to promote action on food security, nutrition and agrifood systems transformation in the subregion. This network will offer a platform for collaboration with peer networks and resource stakeholders.

 

The alliance will be officially launched on 9 December during the 56th Plenary Assembly of the SADC-PF, in Livingston, Zambia, with a pre-launch workshop on 8 December 2024.

 

Objectives

*     Inform participants about the main challenges and opportunities for parliamentary action on food security, nutrition and agrifood system transformation, and

*     Finalize the charter and workplan for the SADC parliamentary alliance, which will be launched on 9 December 2024.

 

Methodology

The workshop will feature presentations on key food security, nutrition and agrifood system challenges in the SADC region,  on parliamentary initiatives from other areas including concrete examples of FAO’s support to these, and the draft charter and workplan for the new alliance. There will also be breakout groups for active discussion and input participants to refine the alliance’s charter and workplan for the short, medium and long term.

 

Languages

The meeting will be conducted in English, French and Portuguese, with interpretation and chuchotage provided as needed.


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Contact

Rachel Mundilo | Program Manager of the SADC PF Standing Committee on Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Climate Action | Email: [email protected]

Nargis Bozorova | FAO Legal Officer, Sub-regional Office for Southern Africa | Email: [email protected]