Thematic dialogue: Youth spokesperson and leadership in the food and agriculture

Background

The 38 FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC38) is the main governing body of the Organization at the regional level, where the 33 FAO Member States in Latin America and the Caribbean meet to establish regional priorities of the Organization for the next biennium. At the event, state ministers and high-level officials discuss the challenges and priorities related to food and agriculture.

Prior to the Conference and as part of the consultation process with Civil Society, a virtual space is proposed for dialogue with Youth, to learn about their proposals and experiences regarding food and agriculture and what results from this will serve as input. for the in-person consultation and declaration.

FAO will also seek to assess and include the needs and opportunities of youth, focus on the needs of the youngest (ages 15-17) and ensure the inclusion of youth representatives.

The cross-cutting themes of gender, youth and inclusion are key areas that have been identified to be taken into account throughout FAO's programmatic work.

General objective

Generate a space for dialogue and consultation with broad, diverse and inclusive participation of women and youth in the region, in order to collect their proposals and agendas on food and agriculture within the framework of the 38 FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC38).

Specific objectives

Dialogue with young people from Civil Society organizations in the region about the progress of FAO since the 37 FAO Regional Conference and propose necessary actions to reduce the gaps in the participation, voice and leadership of youth in the face of the 38 FAO Regional Conference.

Discuss the four improvements (better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life), FAO's youth-focused programs and analyze to what extent they are responding to the needs and interests of youth in the region.

Collect the proposals or actions of the youth so that they are important inputs in the face-to-face consultation, in the declaration and aspire that the FAO and the Member States take them up in their programs and public policies on food and agriculture.

Participants

Youth dedicated to agriculture, production, artisanal fishing, farmers, marketers, day laborers, indigenous people, Afro-descendants, consumers, among other youth dedicated to food and agriculture, are invited.

Leaders and youth organizations dedicated to food and agriculture issues.

Youth from the LGBTTTIQ community and youth with disabilities dedicated to the issue of food and agriculture.

Youth, organizations, groups and networks that are members of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty of the People of Latin America and the Caribbean are widely invited.

Methodology

Virtual dialogue through the zoom platform with live broadcast on FAO Americas YouTube channels.

The FAO Priorities in the region were taken up as base documents in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework for 2022-2031, the Declaration of Civil Society Organizations at the 37 Regional Conference and the Report of the 37th. session of the FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The central idea is that FAO can socialize the strategic framework in the region, the progress made by the 37 FAO Regional Conference and how women and youth are strategic actors in the regional agenda and are participating in FAO's programmatic actions. Likewise, know how the FAO is going to present these issues to the 38 FAO Regional Conference and its member states.

The participants reflect on what was stated by the FAO, based on their experiences and/or community or organizational realities, and at the same time put forward proposals or actions necessary to continue reducing the gaps in the participation, voice and leadership of women and youth.

Finally, dialogue, reflection and work in groups will be promoted with the aim of energizing and enriching opinions collectively; these will be recovered for consultation and declaration by civil society at the next conference.

Results

• Synthesis of the contributions made by the working groups.
• Document with the proposals collected in the dialogues.

Live broadcast