Committee on World Food Security
Making a difference in food security and nutrition
The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) is the foremost inclusive international and intergovernmental platform in the field of food security and nutrition, integrating representatives from governments, UN agencies, civil society, non-governmental organizations, Indigenous Peoples, financial and research institutions, philanthropic foundations, and the private sector.
CFS supports countries’ efforts in tackling the root causes of hunger and malnutrition and in promoting the progressive realization of the right to food and the development of sustainable and resilient food systems.
Using a multi-stakeholder and inclusive approach, CFS develops policy guidance on a wide range of food security and nutrition topics, starting from scientific and evidence-based reports produced by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN).
By addressing the most pressing global challenges affecting food security and nutrition, the CFS is uniquely positioned as a key agenda-setting platform for resilient and sustainable food systems.
CFS is an integral component of global governance on food security and reports to the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and to the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA) through the Conference and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Bringing together such a wide range of actors in an open and inclusive structure dedicated to policy convergence, at a time of major reforms across the multilateral system, the CFS model stands out as a reference for participatory, evidence-informed and inclusive global governance.
Strategic functions
Platform
Policy convergence
Uptake
- Platform: the CFS serves as an intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder platform offering a trusted, legitimate and inclusive space for dialogue, knowledge exchange and coordination on food security and nutrition, building mutual understanding and promoting coherence across policies and action.
- Policy convergence: CFS develops and endorses voluntary policy guidelines and recommendations to help countries improve food security and nutrition. These policy products are negotiated and agreed by governments with input from a wide range of stakeholders, ensuring they are evidence-based and inclusive. Countries and other stakeholders use this guidance to design laws, policies, strategies and programmes that promote more sustainable, resilient, and equitable food systems.
- Uptake: CFS ensures that its policy products are used, applied, and integrated by governments, UN agencies, civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders. It’s about turning CFS policy guidance into real-world action, promoting the integration of CFS policy guidance into national strategies, legislations, policies and programmes.
Membership and structure
CFS membership includes Member States and Participants from various sectors such as governments, UN agencies, civil society, non-governmental organizations, Indigenous Peoples, financial and research institutions, philanthropic foundations, and the private sector. This diverse membership ensures that all relevant stakeholders are involved in the policy debate and decision-making processes.
The Chairperson represents the Committee and presides its meetings.
The CFS Plenary is the main decision-making body, holding its sessions annually, during which CFS stakeholders debate, coordinate, share relevant information and strive for policy convergence among all food security and nutrition stakeholders globally.
The Bureau represents the membership of the Committee between sessions and facilitates coordination and preparation of the agenda of the Plenary. The Advisory Group assists the Bureau.
The High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN) provides scientific analysis and advice.
The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) was established in 1974 in the wake of the global food crisis of the early 1970s, which saw severe food shortages and price spikes that exposed the vulnerabilities in the world’s food system.
Created under the framework of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the CFS was designed as an intergovernmental body to oversee and coordinate efforts to combat food insecurity. Its primary role was to provide policy advice to Member States, monitor the global food situation, and recommend actions to prevent or respond to food crises. The Committee was intended to facilitate communication and cooperation among governments.
During its early years, CFS’s main focus was on stabilizing global food markets and preventing future crises, monitoring food supply and demand across the globe, as well as providing early warnings of potential food shortages. It sought to ensure that the international community could respond in a coordinated way to any disruptions in food production or distribution.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, CFS continued to serve as a platform for governments to discuss and share information on food security. During this period, the CFS helped raise awareness on the importance of food security as a global issue, but it lacked the broader participatory mechanisms that would later characterize its post-2009 reform structure.
The eruption of the food crisis in the late 2007–2008, followed by the financial and economic crisis in 2008, unveiled a long-standing vacuum in global governance of food security. This has resulted in numerous calls for a new design of the governance system, building on existing institutions such as CFS.
In 2009 CFS agreed on a substantial reform package aimed at increasing its legitimacy as an intergovernmental platform for global governance of food security. The reform included:
- a redefinition of the CFS vision and role to focus on the key challenges of eradicating hunger;
- expanded participation to ensure that the voices of all relevant stakeholders are heard in the food and agriculture policy dialogue;
- strengthened linkages with countries and regions; and
- evidence-based decision-making through the creation of the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN).
Recognizing that participation is key to enhancing ownership and accountability of decisions, CFS has gone beyond the traditional UN grouping of “Members vs. Observers” and created the new “Participants” category, which includes UN agencies and bodies, civil society and non-governmental organizations and their networks, international agricultural research systems, international and regional financial institutions, representatives of private sector associations, and philanthropic foundations.
While CFS member countries remain the ultimate decision-makers as well as the principal actors in the upholding of the right to food, CFS Participants play a fundamental role in intervening in consultations and negotiations, contributing to the preparation of documents and agendas and submitting and presenting proposals.
Another key component of the reform was the creation of the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition. The HLPE-FSN was established in 2010 as the science-policy interface of CFS. It aims to improve the robustness of policymaking by providing independent, evidence-based analysis and advice at the request of CFS. The HLPE-FSN's work supports the Committee's mandate by delivering scientific analysis on critical food security issues, thereby ensuring that discussions are grounded in the latest research and data.