After four long days of policy debate, the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) adjourned its 50th Plenary Session (CFS 50) to reconvene as soon as possible and conclude deliberations on coordinating policy responses to the global food crisis informed by the 2022 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report (SOFI).

Convened as the first in-person plenary since 2019, CFS 50 saw record-high attendance by senior officials and high-ranking delegates and close to 40 ministers, vice-ministers and state secretaries from around the world. More than 1,500 delegates participated either live or on-line from among civil society, the private sector, and a diverse group of food and nutrition stakeholders.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Presidents of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and of the General Assembly, along with heads of the three Rome-based UN Agencies all pointed to the need for prompt, joint policy action against hunger and malnutrition, with CFS playing a crucial role bringing key parties together for policy alignment.

While the session remains open to conclude agreement on the SOFI item, members endorsed new Policy Recommendations on Promoting Youth Engagement and Employment in Agriculture and Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition; agreed to continue work on draft Guidelines on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls in the context of food security and nutrition; revitalized CFS’s strategic direction to accelerate action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); kicked off a CFS policy convergence process on Data Collection and Analysis Tools; and addressed ways of boosting responsible investment in sustainable agriculture building on the experiences of the CFS Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems.

A total of 30 side events were also organized by CFS partners and stakeholders on diverse topics critical to food security and nutrition including youth, gender, climate change, finance, land rights, and others.

Contacts and More Information

• Visit the CFS 50 website for more information on the Plenary including statements by delegates and the draft report.
• For enquiries and to request interviews, please contact Waiganjo Njoroge, CFS Head of Communications at [email protected] or +393453502535 (calls)/+254723857270 (WhatsApp)