Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

Message from the facilitator

Dear FSN Forum members and dear participants in the CFS gender regional consultations, 

I am back to you for a brief update.

Yesterday we concluded the last of the six regional consultations, the one for North America. Also this one saw a very qualified participation, and the discussion was very stimulating and full of ideas. I will tell you more about it in the next digest.

Today, in fact, I want to inform you that the consultation report for the regional consultation on the Near East and North Africa (NENA) is available on our web page, both in English and Arabic.

The NENA consultation saw 74 participants from the different constituencies of the CFS: representatives of the region’s governmental institutions, civil society and the private sector, as well as international organizations, and academia.

We were honored by the presence of three keynote speakers: Ms Dina Douay, Director of the Women, Family and Childhood Department of the League of Arab States; Ms Ekram El-Huni, Regional Programme Coordinator, UN Women; and Mr Naoufel Telahigue, IFAD Country Director.

There was general consensus that the Zero Draft is comprehensive and clear, but some additional key challenges and gaps have been identified by the stakeholders. I will point out some of them.

Participants raised concerns about the challenge of implementing the Guidelines in the region because of the lack of constitutional basis for the Right to Food in many countries. They noted that the fact that the Guidelines are voluntary makes this even more challenging, given the lack of policy foundations and often poor political will. Participants stressed the need for concrete measures to ensure the Guidelines are effectively translated into practice. The need to mobilize investment funds and networking to implement the Guidelines in addition to securing political commitment and engagement of civil society was raised. 

Another comment related to implementation on the ground and the need to engage men as allies in the process of empowering women, enabling them to understand why this is important and how it will benefit everyone. It is important to do this in order to address any potential tensions that may arise if men perceive they have to give up some of their own privileges. 

Furthermore, participants stressed the need to address and acknowledge the tensions between statutory and customary laws in relation to gender equality – just because a law exists does not mean it will be respected. This is true for issues such as land ownership. 

There was also a call for a more transformative approach to the Guidelines, and to go beyond a presentation of the issues and problems and also present success stories and lessons learned on what works within and outside the region.

There was a critique about ‘gender washing’, where commitments on gender are not translated into action. For example, a recent study of 51 food and agriculture organizations showed that although 90 percent had gender policies in place, most of them did not support these policies with structures or processes. Only one third had gender strategies and 70 percent of the CEOs were male and were mainly from high income countries. 

In this last week of the online consultation, I would like to launch one last challenge counting on your experiences and expertise: what in your opinion can be the solutions to overcome the obstacles highlighted by the participants of the regional consultation for the NENA region? What are the necessary policy actions and concrete measures to ensure the Voluntary Guidelines are effectively translated into practice? Could you share success stories and learning on what works within and outside your region?

Grateful of your attention and active participation, I am looking forward for your feedback on these crucial questions.

With my best regards,

Marina