Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

A stocktaking event is planned to be held in October 2023 during CFS 51 Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) to monitor the use and application of the following CFS policy recommendations:

Set 1:     Price Volatility and Food Security (endorsed in 2011, CFS 37)

Set 2:    Social Protection for Food Security & Nutrition  (endorsed in 2012, CFS 39)

The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) invites stakeholders to share their experiences and good practices in applying any of these two sets of policy recommendations by 3 May 2023 to inform the monitoring event at CFS 51 Plenary.

The CFS and its High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN), developed policy recommendations addressing price volatility and social protection issues for food security and nutrition in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

Set 1 of the CFS policy recommendations on Price Volatility and Food Security stem from the first report produced by the CFS HLPE-FSN . In October 2010, the Committee requested the HLPE to produce the abovementioned report focusing on food price volatility and “all of its causes and consequences […] to manage the risks linked to excessive price volatility in agriculture^[1]”. The resulting policy recommendations negotiated and then adopted by the CFS in 2011 highlight a series of action points that appropriate stakeholders should consider to address the structural causes of food price volatility and ensure that its impact do not undermine producers and consumers’ right to food: actions to increase food production and availability, and to enhance resilience to shocks; to reduce volatility; to mitigate the negative impacts of volatility.

Set 2 of the CFS policy recommendations on Social Protection for Food Security & Nutrition  stem from a HLPE-FSN report #4. Also in October 2010, the CFS requested the HLPE to produce report #4 focusing on social protection and more specifically, “on ways to lessen vulnerability through social and productive safety net programs and policies with respect to food and nutritional security, taking into consideration differing conditions across countries and regions^[1]”. The resulting policy recommendations negotiated and then adopted by the CFS in 2012 highlight a series of action points addressed to Member States and relevant stakeholders: to design and implement, or strengthen, comprehensive, nationally-owned, context-sensitive social protection systems for food security and nutrition; to ensure that social protection systems embrace a strategy that maximize impact on resilience and food security and nutrition; to improve the use of social protection interventions to address vulnerability to acute and chronic food insecurity. These policy recommendations also underline the importance of social protection programmes for food security and nutrition being guided by human rights standards to support the progressive realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the context of National Food Security.

The event scheduled to take place during CFS51 Plenary in October 2023 will focus on how stakeholders have used or applied any of these two sets of CFS policy recommendations, which actions have been implemented – or are planned - and which remain relevant in the current context to ensure food security and nutrition for all.

How to take part in this Call for Submissions

To inform this stocktaking exercise on the use and application of the aforementioned two sets of policy recommendations.  The CFS invites you to share your experience(s) using the following templates for each contribution as relevant:

1. The Form for reporting “individual” experiences in applying the two sets of policy recommendations by one group of stakeholders (e.g. a member state, civil society, or the private sector);
2. The Form (namely for event organizers) to share the results of multi-stakeholder events organized at national, regional and global levels to discuss experiences and good practices in applying the two sets of policy recommendations.

Note that you are invited to complete, as relevant, any of the two forms most appropriate to your experience, and/or to submit multiple (of the relevant) forms, respectively, in case you have had multiple experiences. Submissions can be made in any of the UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). Submissions should be strictly limited to 1,000 Words.

Approach

CFS has consistently encouraged stakeholders to voluntarily share their experiences and good practices in applying CFS policy products through reporting individual (direct) experiences by one group of stakeholders or through reporting the results of multi-stakeholder consultations or events (organized to discuss experiences) by several groups of stakeholders.

Note: Guidance to hold multistakeholder consultations at national, regional and global levels is provided in the Terms of Reference to share experiences and good practices in applying CFS decisions and recommendations through organising events at national, regional and global levels, approved by CFS in 2016.

The recommended approach by CFS to organize multistakeholder consultations promotes country-owned and country-led events organized in collaboration and partnership with existing coordination mechanisms and initiatives. National actors should play an active role in the organization of such events at all levels, with possible support from the Rome-based UN Agencies (Food and Agriculture Organization - FAO, International Fund for Agricultural Development – IFAD, and World Food Programme - WFP) or other stakeholders.

In identifying and documenting good practices, please consider the values promoted by CFS, as applicable: 

• Inclusiveness and participation:  all relevant actors were involved and participated in the decision-making process, including those affected by the decisions;
• Evidence-based analysis: the effectiveness of the practice in contributing to the objectives of the policy recommendations  was analyzed on the basis of independent evidence;
• Environmental, economic and social sustainability: the practice contributed to achieving its objectives, without compromising the ability of addressing future needs;
• Gender equality: the practice promoted equal rights and participation of women and men and addressed gender inequalities;
• Focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized people and groups: the practice benefitted the most vulnerable and marginalized people and groups;
• Multi-sectoral approach: all main relevant sectors were consulted and involved in the implementation of the set(s) of the policy recommendations;
• Resilience of livelihoods: the practice contributed to building resilient livelihoods of households and communities to shocks and crises, including those related to climate change.

The comments received will contribute to monitoring progress on the use and application of the two sets of CFS policy recommendations. All inputs will be compiled in a document made available for delegates at CFS 51 in October 2023.

The Call for Submissions is open until 3^rd of May 2023.