Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

How can FAO and CSOs work together to regain the momentum lost and work jointly to “leave no behind”?

• It is important for FAO to recognize the diverse roles and functions of CSOs, including their engagement as implementing partners, their involvement in advocacy, and the provision of technical assistance, viewing them as valued partners who actively contribute to FAO's initiatives.
• CSOs should be integral to all decision-making processes, spanning policy formulation, budget allocation, and program development, commencing from the initial design phase and extending through monitoring and evaluation.
• As essential on-the-ground collaborators, CSOs can assist in designing programs that align with the needs and priorities of local communities and in sharing valuable lessons learned to ensure project success and effective change.
• To cultivate FAO's recognition of CSOs as valued partners, it is critical to prioritize several key actions. These include fostering regular dialogue, defining transparent objectives, and creating equitable and inclusive channels for cooperation and communication.
• Additionally, FAO can play a pivotal role in boosting the capacity of CSOs through initiatives aimed at enriching their skills and knowledge.
• Lastly, FAO can contribute by sharing resources such as technical expertise, data, and financial support with CSOs, thereby enabling them to spearhead initiatives that align with the priorities of local communities.

What and how can CSOs contribute to such transformation to boost impact on the ground?

CSOs possess a wealth of expertise and experience that can be utilized to enhance FAO's projects in numerous ways including:

• Identifying and accessing target communities that are most in need FAO’s assistance, ensuring that resources are directed to areas with the greatest impact potential.
• Providing technical assistance to FAO’s project based on their long-term practical knowledge and skills that are well-suited with local contexts and conditions.
• Conducting priority assessments of the communities they serve, ensuring that FAO’s interventions closely align with these needs.
• Facilitating the integration of traditional knowledge and practices into FAO’s projects, considering their proximity to local and indigenous communities.
• Serving as a bridge between FAO and local communities, facilitating clear and effective communication, and fostering mutual understanding.
• Advocating for participatory approaches and fair representation of local communities in FAO’s decision-making processes and projects.

Incorporating CSOs in these roles not only enhances the effectiveness of FAO's projects but also promotes a deeper sense of community ownership and empowerment, aligning with the principles of participatory community development and sustainability.

What FAO and CSOs could maximize collective impact to adapt and/or mitigate climate change?

Transitioning from purely theoretical research efforts to practical and tangible outcomes by implementing on-the-ground projects that are grounded in evidence and have a demonstrable impact on climate change adaptation and mitigation. This transition encompasses the implementation of practical projects including tree-planting, agroforestry, and agroecology. These projects aim not only to reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere but also to provide significant socioeconomic advantages to local communities. These benefits, in turn, bolster the communities' capacity to achieve the required level of adaptation and resilience in the face of climate challenges.

Based on your partnering experience, can you share a good example of meaningful engagement with FAO or another UN agency/development partner? Please highlight what/why it worked well in your opinion?

APN has been a leader in advocating for food security in the context of conflict in international platforms including FAO, the World Food Security (CFS), and the Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism (CSIPM). APN Chairperson of the Board, Razan Zuayter, was the focal point for the Arab civil society at CSIPM for two rounds, pushing for and facilitating the international CSO delegation in voluntary guidelines negotiations, particularly the "CFS Framework for Action for Addressing Food Security in Protracted Crises". After over ten years of relentless efforts, the framework was successfully adopted in 2015 despite many obstacles and hesitation from governments and international organizations. The framework achieved great success for communities living in protracted crises and has persuaded international organizations to recognize and address the root causes of crises and to use a human rights-based approach in their interventions. Moreover, the framework strived towards achieving accountability and monitoring mechanisms, consistently emphasizing the importance of local food systems, as well as mainstreaming nutrition in the work of the CFS. The framework encouraged ownership within the state rather than the creation of parallel systems, confirming that interventions target not only countries that have been affected by protracted crises but also those that lead to them.

Additionally, APN has taken the lead in arranging numerous regional CSO consultations and has served as the representative of Arab civil society at FAO's ministerial and regional gatherings including its active participation in the meeting held in Baghdad in 2022. APN’s involvement aims at ensuring that the region's priorities and needs are prominently featured on FAO's agenda.

APN launched a national campaign in Jordan on Integrated Pest Management (IPM), in collaboration with FAO, Jordan's Ministry of Agriculture, and civil society groups. APN delivered lectures and training workshops to small farmers, and distributed information among concerned bodies including the Jordanian Union of Farmers, universities, professional associations, and distributors of agricultural products.

At present, what are the most significant challenges CSOs face in their engagement with FAO? What could FAO do to address some of those challenges? Please provide concrete examples.

There are several critical issues that need to be addressed within FAO's engagement with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs):

• There is a lack of well-defined criteria for evaluating the success of FAO’s partnerships with CSOs which makes it challenging to measure the effectiveness and impact of collaborations accurately. Moreover, there is no transparent and clear process by which CSOs are chosen to collaborate with FAO.
• At the national level, there is a notable absence of CSO involvement in FAO's activities and initiatives. This omission hinders the localization of efforts and the alignment of projects with the specific needs and priorities of individual countries.
• The existing mechanisms for engaging CSOs are problematic, and there are also challenges related to mediating between FAO and international civil society. Currently, international civil society participation is dominated and monopolized by the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC), which can lead to instances of unjustified exclusion of CSOs from FAO meetings and consultations.

For example, at FAO informal dialogue titled "How can FAO better engage CSOs for Agrifood system transformation – towards designing FAO-CSO Forum" which was held in Rome in June 2023, it was disheartening that the organizing committee [IPC] selectively chose organizations and restricted invitations solely to specific institutions, disregarding other organizations that have expressed their willingness to cover all travel and accommodation expenses. Consequently, the participation of other parties is effectively excluded, resulting in a lack of fair representation. As a result, the formulation of priorities and action agendas is shaped according to the perspectives and interests of those in attendance, without adequately representing the priorities, interests, and aspirations of all stakeholders in an equitable and unbiased manner.

In response, FAO can:

• Formulate clear, transparent, and fair criteria for an engagement mechanism with CSOs involved in food-related matters. These criteria should ensure the inclusion of all active actors in discussions, dialogues, and conferences organized by FAO.
• Create institutionalized communication channels between FAO and CSOs, ensuring direct interaction without the need for mediation or, alternatively, employing a neutral mediator.
• Better facilitate CSO interaction with different FAO Governing Bodies including Council Committees, Technical Committees, Regional Conferences, and Core Leadership.
• Promote CSO engagement with FAO regional offices and other divisions and mechanisms like the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) and the Partnerships and UN Collaboration Division (PSU), ensuring their meaningful involvement in the implementation of projects.
• Facilitate and encourage the involvement of CSOs in shaping global policies and initiatives related to food, agriculture, and sustainable development.
• Advocate for CSO involvement in the formulation of national policies and strategies, as they are often excluded from these processes.
• Map and support CSOs and grassroots movements that have effectively executed on-the-ground projects to help them upscale and expand their work, yielding successful outcomes within their communities and beyond.