Rome – A delegation from the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) visited FAO Headquarters on the 13 and 14 December 2022 to discuss FAO support for a series of new model laws under consideration by the African nations. 

The meetings in Rome follow the PAP’s adoption of a Model Law on Food and Nutrition Security (FSN), which was approved by the PAP on 9 November 2022 following a process of technical support from FAO, in a milestone achievement since a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between FAO and the PAP in 2016.

Expressing its appreciation for FAO’s support, the PAP has requested FAO’s technical assistance on four additional model laws on the topics of climate change, gender equality, soil management and cooperatives.

FAO welcomed the opportunity to collaborate, inviting the PAP to consider a further model law on family farming, following the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament’s 2017 example.

The FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 recognizes that FAO’s work with Parliamentarian Alliances has led to important impacts on legislative agendas, and that successful examples should be replicated and expanded. It underlined the need to engage more effectively with parliamentarians at all levels to meet the Goals of the 2030 Agenda and other contemporary challenges.

Model Laws on Climate Change, Gender Equality, Soil Management, and Cooperatives

In line with FAO’s work strengthening policy and legislative frameworks in implementation of the Paris Agreement, the PAP has invited FAO to help formulate a model law on climate change, with topics including the use of energy for food production, processing and transport.

Discussing gender equality, FAO and the PAP committed to integrating this into all of the model laws, as well as to develop a separate model law specifically focused on gender equality in rural areas in the context of food, agriculture and governance of natural resources.

The PAP also requested FAO’s assistance in framing a model law on sustainable soil management. Normative instruments developed with FAO’s support, such as the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management, the International Code of Conduct on Sustainable Use and Management of Fertilizers and the revised World Soil Charter, will be anchor points of reference.

On cooperatives, FAO’s ongoing work on a legal guide on agricultural cooperatives with UNIDROIT and IFAD will provide useful cross-fertilization for a model law.

FAO also underlined the importance of PAP’s participation in the Second Global Summit of Parliamentarians against Hunger and Malnutrition, scheduled to take place in Chile in 2023, which is an opportunity for experience sharing between parliamentarians across the globe.

About the Pan-African Parliament

The Pan-African Parliament is one of the 11 organs of the African Union (AU). It has up to 275 members representing the 55 AU Member States and its members are parliamentarians in their respective countries.