Towards Global Food Security: Policy Responses and Implementation Realities

1. TOWARDS AN AGENDA FOR GLOBAL FOOD SECURITYBRUSSELS RURAL DEVELOPMENT BRIEFING 15: DECEMBER 9TH 2009David nabarroUN SECRETARY GENERAL SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ON FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION

2. CONTENT OF PRESENTATION • Current Realities • Policy Responses at National, Regional and Global Levels • New Approaches to Coherence and Governance • Political Commitments and Agreed Principles • : G8, G20 and World Summit • Looking Ahead: Realities of Implementation

3. CURRENT REALITIES

4. WHAT IS FOOD SECURITY? • Availability of food – global, national, local, household – land, water, inputs, technology, yields • Access to food – national, local, household, individual – prices, income, wealth • Utilization of food – influence of water quality, sanitation, health

5. FOR VULNERABLE PEOPLE… • Food systems have not been working for decades. • Affected by economic & climatic shocks, by insecurity. • Economic Contraction has made the situation worse. • Increasing numbers unable to purchase food they need; • Food systems not serving interests of small-scale producers; • Increased volatility in prices and variations in supplies. • Numbers of hungry and malnourished have increased.

6. Policy Responses

7. POLICY RESPONSES Not only • “How to Feed the World” But also • “How to ensure that all people can exercise their right to food and access the food they need… • And practice food sovereignty…. • In a sustainable manner”

8. COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION The Comprehensive Framework for Action encourages collective actions in pursuit of immediate and longer terms outcomes, to be taken forward by different stakeholders working in partnership under the leadership of national authorities.

9. OBJECTIVE Improve access to food and nutrition support and take immediate steps to increase food availability OUTCOMES Meet immediate needs of vulnerable populations Emergency food assistance, nutrition interventions and safety nets enhanced and made more accessible Smallholder farmer food production boosted Trade and tax policy adjusted Macro-economic implications managed OBJECTIVE Strengthen food and nutrition security in the longer-run by addressing the underlying factors driving the food crisis OUTCOMES Building longer term resilience and contributing to global food and nutrition security Expanded social protection Smallholder farmer food production growth sustained Improved food markets International consensus on biofuel Focus on sustainable production and resilience in the face of crisis COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION

10. COHERENCE AND GOVERNANCE

11. EMERGING APPROACHES • Listening and responding to the Voices of Family Farmers • National Food Security Strategies and Plans • Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme ( and other sub-regional and regional initiatives) • UN System High Level Task Force • Global Partnership on Agriculture Food Security and Nutrition • Revitalized Committee on Food Security (see ahead) • L’Aquila Food Security Initiative • Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme

12. PARTNERSHIPS FOR AGRICULTURE, FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION • The concept of country and regional partnerships, and an overarching Global Partnership for Agriculture and Food Security, evolved during 2008. There was an increased focus on nutritional security as a partnership goal. • This spirit of Global Partnership has been taken forward in 2009: it is now reflected in the ongoing reform of the Rome-based Committee on Food Security.

13. THE CHALLENGE FOR ALL OF US • Avoid creating new bureaucratic and intergovernmental layers • Provide concerted support to National Authorities • Link with Regional political entities, Banks, Economic Commissions • Focus on reducing vulnerability by: 1) Enabling access to food - improving nutrition, social protection and food systems (taking account of life-cycle vulnerabilities), 2) Improving availability of food - emphasis on small scale agriculture 3) Making markets and systems for trading foods function in the interests of poor people • Promote concerted action with a focus on MDG 1 and the needs of poor people • Bridge short and longer term responses, humanitarian and development assistance

14. A FOCUS ON COORDINATION • High Level Task Force is a time-limited UN system entity established at the end of April 2008 by the UN Chief Executive Board in Bern (UN system Top Management) • Includes FAO, WFP, IFAD, World Bank, IMF, UNICEF, UNDP, WTO, UNCTAD and 14 other UN entities (Funds, Programmes, Departments); ILO recently joined • UN Secretary General as Chair: FAO Director General as Vice Chair • One Coordinator and a small Coordination Team

15. LOOKING AHEAD: REALITIES OF IMPLEMENTATION

16. A PRINCIPLED APPROACH The L’Aquila Food Security Initiative: • Support for Country Led plans for Food Security • Pursuing a Comprehensive Approach (all dimensions of food security) • Coordinated action at local, national, sub-regional, regional and Global levels • Multilateral action with a strong role for the Multilateral System • Increased national and international investments with transparent tracking and mapping of progress This work is being taken forward at country level with support from sub-regional and regional entities (The event to initiate support to Rwanda was on Dec 7 and 8)

17. THANK YOU nabarro@un.orgwww.un-foodsecurity.org