un perspectives on responding to food insecurity in africa march 27 th 2009

1. un perspectives on responding to food insecurity in africamarch 27th 2009

2. UN SYSTEM • Mandates of different agencies: scale up of action in 2007-8 • High Level Task Force (HLTF) on the Global Food Crisis: a time-limited entity established at the end of April 2008 by the UN Chief Executives Board (UN system Top Management) • Includes FAO, WFP, IFAD, World Bank, IMF, UNICEF, UNDP, WTO, UNCTAD and 13 other UN entities (Funds, Programmes, Departments). • UN Secretary General as Chair: FAO Director General as Vice Chair; Coordinator

3. HLTF MANDATE • Purpose: Create a Prioritized Plan of Action and Coordinate its Implementation • Focus on reducing poverty and hunger (Millennium Development Goal 1) by improving: 1) Access to food - nutrition, social protection and food assistance 2) Availability of food - emphasis on small scale agriculture (cropping, livestock, fish and forests), production, processing, markets and trade • Provide the fullest possible concerted support to National Authorities and National Governments • Avoid creating new bureaucratic and intergovernmental layers • Work through regional and sub-regional Political Unions, Economic Commissions • Bridge short and longer term responses

4. HLTF MANIFESTO: COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION The HLTF developed the CFA as a means for organizing 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 within regional and sub-regional frameworks

5. IMPROVING FOOD SECURITY, NUTRITION & INCOMES IN AFRICA’S ECONOMIES • Sound regional framework for (a) sustainable land and water, (b) rural infrastructure and market access, (c) food and nutrition security, and (d) research technology • Evolving national programmes seeking synergized actions through partnerships, platforms, networks and movements • Emerging strength of farmers organizations with focus on right to food and interests of women as primary producers • Importance of agri-business as engine for development • Intersecting national, regional and global challenges such as climate change and financial crisis: need to link response to immediate needs and long term actions.

6. ELEMENTS OF THE HLTF WORK PROGRAMME Support for national and regional processes that contribute to food security by encouraging • Synergized action by UN system agencies at country, regional and global levels • Partnerships that engage multiple stakeholders. • Coordinated mobilization and movement of funds for urgent actions and longer term investments. • Improved accountability of the international system.

7. HLTF SECRETARIAT • The HLTF Coordination Secretariat headed by the Coordinator with around 10 staff in the first instance • The HLTF Coordination Network with 100 – 200 members • The HLTF Senior Steering Group (SSG) with a central role in directing the Secretariat and steering the Network

8. MARCH 2009 • Maintain national regional and global political momentum around food and nutritional security, smallholder agriculture, marketing and the value chain, and fairer food trading systems. • Respond to increases in hunger and its consequences in 2009 resulting from price volatility, reduced purchasing power and climate uncertainty. • Ensure a meaningful voice for all of Civil Society at national regional and global level: build a sustainable Global Partnership. • Mobilize and use additional resources without damaging ongoing longer term programme development.

9. TAKE HOME • Support CAADP and work through it whenever possible • Work with the African Union – integrating agriculture into other regional and global political initiatives (Soil carbon in climate agenda) • Support the African agricultural voice in global development discourse