47th Session of UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS): Making a Difference in Food Security and Nutrition, 8-11 February 2021
Virtual meeting expected to endorse new Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition
The 47th Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), will meet virtually at ministerial level on 8-11 February to discuss ways to drive policy progress for improved food security and nutrition.
Recent data on food security and nutrition reveal the global community is falling short on the Agenda 2030 targets, especially the SDG2 targets on ending hunger and malnutrition in all its forms. Hunger is on the rise. An estimated 690 million people were hungry in 2019 and an additional 130 million people are projected to become hungry in the near future as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile obesity and overweight are increasingly problematic in all regions.
The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) – the world’s most inclusive international and intergovernmental platform on food security and nutrition – is working to reverse the negative trends on SDG2 and mitigate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises by developing policy guidance, recommendations and other tools on a wide range of pressing food security and nutrition issues.
Among other anticipated outcomes, the Committee is expected to endorse “Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition” (the latest negotiated draft is here). These guidelines will serve as a significant reference point for countries and others in their efforts to eradicate all forms of hunger and malnutrition by utilizing a “food systems” approach. The guidelines will also be an important contribution to the UN Food Systems Summit scheduled to take place in September this year. The Committee will also initiate work to develop new Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment as related to food security and nutrition.
The opening session on Monday 8 February (09:30 – 12:30) will feature keynote addresses by:
• António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General;
• Thanawat Tiensin, CFS Chairperson and Permanent Representative of Thailand to the UN Agencies in Rome;
• QU Dongyu, Director-General of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO);
• Gilbert F. Houngbo; President of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD);
• David Beasley, Executive Director, World Food Programme (WFP);
• Martin Cole, Chairperson of the High-Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) Steering Committee.
The event will be webcast here.
Journalists can also follow it on social media @UN_CFS using the hashtag #CFS47
The CFS sessions will be conducted in all official FAO languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish).
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