43° Committe on World Food Security, Roma

Policy Recommendations
Smallholder farmers total 500 million across Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America and supply 80% of the food in these regions. Following the CFS High Level Forum in June 2015, at CFS 43 the Committee will agree on policy guidelines to help give smallholders better access to markets.
CFS will agree on policy recommendations to address sustainable agricultural development including the role of livestock for food security and nutrition, informed by a report from the CFS High Level Panel of Experts on this topic. Approximately 1.3 billion people rely on livestock for their livelihoods and livestock also contributes an estimated 26% of global protein consumption.
Decisions on Future Work
The Committee will agree on how it will contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This includes how the Committee can support the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) as it reviews progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A decision will be taken on the contribution of CFS to the global nutrition agenda. Policy convergence will be central and will help translate the commitments of the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) and the SDGs into effective action through policies and partnerships. The Decade of Action on Nutrition marks a new direction with a shared goal to end malnutrition in all its forms.

A Forum on “Urbanization, rural transformation and implications for food security and nutrition” is also expected to decide on the role CFS should play in addressing global food security and nutrition in a context of changing rural-urban dynamics.

CFS will decide on the theme of the 2018 High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) report, which is proposed to be on Multistakeholder partnerships to finance and improve food security and nutrition in the framework of the 2030 Agenda.
Panel Discussions
See the CFS 43 web page for details of moderators and panelists.
Since they were endorsed by CFS in 2012 the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT) have been widely used and applied in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. A panel discussion and interactive session will look at the lessons learned and good practices. A compilation of case studies submitted by CFS stakeholders is on the CFS 43 web page. The catalysts for success most frequently mentioned in the case studies are political will and sustained commitment.

Global Monitoring of Food Insecurity and the 2030 Agenda: The shift of paradigm introduced by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for a new approach to monitoring progress towards ending hunger and eradicating all forms of malnutrition. FAO, IFAD and WFP, in collaboration with other organizations in the UN system, are working on a new “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” (SOFO) report to monitor the food security and nutrition targets of SDG2. They will present their approach to CFS members and stakeholders.

The Rome-based agencies, FAO, IFAD and WFP are co-organizing a discussion on Inclusive Value Chains for Sustainable Agriculture and Scaled Up Food Security and Nutrition Outcomes. A set of key issues and options for shaping sustainable and inclusive food systems will be discussed as well as lessons learned, good practices and scaling-up trajectories. Opportunities for partnerships will be explored building on CFS products such as the Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure, the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems, the Framework for Action for Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Crisis and the Global Strategic Framework.

From Agreement to Action Towards Implementing the 2030 Agenda: Learning from the First Volunteer National Reviews: CFS will hear from eight volunteer countries (China, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, France, Mexico, Norway and Switzerland) and other CFS stakeholders sharing their experiences on their first efforts to achieve the food security and nutrition related targets of the 2030 Agenda within their own contexts.
Other Activities
See the CFS 43 web page for the Side Event Timetable, Guide with abstracts and Web App
There are more than fifty Side Events throughout the week in the morning before the main sessions, at lunchtime and in the evenings. The Global Forum for Agriculture (GFAR) is partnering with CFS and training thirty social media reporters who will attend the Side Events and post their articles on the CFS Side Event blog. There is also a Web App with the Session and Side Event Timetable to keep track of the week.
There will be an Information Marketplace in the Atrium and Flag Hall of FAO with a wide range of publications and other material related to food security and nutrition. 2016 also marks the 40th birthday of CFS which held its first session in 1976 following a decision by the World Food Council in 1974. There will be a timeline in the Atrium showing some of the highlights of the Committee.
HLPE News
Check the HLPE website for details
The public e-consultation on the draft High Level Panel of Experts Report on Sustainable Forestry for Food Security and Nutrition attracted 58 contributions. It was peer reviewed in September and the HLPE is currently integrating the results into the next version of the report. The e-consultation on the Report on Nutrition and Food Systems is scheduled to take place during October and November. The HLPE is also preparing a note for CFS on Critical and emerging issues. A consultation process is currently ongoing – contributions should be sent to cfs-hlpe@fao.org by 31 October.