Fighting food insecurity and activating civil society

Guest blog by Stineke Oenema, Member of the Coordination Committee, International Food Security & Nutrition, Civil Society Mechanism (CSM).

Food insecurity and malnutrition are truly global problems, however they require local, tailor made solutions, designed and developed in a transparent, democratic and participatory way, with local constituencies.

Sustainable Development Goal number 2 is all about food security and nutrition. It strives to continue where the Millennium Development Goals on hunger failed or did not (yet) achieve its goal. Sure, progress was made, but it was neither sufficient nor satisfactory: Hunger declined, but unevenly. Undernutrition declined a bit but it was also insufficient, whereas overnutrition skyrocketed. So right now malnutrition in fact affects all countries in the world. Yes, that includes your country in (Western) Europe! So not even us in Europe are able to sit back and relax: the fight against malnutrition and hunger is global.

How does this relate with the SDGs? The beauty of the SDGs is that they truly reflect the global nature of developmental and environmental challenges, rather than as something that affects only the so-called “developing countries”. The SDGs will shape the international sustainable and development agenda over the coming 15 years and they will play a key role in food and food and nutrition security.

The Civil Society Mechanism is striving for local solutions in the context of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS). The CFS is the most inclusive intergovernmental forum to debate food security and nutrition and provide policy guidance, coordination and coherence. Civil Society is an active participant and not only provides the reality check for all policy proposals that are tabled, but also pro-actively proposes policies that lead to a transformation of the current food systems that are causing both environmental and health concerns. CSM has active participants from most (if not all) groups that face hunger and malnutrition: small-scale food producers, including fishers and pastoralists and workers; urban poor; youth, women etc. In addition CSM is organised in regional groups. In this way a rich diversity of voices and participation is guaranteed, as well as the vision and perspectives of those people that are in fact victims of hunger and malnutrition but at the same time carry the solutions. Who else would know better what to do for hungry urban poor, than the urban poor themselves? Who else would know better how to solve hunger in Southern Africa than the people who live there?

The CSM makes the connection with policy makers and duty bearers all over the world. In Western Europe the CSM has established working relations with policy officers of the European Committee as well as with members states. This has often been with support of the European Food Security Group, a group of European based NGOS’ who are concerned about food security worldwide. In addition the CSM in Western Europe has regular interactions with the delegations in Rome who participate in the negotiations of the CFS. These interactions are extremely helpful, not just to exchange information about positions and statements, but also to try to better understand the many different positions. This helps to fuel debate and dialogue, thus creating understanding regards the diversity of solutions CSOs seek to solve hunger and malnutrition as well as to improve the democratic governance of food systems.

Find out more about our European Year for Development blog here.