International Food Security & Nutrition Civil Society Mechanism for Relations with the CFS (UN Committee on World Food Security)

Last year the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) underwent a reform to make it more effective by including a wider group of stakeholders. The vision is for the CFS to become the most inclusive international and intergovernmental platform for all stakeholders to work together to ensure food security and nutrition for all. Its roles include the promotion of policy and strategic coordination and coherence, the sharing of best practices and encouraging accountability for delivery on commitments. As agreed in the CFS reform document, civil society, which is one of the newly recognised “participants” of the CFS, is building its own autonomous mechanism for participation in the CFS (please see the full draft proposal for the Civil Society Mechanism at http://cso4cfs.org).
The essential role of the Civil Society Mechanism (CSM) is to facilitate the participation of CSOs in the work of the CFS, including input to negotiation and decision-­‐making. Consequently an International Food Security & Nutrition Civil Society Meeting will be held in Rome on 8th– 10th October 2010.

This Meeting will be held immediately prior to the 36th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), which will take place also in Rome from 11th – 16th October. The purpose of the CSO Meeting is “to organise civil society organisations and networks in order to participate in and influence effectively the 36th Session of  the CFS in October 2010 and the on-­‐going work programme of the CFS, particularly during 2010 / 11”.