APN at the 40th session of the CFS | The Arab Group for the Protection of Nature
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APN at the 40th session of the CFS

APN and the Arab Network for Food Sovereignty participated in the 40th Session of the Committee on World Food Security between the 7th-11th of October 2013 at the headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome.

The session was attended by representatives from governments, United Nations organizations and international institutions, as well as many private sector and civil society organizations.Represented by activist Mariam Al Jaajaa, APN coordinated the presence of the civil society in the session devoted to food insecurity in protracted crises. Interventions by the group stressed on the role of affected communities in determining their fate and planning for the rehabilitation of their social, political, and economic infrastructure.

The interventions also focused on the importance of creating accountability frameworks governing all parties through the application of international law.Activist Al Jaajaa said that “wars are no longer wars intended for quick victories, but to sustain conflicts for the longest term  possible.

Ongoing conflicts and their effects on local, regional, and global food security is the responsibility of us all, whether governments, the private sector, international organizations, or civil society organizations.

We call on the CFS to look at the real reasons for crises, to contribute towards preventing and resolving them."  She added that "we should be carefully examining the reasons for low food security in protracted crises such as the lack of coordination between specialized agencies and the overlooking of violations such as the conscious destruction of infrastructure and services and the use of food and water as tools of coercion and weapons of collective punishment against populations"  She further noted that "reconstruction and rehabilitation policies are often unsustainable and do not benefit local communities.

They comply with conditions set by donor parties that threaten food security and food sovereignty".

It is reported that the Committee on World Food Security meets on an annual basis to assess what has been achieved from the reduction of food insecurity in the world, and to draw out future policies and goals. This annual session provides a framework for work to be completed in several smaller sessions throughout the year, and the CFS provides ultimately an annual report to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.