Forty members of the Pan-African Parliamentary (PAP) alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (PAPA-FSN) are meeting for an intensive two-day capacity building workshop from 1-2 March at the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand
The two-day session aims to strengthen and consolidate capacities of parliamentarians to position food security and nutrition, as well as the right to adequate food, at the forefront of political and legislative agendas at both regional and national levels.
“Approximately one person in four in sub-Saharan Africa and one in five on the continent have suffered from chronic food deprivation in 2017. The overall situation of food security and nutrition (FSN) in Africa continues to worsen. We are consequently obliged to reflect and review policies and legislation with the aim to achieve zero hunger,” said Stephen Julius Masele, vice-president of PAP and president of the PAPA-FSN.
“If we are to meet the challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and achieve zero hunger by 2030, cooperation among different actors is mandatory. With their legislative, budgetary and oversight roles, together with their unequalled influence on public opinion, parliamentarians have a fundamental role in ensuring that people are able to feed themselves in dignity,” noted Francesco Pierri, FAO representative in South Africa.
The two-day training, facilitated by both PAP and FAO, emphasis on themes such as
– Legislating for the right to adequate food
– Nutrition and sustainable food systems for healthy diets
– Gender and social policies
– Access to and control of productive resources
– Responsible investments in agriculture and food systems
– Budgeting to achieve zero hunger and partnering for resource mobilisation
The training is set to provide an opportunity to discuss the way forward towards the adoption of a regional model law on food security and nutrition.