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By Baboloki Semele
The Pan African Parliament (PAP) has been oriented on the AU Theme for 2022: “Strengthening nutritional resilience and food security on the African continent: strengthening Agri-food, health, and social protection systems for the acceleration of the development of human, social and economic.”
Held on 24 August 2022 at the headquarters of the Pan African Parliament, in Midrand, South Africa, the workshop sought to sensitize and update African parliamentarians on the AU Theme of the Year, the AUDA-NEPAD Nutrition and Food Systems Strategy, and their contribution towards the achievement development through food and nutrition security.
The Specific objective of the workshop included providing African parliamentarians with a platform to discuss their expected roles to contribute toward the popularization of the theme at the national level; sharing experience and best practices of key partners related to the issue of food and nutrition security; synergizing and exploring possible means of collaboration to promote the AU and AUDA-NEPAD nutrition agenda and to update participants on PAP’s efforts and progress in developing a Model Law on Food and Nutrition Security.
In welcoming parliamentarians to the workshop, Hon. Didier Molisho, Chair of the PAP Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources on behalf of H.E. Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira, President of the PAP, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the AUC, AUDA-NEPAD, and FAO for their valuable support toward the organization and facilitation of the workshop.
He emphasized the importance of political support in the strive to eliminate hunger and all forms of malnutrition in Africa. He noted that Parliamentarians are key actors to influence national policies and legislations to be nutrition sensitive and to be inclusive in the spirit of leaving no one behind.
Addressing the delegates, the Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Agency for New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD), Her Excellency Nardos Bekele-Thomas reiterated that the AUDA-NEPAD is mandated to coordinate and promote regional integration towards the accelerated realization of the AU Agenda 2063.
She alluded to the COVID-19 crisis that erupted and became a worldwide pandemic, which resulted in socioeconomic consequences that have exacerbated food insecurity and malnutrition globally. She emphasized that in Africa, compared with 2019, about 46 million more people were affected by hunger in 2020, in the shadow of the pandemic.
She further encouraged the Members of Parliament to amplify AUDA-NEPAD’s voice on the ground and advocate for more nutrition investments within their respective member states to end hunger and malnutrition in all its forms.
In his recorded video message, the Assistant Director General of FAO, Mr. Haile Gabriel Abebe, highlighted the importance of raising the profile of nutrition on the continent given the high number of people still affected by hunger and malnutrition.
He emphasized the important role played by Parliamentarians as advocates for action to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Malabo Targets under the aegis of Agenda 2063.
The workshop was held in a plenary session with questions and answers session after presentations. The program of the workshop focused on four main areas the introduction of the 2022 AU Theme; key issues driving food and nutrition insecurity on the continent, the PAP Model Law on Food and Nutrition Security in Africa, and the presentation of the Global Handbook for Parliamentarians on Nutrition and Food Systems. The programme of the workshop also provided the opportunity for various partners to present their vision and works in the area of food and nutrition security.
The broad conclusions that arose from the sub-themes of the workshop are:
ON INTRODUCTION OF THE 2022 AU THEME
• The workshop took note with appreciation of the approved AU Theme of the Year for 2022: “Strengthening nutritional resilience and food security on the African continent: strengthening Agri-food, health, and social protection systems for the acceleration of the development of human, social and economic”.
• The workshop took note of the presentation by the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment of the African Union Commission, recognizing the need to address drivers of malnutrition such as disasters, climate change, land degradation, epidemic, pest and diseases, and conflict in order to build resilience to nutrition and food systems.
• The workshop also noted that the AU Theme of the year was very appropriate given that the continent remains off track in eliminating all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2025 as part of the Malabo Commitments and the AU Agenda 2063.
• The workshop welcomed the roadmap for the implementation of the theme of the year “building resilience to nutrition and food systems.
ON NUTRITION SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS IN THE CONTINENT
• The workshop took note of the two presentations made during the workshop on the “Cost of Hunger in Africa (COHA) and on the “4Cs (COVID-19, Conflict, Climate Change and Cost of Food”. The Workshop expressed deep concerns about the challenges posed by the key drivers of malnutrition in recent years, which are related to the COVID-19 pandemic and other sporadic shocks, continuing conflicts, climate change, and the rising cost of food. These drivers are fueling poverty and marginalization, leading to the unaffordability of healthy diets for many people on the continent.
• The workshop also noted with concern the results of the Cost of Hunger study conducted in twenty-one (21) AU member states, which revealed the degree to which child under-nutrition influences health and educational outcomes; the additional barrier it has on children’s ability to achieve their full potential; and the impact it has on national productivity.
ON PAP MODEL LAW ON FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY IN AFRICA AND THE GLOBAL HANDBOOK FOR PARLIAMENTARIANS ON NUTRITION AND FOOD SYSTEM
• The workshop took note of the PAP Model Law on Food and Nutrition Security in Africa which envisaged making a significant contribution to improving food security and nutrition in the continent and to complement other African Union and regional efforts. It encouraged the AU to move fast with the adoption of the model law, given that it stands to be a useful tool to influence national policies and legislations to be nutrition sensitive.
ON VISION AND WORKS OF RELEVANT PARTNERS IN THE AREA OF FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY
• The workshop highly appreciated all important measures and initiatives taken by various partners to promote the nutrition agenda at the national, regional and continental level particularly the establishment of the Pan African Parliamentary Alliance on Food and Nutrition Security (PAPA-FNS); the development of the Global Handbook for Parliamentarians on Nutrition and Food System; the continental Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) guidelines developed by AUDA-NEPAD and supported by WFP to provide general direction or guidance to African Union Member States who wish to establish HGSF programmes or review existing school feeding programmes with a view to link them more directly with smallholder farmers and other role players in the school food value chain, while addressing the nutrition component more adequately ; the Cost of Hunger in Africa Continental Report compiling findings and recommendations from the twenty-one (21) AU Member States; the support provided by WFP to member states in data management and information systems for improved policymaking in nutrition; and the support to African countries with their immediate and longer-term COVID-19 pandemic requests, needs, and responses.
At the end of the workshop, a communique was issued. The Pan African Parliament pledged to champion the year of nutrition, as well as nutrition beyond 2022.
Adopted on 24th August, the communique noted that African Parliamentarians can play a critical role in advocating and lobbying for enabling laws and policies that promote the agenda of food and nutrition security at the national, regional, and continental levels.
It urges all Member States, national parliaments, and all relevant stakeholders to celebrate the Africa Day of Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS) on 30 October, with the aim to provide a platform for stakeholder dialogue on solutions for addressing food and nutrition security issues while strengthening the momentum towards achieving sustainable development goals and Malabo Declaration 7 key commitments.
The communique further urges governments and all partners to translate commitments into results, further calling on member states to develop strong, prioritized country strategies to fight hunger and malnutrition in all its forms in the continent.
The same communique was used to urge the African Union Commission and all partners to mobilize the political commitment of AU member states to recommit to the Home Grown School Feeding Programme and to engage the private sector to invest more in the programme and reach those out to the vulnerable communities to access at least one healthy meal per day in school through initiatives such as the global school meals coalition and healthy diets coalition.