URU, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 249: Invitation til Global Parliamentary Summit Against Hunger and Malnutrition, Madrid, Spanien den 29.-30. oktober 2018

Udenrigsudvalget 2017-18
URU Alm.del Bilag 249
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GLOBAL PARLIAMENTARY SUMMIT AGAINST

HUNGER AND MALNUTRITION

MADRID 2018

Introduction

The number of people suffering from hunger has fallen significantly in the past 20 years,

however, this trend has seen a reversal in 2016 as a consequence of the increasing

number of conflicts, climate change and declining economic growth, among others.

According to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates, a total

of 815 million people were undernourished in the world in 2016, up from the 777 million

in 2015.

In Africa, Asia and Latin America, hunger indicators have either worsened stagnated.

Many of those who are suffering from hunger are concentrated in marginalized and

vulnerable territories.

The triple burden of malnutrition where food insecurity, undernutrition, and overweight

and obesity co-exists has seen these problems being compounded by growing rates of

excess weight and obesity, a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly widespread

among children in almost every region, and among adults throughout the world. In 2016,

41 million children under the age of five were overweight.

The situation is even worse in North America, Europe and Oceania, where 28% of adults

are obese, in comparison to Asia (7%) and Africa (11%). In Latin America and the Caribbean,

approximately a quarter of the adult population is considered obese.

In light of this scenario, the United Nations 2030 Agenda calls on countries to redouble

their efforts to address objective 2 (ODS2), which seeks to end hunger, achieve food

security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture in order to build a

world where no one is left behind

BUILD-UP TO THE SUMMIT

2005

The Hunger Free Latin America Latin and the

Caribbean Initiative (HFLAC 2025) was launched in the

context of the Latin American Summit on Chronic

Hunger carried out in Guatemala in 2005. The HFLAC

2025 is a political commitment of countries in the

region to harness all political and social forces to

eradicate hunger.

2009

The Parliamentarian Front against Hunger of

Latin American and the Caribbean (PFH of LAC) was

launched with the support of HFLAC and the Latin

American and Caribbean Parliament. (PARLATINO).

2014 November, Italy.

On the Second International

Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), a Parliamentary

Meeting was organized under the title

Parliaments for

better nutrition.

2016 April, Brussels.

Several European

Parliamentarians convened the first meeting of the

European Alliance

‘Fight agai st Hu ger dedicated to

discussing specific issues of food security.

June, Spain.

Work meeting with PFH LAC and the

Spanish Parliament with the support of FAO and

AECID.

October, Egypt.

The Pan-African Parliamentary

Alliance was officially lunched during the regular

Session of the Pan African Parliament in the presence

of approximately 125 Members of Parliament. The

ceremony of the signing of the Memorandum of

Understanding with FAO took place immediately after

November, Mexico.

Submission by the Spanish

Parliament of a proposal to hold the First World

Parliamentary Summit against Malnutrition at the 7th

Forum of the PFH LAC.

2017

June, Spain.

Work meeting with PFH LAC, FAO,

AECID and the Spanish Parliament. A roadmap is

defined for the organization of the summit.

April, France.

Participation of the PFH and Pan-African

Alliance for Food and Nutrition Security at a meeting

of the Global Alliance for Resilience Initiative (AGIR)

together with the Food Crisis Prevention Network

(RPCA) where both parliamentary groups made a

commitment to continue working together.

October, Italia.

Official launching of the Summit

proposal at the 44th period of sessions of the

Committee on World Food Security, at the side event

k o as Co

it e t a d

contribution of

Parliaments towards the achievement of Sustainable

De elop e t Goal 2: Zero Hu ger.

October, Uruguay

Ratification of the endorsement by the 19 countries

that belongs to the PFH in order to hold the Summit

at the Eighth Forum of Latin American and the

Caribbean PFHs.

The Role of Legislators in Ensuring the Right to Food

Evidence has shown that where strong legislative frameworks exist and are

implemented, the rate of hunger and malnutrition decreases. As legislators,

Parliamentarians are therefore in a position of advantage and can, therefore, provide

impetus to promote enabling environments that ensure the food and nutrition security

of the societies they represent.

They also play a central role in key aspects areas such as overseeing policy, accountability,

proposing and approving laws and budgets for food and nutrition security.

Thus, the work parliamentarians carry out nationally and regionally can directly

contribute to the reduction in hunger and malnutrition and ultimately the realisation of

the right to food.

Increasingly, legislators throughout the world are becoming involved in intra and inter-

parliamentary dialogue to eradicate malnutrition in all its forms and are participating

actively in national and international networks on the subject. These include the

Parliamentary Fronts against Hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean (PFH LAC), the

Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO), the Pan-African Parliamentary Alliance for Food

and Nutrition Security, and the European Parliamentary alliance that have all committed

to achieve SDG2.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have been providing technical assistance

to the aforementioned Parliamentary bodies and the national alliances.

Interactions among Parliamentarian Alliances

Parliamentarians from different regions have already had previous opportunities for

interaction and dialogue on Zero Hunger issues. On the occasion of the ICN2 a

Parliamentary Meeting

– Parliaments for better nutrition

was organized in Rome by the

Inter-Parliamentary Union in November 2014 where senior policy makers gathered and collectively committed to eliminating

URU, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 249: Invitation til Global Parliamentary Summit Against Hunger and Malnutrition, Madrid, Spanien den 29.-30. oktober 2018

global hunger and preventing all forms of malnutrition worldwide. FAO attached great importance to the role of Parliamentarians

in ensuring that the political commitments reached at the ICN2 was implemented at the national level.

In this regard, the VI (2015)

–

VII (2016) and VIII (2017) Forum of The Parliamentary Front against Hunger in Latin America and the

Caribbean (PFH), co-organized by FAO in the context of the Hunger-Free Latin America and the Caribbean Initiative, jointly with

the PFH supported the creation of a space for dialogue and contribution among parliamentarians from Asia, Africa, European

Union and Latin America and the Caribbean, considering parliamentarians as relevant actors for the development and

implementation of policy and regulatory frameworks for Food Security and Nutrition.

In line with this, parliamentarians from Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa, including other key actors, such as the Spanish

Agency for International Development Cooperation and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),

participated in a side meeting (April 2017) of the Global Alliance for Resilience Initiative (AGIR) together with the Food Crisis

Prevention Network (RPCA) and both parliamentary groups made a commitment to continue working together.

The Spain

–

FAO alliance and the Fight against Hunger

The Spain-FAO alliance to support the Hunger-Free Latin America and Caribbean 2025 Initiative (HFLAC 2025) focuses much of its

action on providing technical assistance to the PFH LAC, which, since 2009

–with

the support of the Spanish Cooperation Agency

and other partners that have come on board in recent years, such as the Mexican and Brazilian cooperation agencies- have placed

the right to food at the top of their government agendas.

In view of the experience gained in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Spanish Parliament has embarked on a series of

collaborative efforts with the fronts and their partners to promote what has been accomplished worldwide.

Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition

The Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition Madrid

–

2018 aims to bring together Parliamentarians from

across the world to consolidate parliamentary political commitment for the achievement of SDG2 on the following specific

objectives:

Highlight the role legislative bodies can play to achieve a hunger-free world by 2030.

Identify and share political experiences, legislation and good practices which are fundamental in the fight against hunger and

malnutrition.

Build a network of parliamentary alliances that contribute to the achievement of SDG2: Zero Hunger, progress towards the

commitments of the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), and the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition,

paying particular attention to the most vulnerable people and territories.

In essence, the Summit will provide a great opportunity to share experiences on legislation enacted in parliaments throughout

the world and their implementation, and the creation of linkages amongst Parliamentarians and Parliaments for collaboration.

The summit will also provide the opportunity to identify the needs of parliamentarians in order to address the challenges

associated with the fight against hunger and malnutrition.

The

Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition

is being organized by arises from commitments to which the

Spanish Parliament, the PFH LAC, FAO, PARLATINO and the Spanish International Cooperation Agency for Development (AECID)

have committed themselves.

The Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition is to not only convene parliamentarians from the fronts and

alliances that have already expressed their commitment to the issues at hand, but also invite new legislators interested in food

and nutrition security.

This proposal therefore seeks to involve all relevant stakeholders in the fight against hunger and malnutrition, through a new way

of dealing with and addressing the challenges put forth in the 2030 Agenda.