Day 1 Feb 24 Afternoon Session

The afternoon of Day 1 (February 24) commenced with Session III, which involved the mapping of CSO mechanisms on food security.  Workshop discussions by the indigenous peoples, farmers, rural women, youth, and multisectoral groups convened for an hour to identify:

1. Existing global and regional mechanisms, 
2. Links to national mechanisms; and 
3. Plans for years 2010 to 2011. 

The plenary that followed each group report discussed the various concerns related to simplifying, integrating and/or making coherent  the various mechanisms and initiatives at the regional level,  strengthening and consolidating the links within and across sectors  and finding specific platforms where the various mechanisms intersect, making significant and meaningful the space available for the sectors, building and sharing knowledge about what works on the ground in terms of ending hunger, and ensuring that the various global and regional mechanisms translate initiatives into outputs that are actually and significantly felt by the sectors.

The day’s last segment, Session IV, dealt with existing processes for CSO participation in FAO and other IGOs. Mr.  Chris  Morris, Head of NGO and Civil Society Center Regional and Sustainable Development  Department of the ADB discussed how the ADB is mainstreaming CSO participation in its various operations, and elaborated on the NGO Civil Society Center as a structural window specifically designed for ADB’s interaction with civil society. Mr. Thomas Price, Senior Program Officer of FAO’s OCEP, and Mr. Diderik de Vieeshauwer, FAO-Rap Information Officer, discussed openings for CSO participation in FAO’s overall governing structures and processes, especially the recent reform actions to level up CSO participation in committee (particularly CFS or Committee on World Food Security) meetings.