Background
The Regional Civil Society Consultations are meetings organized autonomously by and for Civil Society actors in the region prior to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Regional Conferences in the Near East (NERC). It is a space to bring together small-scale food producers’ organizations and others civil society organization, representing relevant constituencies and countries from the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region, in order to discuss key topics pertinent to the region,
evaluate what FAO has done in the previous biennium, as well as specific agenda items of the Conference.
Overview
In the preparations for the Thirty seventh session of the Near East Regional Conference this year, the FAO Regional Office for the NENA region has facilitated the formation of a Steering Committee of recognized CSOs from the region, representing the three subregions, namely the Near East (Mashreq), North Africa (Maghreb) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
The role of the Steering Committee is to coordinate the overall consultation process to consolidate CSOs’ perspectives, experiences, knowledge and technical capacities related to the agenda items of the Conference and prepare the civil society positions. In agreement with the members of the Steering Committee, the Egyptian Food Bank, will be leading the organization and hosting the Civil Society Consultation meeting, set for Jan 31st & Feb 1st 2024, in Cairo, Egypt.
• The purpose of this consultations meeting is to leverage civil society’s role in the transformation of agri-food systems
by translating visions and ideas into implementable actions.
• Enable civil society in the region to have a strategic discussion to contribute to the FAO’s Strategic Framework
and its Program Priority Areas (PPAs), deep dive into the technical aspects and prepare their technical contributions
to the specific agenda items of NERC37.
• Leverage the civil society’s role in the transformation of agrifood systems by translating visions and ideas
into tangible actions.
• Have a platform for diverse civil society voices to contribute their unique perspectives and expertise in shaping
sustainable resilient and inclusive agrifood systems in the region.
• Actionable Implementation Plans
Detailed strategies and roadmaps for each thematic area, focusing on immediate
and measurable actions
• Strengthened Civil Society Network:
Enhanced collaboration among CSOs, leading to a more unified approach
to regional agri-food challenges and ensure a rich and diverse representation of views and experiences
• Policy Influence and Advocacy:
A comprehensive civil society declaration encapsulating the collective views
and strategies, poised to influence the NERC 37 and regional policymaking.
• Deepen Technical Contributions:
Facilitate in-depth discussions on the FAO's agenda items, enabling civil society
to move beyond general discourse and contribute specific, technical insights.
Thematic sessions will be held to deep-dive on the specific BPs to identify robust and practical solutions. Better Production Working Group:
• Rural Transformation:
Enhancing innovation for sustainable agricultural production
Providing equitable access to resources for small-scale producers
Enhancing digital agriculture
Fostering gender equality and rural women’s empowerment (ensuring equitable growth, enhancing livelihoods, and community involvement)
Supporting inclusive rural transformation
• Healthy Diets for all
Healthy Diets for all
Nutrition for the most vulnerable
Safe food for everyone
Reducing food loss and waste
supporting transparent markets and trade
achieving sustainable urban food systems
• Greening agriculture
Enhancing innovation for sustainable agricultural programs
Climate Change mitigation and adapted agrifood systems (water scarcity, fisheries, forsterites, etc.,)
Bio economy for sustainable food and agriculture
Biodiversity and ecosystem services for food and agriculture
• Resilience to multiple shocks
Agriculture and Food emergencies (humanitarian aid and crisis relief)
Resilient agrifood systems
The two-day meeting will be held in Cairo, Egypt in a hybrid format allowing active in-person participation of CSOs
representatives from countries in the region and a wide online participation.
• Inclusive Participation: Ensuring broad and inclusive representation from various countries and regions.
• Focused Thematic Discussions: Expert-led discussions in each thematic area,
complemented by sharing best practices and innovative solutions.
AGENDA
o 8:30 - 9:00 AM Registration and Welcome
o 9:00 - 9:30 AM Opening Ceremony
o 9:30 - 10:00 AM Conference Overview
o 10:00 - 12:00 PM Thematic Working Group Discussions
o 12:00 - 1:00 PM Lunch Break
o 1:00 - 3:00 PM Continued Working Group Discussions
o 3:00 - 3:30 PM Coffee Break and Networking
o 3:30 - 5:30 PM Plenary Session
o 8:30 - 9:00 AM Day 1 Recap and Overview
o 9:00 - 12:00 PM Working Group - Continuation
o 1:00 - 3:00 PM Working Group - Finalizing Implementation Plans
o 3:00 - 3:30 PM Coffee Break and Networking
o 3:30 - 5:30 PM Closing Plenary Session
Featured Speakers
Speakers & Moderators
Mr. AbdulHakim Elwaer
Assistant Director- General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa. Food and Agriculture Organization FAO
Moderators
Dr.Mohamed El Karamany
Partner and Senior director of public policy at Synerjies Center for International and Strategic Studies
