CFS 40

The Argonauts of the Western Region of Lazio: A Study on the FAO and CFS

FAO Delegation October 11, 2013 0 Comments

By Pablo Aguilera Del Castillo The Food Security conference in Rome is mainly about food security. In fact in other blog posts, the various topics for international discussions could be read on this same website. Indeed, outlining the topics discussed here is critical to understand the current concerns on food security internationally. However, I would like to argue that there is a more...

Beyond a ‘talk shop’ in Rome

FAO Delegation October 9, 2013 0 Comments

By Nimisha Bastedo How can we make sure that the decisions that are made here actually have an impact? This was the central question during the side event yesterday morning that was called “Towards the Innovative monitoring mechanism of the CFS”. The special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier de Schutter, talked about the risk of reducing the CFS into a “talk shop” if there aren’t...

Fuel before food: The U.S. position on biofuels

FAO Delegation October 8, 2013 1 Comment

By Stevie DuFrense, Becca Haydu, and Cara Weber The issue of biofuels and their impacts on world food security is a contested topic here at CFS 40 in Rome. The text is up for negotiation as civil society works to influence the voting member governments of the CFS. Students from the United States, Becca, Cara and Stevie, have been following U.S. biofuels policy and its impacts on world food...

Hard and Fast Facts – Part 2

khristian October 8, 2013 0 Comments

by Khristian Méndez The talks and negotiations going on at the FAO Headquarters in Room have changed rooms, have changed voices and have changed tones. After having a few days for Civil Society to try to come to consensus, the texts on the table are now being bracketed and picked apart by Member States, the Private Sector as well as other players. Before my peers carry on delivering a breakdown...

Finding [a][our] Voice?

FAO Delegation October 7, 2013 0 Comments

By Pablo Aguilera Del Castillo FAO, Rome Day One Morning 6:30 am. I wake up and get ready for the first day at the conference with the other people in the civil society group, also called the Civil Society Mechanism for the CSF or the Committee on World Food Security. I start revising the background documents with a cappuccino in hand as I wait for the rest of the delegation to come to the...