NGOs and CSOs form coalition to launch campaign against hunger

Several Non-governmental Organizations (NGO) and Civil Society Organizations (CSO) started to discuss the possible implementation of an advocacy campaign to be launched during the next World Food Day on 16 October, 2003 in the context of the International Alliance Against Hunger (IAAH) and the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Under the theme, More and Better Aid for Agriculture to Eradicate Poverty and Hunger the advocacy campaign is aimed towards generating more political will to reduce hunger at the national level in order to achieve the goal of halving hunger by 2015. To reach this goal NGOs/CSOs have recently proposed to initiate an international network as an autonomous coalition of experienced organizations/platforms interested in building on and strengthening existing campaign initiatives.

The campaign will be based on the results of the NGO/CSO Forum held in Parallel to the World Food Summit: five years later and will work towards a common understanding of food security and sovereignty issues in the fight against hunger such as:

• Right to adequate food
• Increased attention to food security and agriculture in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers and other national frameworks
• Increased attention to agricultural policy respectful of small scale farmer production
• Assistance to meets the immediate needs of hungry people and assistance to support people in their efforts to become self-sufficient
• Increased commitment towards trade regulations conducive to food security

Consultation meetings have already been taking place between European, Northern American NGOs, the Global International NGO/CSO Planning Committee and Rome based food agencies (FAO, IFAD and WFP) as to discuss the interest in participating in the campaign and to design a work plan. The result of these meetings was translated into a concrete proposal made by Representatives of several NGOs and CSOs attending the 29^th session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS). For the first time during a CFS a concerted intervention by NGO representatives was allowed to be made at the beginning of the discussions of the agenda item on IAAH and not at the end, as accustomed for observers such as NGOs.

For more information on the advocacy campaign please contact rhoehn@bread.org