Resolution on nutrition and food systems in Africa


African Union

Resolution on nutrition and food systems in Africa

THE PAN-AFRICAN PARLIAMENT,CONSIDERING Article 17 of the Constitutive Act of the African Union, which establishes the Pan-African Parliament;CONSIDERING also Article 3 of the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community Relating to the Pan-African Parliament, and Rule 3 (a) of the Rules of Procedure of the Pan-African Parliament;RECALLING that the African Leaders in 2014, through the Malabo Declaration and its implementation strategy and roadmap, committed themselves to reducing stunting to below 10% in Africa and underweight in children under 5 years old to below 5% by 2025, with the aim of eliminating hunger in Africa in the next decade;RECALLING also the Rome Declaration and the Framework for Action adopted by the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), held in Rome in November 2014, is built on the premise that sustainable food systems are key to promoting healthy diets. The UN General Assembly has reinforced the call for action by declaring 2016-2025 the Decade of Action on Nutrition, this Decade coincides with Africa’s intention and target to eliminate hunger by 2025;NOTING that the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) momentum needs to be sustained through effective implementation and delivery on the goals of the Malabo Declaration on Agriculture, integrating it with the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and attaining the aspirations of the Africa Agenda 2063;ACKNOWLEDGING the commitment by AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and other partners to strengthen the development of food and nutrition security programming, policy and advocacy;STRESSING the importance of launching the Pan African Parliamentary Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (PAPA-FSN) by the PAP and FAO as a regional platform where critical issues related to food security and nutrition are at the highest level of the political and legislative agenda;RECOGNIZING the NEPAD Agency Food and Nutrition Security Flagship Programmes such as Home Grown School Feeding, Food Fortification including Biofortification, Maternal and Child Nutrition, Cost of Hunger Studies in Africa (COHA), Capacity Development, Policy and Advocacy;RECOGNIZING also that the IPU and the SUN Movement called for action on nutrition from speakers of parliament of fifty eight (58) SUN Movement countries, to strengthen parliamentarians’ engagement and identify ways to end malnutrition in all its forms;RECOGNIZING further the efforts and support from governments and development partners to improve, quantitatively and qualitatively nutrition and food systems, especially of our indigenous crops and the fact that the long term solution to Food and Nutrition Security is broad-based inclusive economic development;IN ACCORDANCE WITH Rule 5 (b), (c) and (d) of the Rules of Procedure of the Pan-African Parliament, which empowers the PAP to, inter alia, organize debate, discuss, express an opinion, advice make recommendations and take resolutions on the objectives and on any matters relating to the African Union and its organs, Regional Economic Communities, Member States and their organs and institutions;
NOW HEREBY RESOLVES TO:
1.Collaborate with AUC, NEPAD Agency, RECs and Member States for the development and implementation of legal policies and instruments related to nutrition and food systems;
2.Encourage AU Member States to take effective measures to strengthen nutrition programs, policies and initiatives in Africa;
3.Partner with the NEPAD Agency and FAO to organise annual events during the PAP statutory meetings to sensitize parliamentarians on issues related to nutrition and food security;
4.Encourage NEPAD Agency and FAO to provide technical and financial support to parliamentarians and their respective countries in implementing key nutrition activities;
5.Monitor the effective implementation of priority nutrition and food security indicators stipulated in the SDGs, Malabo Declaration and other relevant commitments that address hunger and malnutrition in Africa;
6.Share basic and important concepts on nutrition and food systems; nutrition programmes, policies, and initiatives in Africa and present global linkages and opportunities for improved nutrition and food systems;
7.Advocate for structured, specific investments that remove barriers and make it possible for smallholder farming communities to participate in inclusive local food value chains;
Adopted at Midrand, South Africa17 May 2018
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