Side Event: Committee on World Food Security (CFS-52)

Side Event: Advancing Nutrition and Gender Outcomes in Urban and Peri-Urban Food Systems

In many countries, gender disparity in food systems is still prevalent, and influences the nutritional outcomes of different household members. At the same time, when faced with disruptions, women and children are unequally burdened with household responsibilities, and often face significantly higher levels of food insecurity and worse nutrition outcomes than men. As urban and peri-urban landscapes continue to evolve, agri-food systems will also change, with implications for the availability and affordability of healthy and nutritious diets, especially for women and children.

This side event complements the CFS discussions by linking recommendations in the CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition, in particular gender equality and empowerment across food systems, and linking it with the recent HLPE-FSN report on ‘Strengthening urban and peri-urban food systems to achieve food security and nutrition in the context of urbanization and rural transformation’. The discussion explores existing guidelines, including the Voluntary Guidelines to support the Right to Food, and its ability to advance food systems transformation and dietary transitions, without displacing women and children in the transition.

The event will

• Stimulate discussions on synergies and tradeoffs from dietary transitions in urban and peri-urban food systems, with respect to affordability and availability of healthy and nutritious diets for communities, especially women and children. 

• Explore solutions, adaptations and investment priorities for urban and peri-urban food systems transformation, while ensuring positive nutritional outcomes for women and children. 

• Generate knowledge and capacity building opportunities for integrating gender-specific and nutrition-sensitive food systems approaches in urban and peri-urban food systems