PLATFORM UPDATE

OUT NOW: ANNUAL REPORT

The 2020 Annual Report of the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development is now available

In 2020, the Platform continued to play a more effective and strategic influencing role in response to the shifting development agenda under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related changing donor landscape.

The Platform is building upon 2020’s achievements and initiatives to deepen donor engagement and make a case for the catalytic role of the donor community in driving investments and decisions towards food systems transformation, in the upcoming United Nations Food Systems Summit and beyond.

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INDEPENDENT FOOD SYSTEMS DIALOGUE

“African youth as drivers for decent job creation in sustainable food systems”

On 30 June 2021, the Thematic Working Group (TWG) on Rural Youth Employment (RYE) organized an Independent Food Systems Dialogue on “African youth as drivers for decent job creation in sustainable food systems”. The event was centered around two game-changing solutions proposed to the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) by Nourishing Africa and FAO that were chosen based on their focus on youth as drivers for food systems change.

The main aim of the TWG is to facilitate collaboration and knowledge exchange, and the dialogue was a great scene for this type of exchange, but also in looking forward and using the momentum of the UNFSS to build stronger ties and coalitions on the topic of Rural Youth Employment. The interventions from the dialogue will be provided as feedback to the official UNFSS.

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  WATCH THE DIALOGUE ON YOUTUBE

  DOWNLOAD: NOURISHING AFRICA’S GAME-CHANGING SOLUTION: LAUNCH A COALITION FOR YOUTH IN AFRICAN AGRICULTURE

  DOWNLOAD: FAO’S GAME-CHANGING SOLUTION: EMPOWERING YOUTH AS INNOVATORS AND CHANGE MAKERS FOR SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS

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WEBINAR

Towards more inclusive pathways of structural transformation for a brighter future of work for youth in rural areas

On 23 June 2021, the TWG on Rural Youth Employment also organized a webinar on “Towards more inclusive pathways to structural transformation for a brighter future of work for youth in rural areas“. Keynote speaker Bernd Müller from the ILO presented findings from his article on “Rural youth employment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Moving away from urban myths and towards structural policy solutions”.

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  WATCH THE RECORDING ON YOUTUBE

  DOWNLOAD THE ILO REPORT

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GDPRD BOARD MEETING

14–15 June 2021

The Platform held a virtual Board meeting on 14–15 June 2021. The stocktaking report, the White Paper and declaration of intent for the UN Food System Summit were topics for discussion. The planning of the GDPRD Senior Managers Meeting was initiated and scheduled to take place on 7 September 2021.

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UPDATES ON THE BOARD CHAIRMANSHIP

David Hegwood from USAID and Paul Van de Logt from The Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be stepping down as co-chairs of the Donor Platform at the end of July 2021.
Conrad Rein from European Commission will be continuing as co-chair, together with Tristan Armstrong, Senior Sector Specialist for Agricultural Development and Food Security, at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) who will step in as new Co-chair from 1 August 2021.

UPDATES ON PLATFORM MEMBERSHIP

Starting from June 2021, Manon Bellon is the new Board member for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France, replacing Oriane Barthélémy. Ueli Mauderli of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) will be replaced by Stephanie Piers de Raveschoot and Bruce Campbell. Starting 1 August, Chris de Nie from the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be replacing Paul Van de Logt as Board member and Sung Lee from USAID will replace David Hegwood. The Platform also welcomes a new member, the International Labour Organization.

UPDATE ON THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE GLOBAL DONOR WORKING GROUP ON LAND (GDWGL)

FAO’s tenure as chair of the Global Donor Working Group on Land (GDWGL), represented by Javier Molina Cruz, ended on 30 June 2021. Starting 1 July, USAID, represented by Caleb Stevens and Karol Boudreaux will be the Chairs of the working group. The vice-chairs will be Gemma Betsema and Astrid Broakaart from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).

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RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

UNITED NATIONS FOOD SYSTEMS PRE-SUMMIT

Hosted by the Italian government and the United Nations Rome-based agencies, IFAD, FAO and WFP, the Food Systems Pre-Summit was convened from 26 to 28 July 2021 with the goal of galvanizing and mobiliz​ing new solutions, commitments, partnerships, and financing for transforming global food systems. Some of the key messages that came out from the Pre-Summit were:

• Food systems transformation will necessitate new mindsets and holistic approaches to design food systems ​that are sustainable, just and ensure access to nutritious food for all, while reaching the 17 SDGs.
• Local food systems and the role played by rural youth, women, ​smallholder farmers and indigenous communities is central in building food systems that work for people, planet and prosperity.
• Advancing a policy framework and innovative solutions that improve access to healthy and sustainable food will require multi-sectoral engagement. Mobilizing public and private investments to drive food systems transformation and prioritizing game-changing solutions should ​be based on collective action.
• There is a need for a shift to systems-based research. Strengthening the interface between science and policy has tremendous potential to positively contribute to food system transformation. Ensuring participation and contributions from all partners in the system is essential ​to create food systems based on innovative and nature-based solutions. It is, therefore, not only about the science-policy interface, but also about all stakeholders in the food system.
• Frontloading the investment agenda in the early years of the Decade of Action will ensure that it achieves its results by 2030. Collaborative investments will be more effective and efficient than individual ones.
• The pre-summit concluded with an urgent call for action. The need for a food systems transformation is clearly accentuated, and should be acted upon.

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LAUNCH OF REPORT BY THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT DATA: DATA FOR FOOD SECURITY

The Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) launched the report “Data for Food Security: What can the international community do to create transformative change?” The report focused on harnessing the potential of increased investments by donors and governments for innovations in digital technology and the use of alternative data sources in agri-food systems. A more effective approach that strengthens foundational data systems and governance frameworks should support local knowledge and capacity development. This report summarizes research on mechanisms for change in improving and creating agri-food systems data based on interviews with more than 40 stakeholders from public and private sectors by the GPSDD.

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HLPF SIDE EVENT: GLOBAL POLICY COORDINATION FOR SDG2; CFS AMID COVID19

On 14 July 2021, the Rome-based Committee on World Food Security (CFS), in partnership with the Dominican Republic, organized a side event at the 2021 HLPF. Focusing on global policy coordination for SDG 2 and CFS’ work on COVID-19, the side event was an opportunity for CFS to share its experience in conducting policy convergence work in an inclusive, evidence-based, consensus-based platform – unique to the United Nations. Speakers at the event were drawn from CFS member states, the UN, CFS’ High-Level Panel of Experts (CFS HLPE), and the self-organizing Private Sector Mechanism (PSM) and Civil Society Mechanism (CSM). The 90-minute side event also discussed application of CFS policy products, especially the recently-endorsed CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition to achieve food systems transformation.

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MATERA DECLARATION ON FOOD SECURITY, NUTRITION AND FOOD SYSTEMS

A Call To Action in the Time of the Covid-19 Pandemic and Beyond. (G20 Italia, June 2021).

At the recent G20 in Matera, Italy, the Foreign Affairs and Development Ministers’ meeting culminated in the adoption of the Matera Declaration on food security, nutrition and food systems. Consisting of seven urgently needed actions, the declaration calls upon the international community to build inclusive and resilient food chains and ensure adequate nutrition for all, in line with the “Zero Hunger” goal set for 2030. This includes a call for all stakeholders to join the Food Coalition as a way to implement the Matera Declaration priorities.

  DOWNLOAD THE MATERA DECLARATION

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COMING UP IN THE GDPRD

STOCKTAKING REPORT: DONOR CONTRIBUTION TO FOOD SYSTEMS

The Platform will be launching a stocktaking report on 9 September 2021, which is our first input to the food systems agenda. The report addresses the “Donor contribution to food systems” with the purpose to broadly map out the levels of funding from the donor community, the nature of donor programmes and the strategies that are guiding donor investments. This provides a basis for examining the degree to which the current portfolio of investments aligns or deviates from what will be needed to respond to the outcomes of the FSS.

The stocktaking report will be followed by the development of a white paper on donor coordination (to be launched in 2022) which will build on the findings of the stocktaking report and provide a framework for re-thinking the food systems agenda by the donor community, looking at the future and providing a clear set of responses, options and priorities for donors to engage.

HIGH-LEVEL FOOD SYSTEMS EVENT ON “LEVERAGING CHANGE: THE ROLE OF DONORS IN FOOD SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION”

The stocktaking report will be launched in a virtual high-level food systems event on “Leveraging Change: The Role of Donors in Food System Transformation”, which will take place on 9 September 2021, from 12:30 to 15:00 p.m. (CET), ahead of the Summit. The GDPRD Secretariat will organize the event jointly with the European Commission, USAID and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), under the leadership of the Platform Board.

SENIOR MANAGERS MEETING

The GDPRD is convening the first meeting with senior manager representatives from its Board, on 7 September 2021, 12.30-14.30 CET. The purpose of this meeting will be to provide strategic advice on directions and priorities for the Platform and to provide a forum for the discussion of emerging issues that require cross-donor alignment, collaboration and strategic influencing in the lead up to the UN Food Systems Summit and in the follow-up years.