CFS Policy Convergence Products Database

Make explicit reference to fish resources fisheries and aquaculture as vital in combating hunger and securing nutritious food for everybody in all relevant documents on agriculture, food security and nutrition.

Encourage responsible public and private investment, including foreign direct investment consistent with national regulations, and provide other forms of adequate financing, including official development assistance, that supports implementation of sustainable agricultural development, including livestock, particularly for smallholders, including those that are family farmers, and pastoralists

Reduce food loss and waste including by supporting the improvement of infrastructure and cold chain development, through consumer education, the dissemination of best practices, information, capacity development, and the transfer of technology as mutually agreed, including for smallholders and pastoralists, considering the most appropriate local technologies

Improve disease prevention, control, and surveillance, including through cross border cooperation on transboundary diseases, in order to foster early-warning and early action on disease control, spread and eradication, with emphasis on the Peste des Petits Ruminants Global Eradication Programme (PPR)

Recognize, respect and protect those traditional production systems, including pastoral systems and their mobility strategies, that use ecosystems sustainably and contribute significantly to the FSN of their communities and associated ways of life

Strengthen the security of tenure rights in line with the CFS Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries, and Forests in the Context of National Food Security, including in all cases of conflict

Enhance North-South, South-South and Triangular and international cooperation particularly for capacity building, transfer of technology as mutually agreed, sharing of knowledge, and to leverage additional financial resources

Facilitate the adaptation to and mitigation of climate change in agricultural systems in line with the Paris Agreement, and with particular support for smallholders and pastoralists, and women's role in food systems

Identify options for improving efficiency throughout food systems, while minimizing negative environmental impacts and optimize the efficient use of energy, water, nitrogen and other natural resources

Develop policies and tools, and improve capacity, to assess, mitigate, and manage risks, and reduce excessive price volatility, and their impacts on the most vulnerable

Enhance access to livestock insurance for all systems, including index-based insurance

Empower smallholders, especially women and youth, by strengthening their access to and control over productive assets and resources, income and employment opportunities, and by facilitating the provision of extension, financial, and business development services, risk management instruments and simplified administrative procedures, which are tailored to their specific needs

Invest in capacity building, research and smallholder adapted innovative technologies, and technology transfer, to promote value addition, diversification of production, employment, and income sources, that help insure against food price volatility and mitigate the impacts of risks and shocks in agricultural income

Facilitate smallholders' capacity to increase their bargaining power and control over their economic environment, and participation in food value chains by acting collectively and forming cooperatives, associations and networks, and other organizations, and fostering the participation and equal decision-making power of traditionally underrepresented groups, such as women and youth

Promote South-South and Triangular Cooperation, as well as strengthening North-South Cooperation, to improve smallholders' productivity and capacity to engage in all markets, in accordance with the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development

Target education and training, particularly to youth, with a focus on mentorship to enrich smallholders' practices and knowledge, entrepreneurship, innovation, and marketing in value chains and agribusiness, and make agriculture more attractive to them

Promote rigorous protection of food safety through effective risk assessment leading to control systems that are appropriate for different scales, contexts and modes of production and marketing, while providing information and capacity building to meet these requirements

Support the development of production, managerial, and entrepreneurial capacities of smallholders, their organizations and Small and Medium Enterprises, with special attention to women and youth

Promote short food supply chains that enable smallholders to obtain a better income from their production

Encourage production of nutritious and healthy foods that may present new market opportunities for smallholders

Promote effective participation of all relevant actors in the development of policies and national and local governance mechanisms for the management of water for FSN and empower water users' organizations and local communities, in particular indigenous peoples, to effectively participate in decisions affecting them on the planning, management, use and conservation of water

Promote collaborative water management and best practices for the sustainable use of transboundary water basins, lakes, rivers and aquifers, recognizing the economic and social needs of countries, taking into consideration implications for FSN with full respect for national sovereignty and as applicable, existing bilateral, regional and multilateral agreements

Develop inclusive and transparent national and local governance mechanisms to address trade-offs and synergies in water use and allocation, with due consideration for the importance in domestic use and impacts on FSN, and apply the principles of integrated water resource management

Strengthen national capacities on water for FSN related activities and programmes in order to facilitate innovation, use of technologies and adoption of locally adapted water use practices by stakeholders, thereby upgrading community based knowledge

Invest in and institutionalize water information systems and national and local monitoring mechanisms to support decision-making at appropriate national and local level including , gender-disaggregated data and gender-sensitive indicators

Work to ensure the sustainable management of groundwater, taking into account renewal rates, and establish national and community-based systems to monitor and control individual water withdrawals

Consider initiating cost effective awareness raising and advocacy campaigns amongst all stakeholders to develop consensus on the magnitude of water challenges, especially for FSN

Invest in technological and institutional innovations in agricultural practices and products for sustainable and efficient water use and management for FSN

Foster inclusive and effective collaboration and national and local governance on water for FSN

Support efforts for simplification, coherence clarification and harmonization of the meaning and use of food dates labelling, while ensuring food safety, at national as well as international level taking into account the principles and the ongoing work of the Codex Alimentarius.

Make fish a visible, integral element in food security and nutrition strategies, policies and programmes, with special regard to promoting fish as a source of good protein and micronutrients

Support all efforts aimed at addressing overcapacity and overfishing in the context of food security and nutrition, in line with the Rio+20 outcome document 'The Future We Want'.

Encourage consumption of fish, especially by pregnant and breastfeeding women, by children, including through school feeding, and by elderly people.

Recognize the important roles and initiatives of national, subnational, relevant local authorities and multistakeholder bodies to reduce FLW.

Support and promote initiatives to minimize fish discards and post-harvest losses and waste at all steps of the fish value chain.

Give to fish the position it deserves in food security and nutrition strategies, policies and programmes

Support coordination of efforts through multi-stakeholder FLW reduction initiatives at all levels.

Promote food safety as an important element in food security and nutrition.

Strengthen international cooperation to build the capacity of developing countries, to sustainably manage their living aquatic resources;prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing; promote and support the implementation of the VGSSF; facilitate access to finance and markets especially for small-scale fisheries and small-scale aquaculture and strengthen fishers and fish farmers associations thereby increasing the contribution from fish to food security and nutrition.

Take appropriate actions to prevent, deter, and eliminate IUU fishing in line with national law and relevant international instruments as applicable, recognizing the negative impacts of IUU fishing on local and global food security and nutrition.

Promote the implementation of the 'Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security`(VGGT), recognizing the particular relevance of article 8.3 on collectively used and managed land, fisheries and forests.

Take the lead in an effort to improve fish stock assessment tools and promote sustainable fisheries management approaches and aquaculture development for the improvement of the contribution of fish to food security and nutrition.

Promote the participation of fishing communities and fish workers in all decision that impact their livelihoods and enjoyment of the right to adequate food as defined by national laws.

Promote the protection of existing rights and ongoing tenure over sites for food-insecure people, fishing communities and indigenous and tribal peoples, taking into account the VGGT.

Consider the impact on food security and nutrition, of policies, interventions and investments affecting fisheries and aquaculture sector and their communities.

Recognize the work and contribution of fisher women involved in inshore and inland harvesting, and secure the protection of their rights in this context.

Integrate food security and nutrition concerns into fisheries and aquaculture-related policies and programmes

develop integrated land-use policies for food security and adaptation to climate change and, where appropriate, contributing to climate change mitigation considering the 'Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security' in accordance with nationally defined priorities; (Member States);

develop national and local capacities to deal with food security-related climate change challenges, including improving extension services, and making available and accessible, weather and climate forecasting and risk management tools, in support of farmers' and small-scale food producers' networks and organizations (Member States, International Organizations)

increase public and private investment and international cooperation for enhancing food security in the face of climate change threats, in particular for adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change, sustainable use of natural resources, water management and soil conservation;

conduct assessments of risks, vulnerability and capacities, giving due consideration to gender and nutrition-sensitive perspectives, and improving and implementing early warning systems, especially in a coordinated manner (Member States, International Organizations)

FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture to continue and strengthen its work on climate change and genetic resources including conservation and use of genetic resources for adaptation to climate change (Member States);

implement relevant initiatives, such as for example FAO-Adapt, as appropriate, to strengthen support to countries' efforts toward climate change adaptation (International Organizations).

to create conditions to facilitate access to genetic resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from their use for example by:

integrate climate change adaptation and disaster risk management in food security policies and programmes (Member States, International Organizations)

States should develop and publicize policies covering the allocation of tenure rights to others and, where appropriate, the delegation of responsibilities for tenure governance. Policies for allocation of tenure rights should be consistent with broader social, economic and environmental objectives. Local communities that have traditionally used the land, fisheries and forests should receive due consideration in the reallocation of tenure rights. Policies should take into account the tenure rights of others and anyone who could be affected should be included in the consultation, [...]

States should allocate tenure rights and delegate tenure governance in transparent, participatory ways, using simple procedures that are clear, accessible and understandable to all, especially to indigenous peoples and other communities with customary tenure systems. Information in applicable languages should be provided to all potential participants, including through gender-sensitive messages. Where possible, States should ensure that newly allocated tenure rights are recorded with other tenure rights in a single recording system, or are linked by a common framework. States and [...]

States should strive to establish up-to-date tenure information on land, fisheries and forests that they own or control by creating and maintaining accessible inventories. Such inventories should record the agencies responsible for administration as well as any legitimate tenure rights held by indigenous peoples and other communities with customary tenure systems and the private sector. Where possible, States should ensure that the publicly-held tenure rights are recorded together with tenure rights of indigenous peoples and other communities with customary tenure systems and the private [...]

States should develop and publicize policies covering the use and control of land, fisheries and forests that are retained by the public sector and should strive to develop policies that promote equitable distribution of benefits from State-owned land, fisheries and forests. Policies should take into account the tenure rights of others and anyone who could be affected should be included in the consultation process consistent with the principles of consultation and participation of these Guidelines. The administration of, and transactions concerning, these resources should be undertaken [...]

Where States own or control land, fisheries and forests, the legitimate tenure rights of individuals and communities, including where applicable those with customary tenure systems, should be recognized, respected and protected, consistent with existing obligations under national and international law, and with due regard to voluntary commitments under applicable regional and international instruments. To this end, categories of legitimate tenure rights should be clearly defined and publicized, through a transparent process, and in accordance with national law.