South-South cooperation for Food Security in NAM Member States

With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, governments across the world made a commitment to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition” by 2030. This includes ensuring that all people have dependable access to adequate food and nutrition; working to eliminate malnutrition; helping to ensure that food systems are sustainable and resilient; and supporting livelihoods for the poorest and most vulnerable food insecure populations. South-South cooperation is therefore an important means for achieving progress in food security. It is at the core of advancing nationally-owned efforts to realize a world without hunger.

NAM has called upon the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in collaboration with relevant UN entities and regional and sub-regional organizations to continue addressing global and regional food security, in particular, through the full and timely implementation and operationalization of short-term responses. In this regard, the Heads of State or Government reaffirmed the central role of the Committee on World Food Security CFS of FAO for agriculture, food security and nutrition;

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), South-South Cooperation (SSC) is a mechanism for sharing key development solutions – knowledge, experiences, good practices, policies, technology and resources – among all the countries of the global South at world level, while promoting principles of solidarity and mutual benefit among participants. South-South Cooperation has proven to be very cost-effective and is considered very relevant among countries that have had more recent experience in tackling development issues in similar socio-economic or ecological zones.

Since the major share of the population affected by the problem of food security resides in the developing Member States of the Non Aligned Movement, NAM has always sought a solution by envisioning a more equitable world which can help move the global economy in a greener, more sustainable direction and improve food security.

NAM has expressed the conviction that South-South and triangular cooperation, including investment in agriculture and food security is more needed today than ever. In this regard, the Movement has welcomed the South-South and triangular initiatives to enhance and expand exchange of human resources, experiences and know-how in these areas to support agriculture, including crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture to increase the availability of food.

NAM has called upon the Member States to continue actively engaged in the promotion of the realization of the right to food in all countries.

NAM Member States have undertaken many programs to promote South-South cooperation for food security. In 2017, an eight-member Kenyan delegation visited Malaysia and met with a wide range of actors at national and local level responsible for food security and nutrition policy and programmes. The Study Tour provided the Kenyan delegation with the opportunity to witness state-level involvement in food security and nutrition programmes.

In the first week of September 2017, a mission of experts visited Peru from Kenya to learn about best practice in food security, and coordinated productive development programmes that the Government of Peru is running in the country.

The South-South Cooperation mission, made up of eight officials from the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture, Farming and Fishing, was arranged by the Food and Agriculture Organization in collaboration with the Peruvian Agency for International Cooperation (APCI).

Ghana has recently made great progress in reducing rural poverty and looks forward to share some of their successful experiences that could benefit neighbour countries facing similar challenges as those they have recently overcome.

In India, Indo Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) is a programme fully sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) with a view to develop Indo-Africa cooperation by helping African countries to develop their own potential for development in human resource and agriculture. The aim of the program is to ensure food security of the people and bring down the rising cost of food.