The Reformed Committee on Food Security. A briefing paper for ...

II. ACTORS AND MECHANISMS WITHIN THE REFORMED CFSIn the pre-reform CFS civil society had already been recognised as having a central role to play in themonitoring of states’ implementation of the World Food Summit’s Plan of Action. However the renewedCFS has extended unprecedented participation opportunities to a wider range of actors resultingin a body whose composition now extends well beyond member states. Indeed, during the ContactGroup process civil society actors such as the IPC were concerned that the list of those entitledto participate within the CFS would be too long, and crowd out the voices of smallholder producers.This concern however – whilst recognised – was not validated by governments, who finally agreed toinclude IFIs and private philanthropic foundations.As noted above, at the global level the CFS is divided into two main areas of work – the Plenary andthe intersessional work, and there are three main categories of actors who participate in this work.CFS actors: Members<strong>The</strong> first category of actors is Members – <strong>The</strong>se are states that are members of the FAO and the UN.According to the reform document:Members take part fully in the work of the <strong>Committee</strong> with the right to intervene in plenaryand breakout discussions, approve meeting documents and agendas, submit and present documentsand formal proposals, and interact with the Bureau during the intersessional period. Voting and decisiontaking is the exclusive prerogative of Members, including drafting the final report of CFS Plenarysessions. [Emphasis added].(CFS: 2009/2: Paragraph: 10).17