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

CSOs are therefore included within the CFS under the class of Participants, there being five subcategoriesof participants in total. Within Category ii: “Civil society and non-governmental organizations”the CFS reform document goes into more detail, specifying that inclusion within this categoryneeds “particular attention to organizations representing”:• Smallholder firmly farmers;• Artisanal fisherfolk;• Herders/pastoralists;• Landless;• Urban poor;• Agricultural and food workers;• Women;• Youth;• Consumers;• Indigenous Peoples, and;• International NGOs whose mandatesand activities are concentrated in areasof concern to the <strong>Committee</strong>.CFS Actors: Observers<strong>The</strong> final category of participants within the CFS is Observers – This category includes regional,national, and local actors including regional associations of countries; CSOs/NGOs other than thoseattending as participants; and other networks and associative organizations. <strong>The</strong>se actors can applyfor Observer status for specific items or entire sessions, but have to be invited to speak by the Chair.States Still the Central ActorsPrior to its reform, whilst the CFS recognised the value of the role to be played by civil society in, forexample, monitoring states’ implementation of the food security commitments they made in globalsummits, this role – and the participation rights civil society enjoyed to do it - were marginal to thatassigned to states. It is clear from the categories above that the renewed CFS has extended unprecedentedparticipation opportunities to civil society, but also a much wider group of actors.However, it is important to note that the CFS continues to be an intergovernmental body, and recognisesmember states as the principle actors in the elimination of hunger and attainment of food security.It does this in a number of ways:• Firstly, it assigns decision-making power within the reformed CFS to member statesalone (Paragraph 10);• Secondly, it asserts the importance of country owned plans for tackling food insecurity,(Paragraph 5.iii), and;• Thirdly, it holds states accountable for addressing food insecurity and monitors theirprogress towards this (Paragraph 6.ii).20