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

5. CIVIL SOCIETY ROLES GOING FORWARDOne of the central messages of this briefing paper has been that the potential of the renewed CFS forfood security governance cannot be exaggerated, but that there are significant challenges to the fullrealisation of this potential. It is has also been emphasized that this potential will not be realisedindependently of continued CSO engagement with the process. Amongst the crucial roles that wemight expect CSOs to play in the implementation period, we can include:• Ensuring that member states follow through and commit significant resources (finan-cial, political, etc) to the realisation of the vision of the renewed CFS as an inclusive, politicallysignificant, policy-oriented body with meaningful linkages to the ground;• Bringing to the awareness of the CFS the significant challenges and threats faced by“those most affected by food insecurity” at the grassroots;• Participating in the policy dialogue from the strength of their position as grassrootsactors;• Raising awareness of the renewed CFS and its participation opportunities amongst thewider range of CSO stakeholders, and;• Raising awareness of the CFS amongst those parts of their domestic governments whomight not be aware of its reform, and its significant potential.Clearly this is a big agenda for civil society, and indicates a pressing need – in most cases – for significantextra capacity. In the absence of civil society obtaining that extra capacity and being able to fulfillthe roles assigned to it – indeed, that it secured for itself during the Contact Group process – plus thosementioned above, the CFS stands considerably less chance of being able to realise its full potential.In fact we can say that, unequivocally, either future food security governance at the global level willbe meaningfully inclusive – assigning participation rights to a wide range of CSO actors backed upby their capacity to exercise those rights – or it will have no future.36