Trade, Investment and Food Security: Designing rules for sustainable food systems

How would you design investment and trade rules to achieve food security and nutrition?

Policies and laws that govern trade and investment can have profound impacts on strategies for promoting food security and nutrition. While trade and investment can bring a range of benefits that may help to increase inclusive economic growth and improve livelihoods, secure greater access to food at more stable prices, and open or expand markets for smallholders, these benefits are not automatic. Indeed, where trade and investment are poorly governed, increased flows can undermine states' food security commitments and obligations, enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in binding international human rights treaties. Given the profound implications that trade and investment agreements can have on global and national sustainable development priorities, calls for improvement of these legal regimes have increased in recent years. As trade and investment agendas and policies are reformed, strong consideration must be given to food security and nutrition objectives to enable meaningful and effective alignment of trade, investment and food security policies and obligations.

This side event will provide an opportunity for a multistakeholder interactive dialogue on these issues.

DATE: Thursday, October 12, 2017 TIME: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (CEST, Rome time)

LOCATION: Philippines Room (Building C, Floor 2),
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
 Rome, Italy

Representatives from civil society, academia, the private sector and other stakeholders will provide their insights on: the implications of trade and investment agreements for food security and nutrition; recent developments in trade and investment treaty drafting and policies that are relevant for achievement of food security and nutrition objectives; and necessary steps that must be taken to ensure that trade and investment promote, rather than undermine, efforts to end hunger, achieve food security and enhance nutrition.

Refreshments will be provided.

SPEAKERS:

• Jesse Coleman, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI)
• Liliane Ortega, Permanent Representation of Switzerland to FAO, IFAD and WFP
• Nana Osei-Bonsu, Ghana Private Enterprise Foundation (TBC)
• Carin Smaller, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
• Shiney Varghese, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)

MODERATOR: Susan Bragdon, Quaker UN Office (QUNO)

For further information, including an updated list of speakers, please visit: http://ccsi.columbia.edu/2017/10/12/committeeon-world-food-security-cfs-44th-plenary-session-side-event-on-trade-investment-and-food-security/

This side event is open to all registered participants of CFS44. If you are interested in attending this side event, but are not registered to participate in CFS44, please contact Jesse Coleman (jcoleman@law.columbia.edu) no later than 1 pm CEST on 2 October 2017.