REPORT OF THE 4TH UCLG WORLD CONGRESS
Parallel Session
Food security in cities and regions The session addressed the rise and volatility of prices in basic foodstuffs the dependence of certain countries on imports, the political, financial and economic crises, the competition for access to natural resources, the degradation of the environment, and the effects of climate change on food and nutritional security, both now and in the future, for all populations, city and rural dwellers, in particular the poorest. The stakes for citizens and for the various public and private authorities, be they local, national or sub-continental, lay in the creation and implementation of food systems from a development stance. This development should be sustainable, inclusive, resilient and effective, and based on individual and collective responsibility. Responsibility should be endorsed and carried forward with the competencies of local and regional authorities. Further to the need for a balanced rural/urban link in political territories, urbanization should be addressed positively and included in cross-sector strategic planning that promotes a strong link between the urban and the rural. The territorial food systems aim to meet these complex tasks. The issue concerns numerous sectors (e.g. alimentation, transport, health, education, water, housing, migration, land policy, agriculture and urban and semi-urban forestry).
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Organizers Regions United (ORU-FOGAR), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
speakers Marielle Dubbeling, Director of the RUAF Foundation (International network of Resource centres on Urban Agriculture and Food security), France, President of the Core Group “food security” of ORU-FOGAR Elise Lowy, Regional Councillor for Decentralised Cooperation, Basse-Normandie Region, France Francisco Olvera Ruiz, State Governor, Hidalgo, Mexico Jean-Michel Despax, Delegate to the External Action of Local Authorities, Secretary General of National Commission for Decentralised Cooperation, France Saliou Sarr, President, Food Security and Rural Development Committee, Region of Saint-Louis, Senegal Makiko Taguchi, Co-Secretary of the Network for Food for Cities, FAO Gino Van Begin, Secretary General, ICLEI Moderator: Sabine Guichet-Lebailly, Head of International Cooperation and Mobility Service, Basse-Normandie Region, France Rapporteur: Géraldine Tardivel, Resource Mobilization and Operations Support Service, FAO