After nine intense days of negotiations, divided into two rounds, and two preparatory weekends between June and July, the UN Committee on World Food Security policy convergence process to develop the Policy Recommendations on Strengthening Urban and Peri-urban Food Systems has reached an outcome. The document is now expected to be endorsed by the CFS 53rd Plenary Session in October 2025.
Twelve delegates of the CSIPM Working Group on Urban and Peri-urban Food Systems participated in person in the negotiations held in Rome. Marked by inclusive and active participation with strong support from participants online and a facilitation team, the delegation representing CSIPM brought forward diverse perspectives, experiences and knowledge from a wide range of constituencies and regions across the world. Their contributions, based on internal consultations and dialogues, were key in amplifying the voices of those most affected by urban and peri-urban food system challenges.
Among the central priorities collectively identified by the CSIPM, and which have been presented throughout the process, launched in October 2024, are:
> Challenging the urbanization paradigm. The CSIPM advocated to stop policies that drive rural to urban migration, particularly those that enable land dispossession and disinvestment in rural economies. The CSIPM called for policies that could strengthen rural-urban continuum particularly in food production, aiming to slow down the rural exodus by ensuring dignified livelihoods and incomes in rural areas.
> A human rights- based framework, as essential to combat marginalization and discrimination, and to guarantee dignified living conditions for both urban and peri-urban residents and food producers.
> Agroecology remains one of the most significant elements for food systems transformation. While some Member States (MS) remained hesitant, the growing recognition of agroecology in the negotiations reflects broader shifts taking place. The CSIPM underscored agroecology as more than a farming practice, it is a framework that fosters sustainability, social equity, and climate resilience.
> The inclusion of traditional knowledge is also gaining ground, though not without resistance. Its recognition in key sections of the policy recommendations such as those on food production and on data marks a meaningful step toward valuing Indigenous and local food practices.
The final text reflects key long-standing CSPIM demands for broader and more inclusive participation mechanisms in policy and decision-making. Enabling rights-holders to meaningfully participate is crucial, particularly as they are on the frontlines of inequality and climate injustice.
The policy recommendations also underline the important role of local governments and participatory approaches rooted in local governance, as well as the need for adequate support and funding for them.
Challenges
While the final text includes some of the collective priorities of the CSIPM, the delegation also faced significant push-back, including attempts to rolling back gains previously made by the CFS processes on gender equality and reducing inequalities.
Four particularly contested issues during the negotiations were:
1. Climate Change. Climate intersects with nearly every topic under discussion. While some MS have attempted to weaken the language, references to climate impacts remain present, especially in relation to food systems and vulnerable communities. This is crucial to ensure that the final document does not ignore the urgent realities on the ground.
2. Indigenous Peoples rights. The CSIPM has denounced the continuous efforts to dilute the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ rights by conflating them with “local communities.” The CSIPM Indigenous Peoples’ constituency presented strong arguments grounded in international law and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), to call for the recognition and respect of Indigenous Peoples as rights-holders.
Souad Mahmoud, a member of the delegation and the CSIPM Coordination Committee, expressed the collective position on behalf of the CSIPM during the most recent meeting of the CFS Advisory Group and Bureau:
“At every negotiation, the same obstacles arise, particularly when it comes to the rights of Indigenous Peoples. They are confused with local communities, their rights are relativised, made optional, negotiable, debatable. Yet these peoples have suffered centuries of violence, dispossession and massacres. They deserve better than footnotes in our texts and conflation with groups that still have not been defined as rights holders by the international human rights based legal frameworks.”
The CSIPM Indigenous Peoples’ constituency has formulated a detailed explanation note regarding this concern which can be read here.
3. Human Rights. While there were several successful mentions of the right to food in the text, MS consistently tried to weaken rights-based language. States were not willing to denounce the use of food as a weapon of war, and were reluctant to agree to language that highlighted the obligatory nature of human rights agreements and humanitarian law. The right to be free from hunger is agreed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and must be upheld.
4. Gender, inequalities and intersectionality. There was disagreement in the room regarding the use of the term inequalities. While some MS pushed for its removal, others were open to compromise by accepting the singular inequality. The CSIPM called for retaining inequalities, as it more accurately reflects the different and intersecting dimensions and levels of inequality in urban and peri-urban contexts. This is also consistent with an intersectional approach, which is essential when addressing issues such as gender discrimination, particularly prevalent in these settings. Applying an intersectional lens is crucial for developing inclusive public policies that address the needs of marginalized and vulnerable groups, recognizing the overlapping realities of poverty and inequalities.
What is next?
As the process moves forward, the CSIPM Working Group on Urban and Peri-urban Food Systems will now assess this policy outcome in preparation for the upcoming CFS 53 Plenary that will take place in October.
While this assessment is underway, the CSIPM reiterates that consensus cannot be used as a tool to block progress on essential issues such as human rights, gender equality, climate change, intersectionality and the recognition of the use of food as a weapon of war, which are essential for policy making aiming for a just transformation of the urban and peri-urban food systems in the current context.
Relevant documents
- HLPE-FSN report on UPUFS
- Final draft of the CFS Policy Recommendations on Strengthening Urban and Peri-urban Food Systems.
- Timeline of the process and CSIPM participation:
- CFS 52 Launching of the process
- Thematic session on Localizing SDG 2: Multi-Level Governance
- CFS OEWG meeting (13 december)
- CFS OEWG meeting ( 7 march)
- First round of CFS negotiations (2 – 6 June)
- Second round CFS negotiations (8 – 11 July)
- CFS Policy Recommendations endorsement (CFS 53, October2025)