The CSIPM Youth constituency share their experiences and vision to mitigate the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation on the right to food in their communities and territories. As their testimonies show, young people are already taking action for change and are calling for stronger mechanisms to ensure their participation in decision-making processes related to food and climate policies at both local and global levels.
The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) has produced a number of policy recommendations and guidelines that address key issues in tackling these crises that prevent the realisation of the right to food. These include the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security, as well as others on gender equality, reducing inequalities, sustainable fisheries and climate change.
Given that the CFS is a multilateral and intergovernmental space that develops policy documents negotiated in an inclusive way, and with the participation of civil society and Indigenous Peoples’ organisations, it is essential that its contributions are also coordinated with other global governance spaces where these crucial issues for the right to food are debated, such as the Rio Conventions.
This page is a compilation of testimonies from young people working to achieve climate justice and the right to food. This initiative seeks to strengthen networks of solidarity and knowledge exchange. For this reason, the call for participation was also shared with the Children and Youth Constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
If you would like to share your experiences, send your testimonial in video or voice recording, photograph or in written to betsy.diaz.millan@csm4cfs.org
Key messages from the CSIPM youth constituency on achieving climate justice and the right to food:
- Strengthen youth participation in decision-making processes. Farmers, young people, women and Indigenous Peoples face the realities of climate change every day and pay a heavy price, yet they are systematically excluded from political spaces. Governments and global governance spaces should ensure mechanisms for youth and societal participation in climate and food policy-making.
- Strengthen support and funding for agroecology. Allocate funds to programmes that support the transition to agroecology and Indigenous and community food systems that regenerate land, protect biodiversity and build resilience. Agroecology empowers young people, supports decent work and ensures climate and food justice based on equity and sovereignty.
- Food and land rights – not commodities. Food insecurity is not a future threat, it is a present reality. Policies must recognise the right to food, guarantee land and water rights and protect natural resources. There is an urgent need to end land grabbing and extractive development to guarantee the right to food and mitigate the effects of climate change.
- The CFS policy tools are people-centred, integrating the voices of the most affected constituencies, such as smallholders, women, young people and Indigenous Peoples. They are based on human rights, in particular the right to food. The policy recommendations are also evidence-based, supported by reports from the High-Level Panel of Experts. The CFS’s guidance can promote intersectoral coordination by:
- Aligning national climate adaptation strategies with food security objectives.
- Promoting and supporting agroecology.
- Encouraging sustainable land management to combat degradation.
YOUNG PEOPLE ARE PART OF THE SOLUTION!