February 4, 2020
FR, ES, RU, TR versions below We are pleased to inform Civil Society Organisations of the upcoming CSO Regional Consultation to be held on 8-9 of April, 2020 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, prior to the FAO 32nd Regional Conference for Europe and Central Asia (ERC). Civil Society Consultations are meetings organized autonomously by and for Civil Society actors in the region – prior to the Regional Conferences of the FAO – meant to gather civil society organizations representing the relevant constituencies (smallholder farmers, fisher folk, pastoralists and herders, forest dwellers, ethnic minorities and indigenous people, urban poor, agricultural and food workers, rural youth and women, consumers, NGOs). The objectives if these consultations are to discuss key topics pertinent to the region, to evaluate what FAO has done in the previous biennium and analyse and contribute to the specific agenda items of the Conference and gather elements for future action plans. In every FAO region, the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC), as a global platform of small-scale food producers and rural workers’ organizations and grassroots/community based social movements, is responsible for the facilitation of the FAO-CSO dialogue through its Regional Processes. In our region (Europe and Central Asia), the Consultations are organized by Nyéléni Europe and Central Asia (Nyéléni ECA). For Nyéléni ECA, European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) serves as the secretariat of the ad hoc Steering Committee of the regional CSO Consultation process. This Steering Committee facilitates the participation of the various organizations and constituencies in the CSO Consultation in the region. The FAO 32nd Regional Conference for Europe and Central Asia will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan between 5-7 May 2020. The main sessions of the Conference include a Ministerial Roundtable on Tuesday, 5 May, where participants will discuss sustainable food systems and healthy diets in Europe and Central Asia. The roundtable aims to outline the status of nutrition and sustainable food systems and identify inter-linkages and related challenges and opportunities in the region. A second major topic to be covered on the opening day of the Conference is that of finding solutions for youth employment and development opportunities in rural areas. The Conference will discuss the situation analysis of smallholders, family farms, and rural youth in agriculture, including a review of strategies that can potentially foster the revitalization of rural areas in the region in the plenary session. Discussions during the CSO consultation will also include the implementation of the Peasants Rights Declaration, UN Decade of Family Farming, youth, gender and feminism, Agroecology, UN Food systems Summit 2021, etc. The Civil Society Consultation agenda will prepare CSO inputs relative to the items to the FAO 32nd Regional Conference (ERC). During the Consultation, representatives will also discuss how best to facilitate meaningful FAO civil society cooperation at national and regional levels within the framework of the regional initiatives. The spokespersons, identified by the plenary at the CSOs Consultation in Tashkent will be registered to attend the Regional Conference by FAO in May in Tashkent and present the CSO vision there during the debates on behalf of those organisations that will have participated in the CSO consultation. In order to ensure the balanced participation of different groups, regions, and constituencies, a strict quota system for selecting participants in the CSO Consultation will be applied by the ad-hoc CSO Steering Committee. Priority to participate and use of funds will be given to approximately 25 delegates from across different constituencies. Geographic and gender balance will also be considered. There also will be space for self-funded delegates, also based on a logic of balanced participation. The working languages of the CSO meetings will be English and Russian as confirmed and other languages should this prove necessary. Please circulate this call for expression of interest and information within your networks. If you would like to be considered to participate in the regional CSO Consultation, please contact Olcay Bingol on behalf of the Steering Committee: cso.consultation2020@gmail.com latest by 1 March, 2020 by sending an email with a short description (max 150 words) of: − your organisation and its link with the Food Sovereignty movement and − your personal role within your organization. − if you need financial support for your participation or if you are applying as a self-funded delegate − your interest in the topics which will be discussed including: nutrition and food systems, rural youth, Declaration on peasants’ rights, UN Decade of Family Farming Best regards, Ad-hoc Steering Committee of the Regional CSO Consultation − Ramona Duminicioiu and Elene Shatberashvili, ECVC-European Coordination Via Campesina − Judith Hitchman, URGENCI – The International Network of Community Supported Agriculture − Rodion Sulyandziga, CSIPN – Centre for Support of Indigenous Peoples of the North − Fernando Garcia Dory – ESN European Chapter / WAMIP – The World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous Peoples − Aida Jamangulova, ADI, Agency of Development Initiatives − Andrea Ferrante, Schola Campesina – Приглашение выражения заинтересованности организациям гражданского общества принять участие в Консультациях – Appel à manifestation d’intérêt à l’attention des organisations de la société civile – Llamamiento de expresiones de interés para las organizaciones de la sociedad civil – Sivil Toplum Kuruluşlarına, STK Danışma Toplantısı Katılım Çağrısı