Timeline

Food & Sustainability

We promote informed and balanced discussion about what agricultural systems are best suited to different circumstances and needs.
March 2018

A new article: Healthy Planet, Healthy People

Writing for the newsletter of New York Yearly Meeting of Quakers, Susan H. Bragdon explains how small-scale farmers are essential to food and nutrition security, climate resilience, rural livelihoods, critical ecosystem services, and the health of the global population. Innovation by small-scale farmers needs to be actively included in conversations about the future of agricultural production. Read the full article at the link below.

January 2018

QUNO attends expert group on "Advancing the 2030 Agenda" organized by the UN DESC

In January, Susan Bragdon, QUNO's Representative for Food & Sustainability, was one of 46 experts invited to Advancing the 2030 Agenda: Interlinkages and Common Themes at the HLPF 2018, an expert group meeting (EGM) organized by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in New York. The EGM was asked to look at the interconnections between the Sustainable Development Goals under review at the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) in 2018 and the rest of Agenda 2030, and discuss concrete implications for policies, programmes and partnerships.

October 2017

QUNO moderates panel on "Trade, investment and food security" at CFS 44

In October, Representative Susan Bragdon moderated a panel entitled "Trade, investment and food security: designing rules for sustainable food systems" at the 44th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS 44). The session was organized by the Columbia University Law School, the Institute for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. 

October 2017

QUNO co-hosts a Food Security and Sustaining Peace side-event at the World Committee on Food Security

QUNO co-hosted a side-event “Contributing to sustaining peace and conflict prevention: perspectives from agriculture, food security and nutrition” at the World Committee on Food Security (CFS) on 9 October.  Other co-hosts were the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the World Food Programme and the Netherlands. The standing-room-only attendance of over 70 indicated people’s broad interest in the the nexus between peace and food and nutrition security.

August 2017

Statement at the High Level Political Forum in New York in July 2017

From July 10-19, 2017, the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) took place in New York. The HLPF is the United Nations central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The theme of this year’s HLPF was ‘Eradicating Poverty and Promoting Prosperity in a Changing World’ and included the review of SDGs 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 14, and 17.

July 2017

QUNO participation at YMG 2017 in Warwick

QUNO was excited to join Friends at Yearly Meeting Gathering (YMG) 2017 in Warwick. YMG is a week-long event held every three years by Quakers in Britain, that brings together Quakers, friends and families for an exciting week of community and movement-building. QUNO was represented at YMG by Lindsey Fielder Cook, Andrew Tomlinson, Laurel Townhead and Jonathan Woolley, and participated in four workshops, as well as both nights of the Groups Fair. 

July 2017

New Publication on Reinvigorating the Public Sector: The Case of Food Security, Small-Scale Farmers, Trade and Intellectual Property Rules

In this recently published paper in the Society for International Development (2017), QUNO’s Food & Sustainability Representative Susan H. Bragdon explores the two interlinked trends of using market-based solutions to end hunger and the weakening of the public sector in ensuring local and global food security. She argues that both of these phenomena play an important role in the creation of a modern food system that is harming the health of people and planet.

June 2017

QUNO Co-hosted Preliminary Meeting to Expert Group Meeting on Sustainable Development Goal 2

On Sunday 11, prior to the Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2), QUNO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), co-hosted a preliminary meeting with about 20 experts on the subjects. SDG 2, which aims to ‘end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture,’ will be reviewed at the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) this July, together with SDGs 1, 3, 5, 9, 14, and 17.

June 2017

Susan Bragdon Nominated to Attend Expert Group Meeting on Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 2

QUNO’s Food & Sustainability Representative Susan Bragdon was one of 100 experts nominated to participate in an expert group meeting (EGM) intended to measure the progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of Goals agreed to in Agenda 2030 in September 2015.

April 2017

QUNO Food & Sustainability Programme Attended the ECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development

On April 25, 2017, Food & Sustainability Programme Assistant Nora Meier attended the UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (RFSD). One day prior to that event, she also followed the preparatory civil society consultation at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, where she was able to connect with organizations from the region.

March 2017

The Time is Ripe for Governments to Strengthen Sustainable and Food-Secure Farming

In November 2016, QUNO hosted an expert consultation on the role of the public sector in supporting small-scale farmers and agricultural biodiversity. Over 15 participants from around the world, representing a variety of professional backgrounds, convened to discuss how best to assist governments in determining their roles in ensuring food security and to develop tools for the public sector to create national food policies with small-scale farmers and agricultural biodiversity at their center. 

March 2017

QUNO Food & Sustainability Programme Delivers Oral Statement at Human Rights Council

The Clustered Interactive Dialogue (ID) on Sustainable Environment and on the Right to Food was held at the 34th session of the Human Rights Council. During the event, both the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, Mr. John Knox, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Ms. Hilal Elver, presented their findings.

February 2017

QUNO Attends 33rd IGC on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore at WIPO

In February 2017, QUNO attended the opening of the 33rd session of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva. While the last two sessions were concerned with Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge respectively, this week’s meeting will focus on Traditional Cultural Expressions (TCEs).

February 2017

QUNO contributed to GAFSP Monitoring and Evaluation Plan

In February 2017, QUNO’s Food & Sustainability Programme was asked to contribute to the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) document, which is intended to serve as a reference to all Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) stakeholders. The updated plan will guide all new projects in the GAFSP portfolio going forward: on what is required at each stage of the project cycle, including applying and reporting against the GAFSP indicators. GAFSP emphasizes the role of monitoring and evaluation and learning on their website (see link below).

February 2017

QUNO contributes to CFS report on "Multistakeholder Partnerships"

During the 43rd Plenary Session in October 2016, the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) requested that the High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) produce a report on “Multistakeholder Partnerships to Finance and Improve Food Security and Nutrition in the Framework of the 2030 Agenda”. This report will be presented at the CFS 45 Plenary session in October 2018.