By Mohammed Uriel Hadebbe
Johannesburg, South Africa – The Pan African Parliament (PAP) has launched a Model Law on Food and Nutrition Security in Africa, aimed at governing issues related to food availability, accessibility, stability, and utilization.
The model law, launched on [date], seeks to realize the right to adequate food and includes essential elements such as definitions of rights and entitlements, duties and responsibilities, enabling environment for food production and consumption, governance structures, and accountability mechanisms.
Speaking at the launch, PAP President Sen. Chief F. Charumbira emphasized the need for Africa to move beyond basic needs and challenged MPs to implement the law robustly.
“Africa should be able to move to other betterer needs of human beings.I am challenging our own Mps . We want to see some robust direction that will give us positive results.
” We have launched this model law , but we don’t just have to launch without implementation. A lot of laws have been launched in our countries but they lack implementation.”
He thanked partners, including the World Food Programme (WFP), AUDA NEPAD, and PACJA, for their support towards developing the Model Law.
” I would like to also thank our partners who walked with PAP in delivering the outcome of this Model Law,” he added.
Charumbira urged the World Food Programme(WPF) to work closely with PAP to ensure food security, saying, “Your interventions should not only be seen when there is hunger; let’s avoid hunger by preparing with you as much as possible.”
The launch was attended by representatives from various organizations, including WFP, AUDA NEPAD, PACJA, and PAP members.
The Model Law on Food and Nutrition Security is a significant step towards ensuring food security in Africa, and its implementation is expected to have a positive impact on the continent’s food systems.
The model law shall govern issues related to food and nutrition security, including the availability, accessibility, stability and utilization of food and the realization of the right to adequate food.
The Model Law shall include essential elements of FNS that may be governed by one or more legislation, including the definition of rights and entitlements, duties and responsibilities at all levels, enabling environment for the production, processing, distribution and consumption of safe and nutritious food, FNS governance structures and accountability mechanisms.
