The Right to Food, Food Sovereignty, and the Right to the City: Advancing Co-Constructed Policies for Environmental Justice

This event brings together diverse perspectives that address locally embedded human rights strategies for sustainable food systems, contributing to the review of SDG 2 (zero hunger) and 13 (climate action) at the 2024 High Level Political Forum. The Right to the City offers a framework to ground climate related advocacy and action at territorial level, through  a human rights-based approach that prioritizes acknowledging and rectifying the disproportionate impact of environmental degradation on historically marginalized communities.

By promoting sustainable, democratic, and equitable urban food systems, grounded in the principles of the Right to the City and food sovereignty, we can both combat climate change and advance social justice. These systems not only provide resilience in the face of climate challenges but also empower communities to reclaim control over their food systems and advance new models for community organization and resource management.

Through showcasing policies and initiatives co-created by communities and governments, this event will spotlight the potential of collaborative efforts in the face of urban challenges like land commodification, gentrification, and corporate influence. By fostering dialogue among diverse actors, including grassroots organizations and local and regional public authorities, we aim to identify both the barriers and opportunities for advancing such partnerships. Ultimately, by centering food sovereignty within the broader discourse on territorial climate action, we can strive towards a more just and sustainable future for all.

Objectives

• Highlight the contributions of the perspectives and approaches from the Right to Food, Right to the City and environmental justice to advance the 2030 Agenda, in particular through SDGs 2 and 13;
• Put forward the possibilities for co-production of localization practices committed to the Right to Food and the Right to the City between organized communities and public institutions through concrete examples;
• Facilitate a debate between different actors and point of views, identifying intersections  with other ongoing processes and agendas

Agenda

• Introduction - Emily Mattheisen, FIAN International 
• Panel of initiatives/perspectives:

- Dr. Mervat M. Al-Mhairat, Deputy city manager for agriculture and health, Municipality of Amman

- Masa Kone, Convergencia Global de las Luchas por la Tierra y el Agua en África Occidental

- Ana Moragues, Barcelona University

- Claudia Oviedo, Construction Department of Fundasal, El Salvador

- Isabela Davies, COMUSAN / São Paulo Municipality

• Open floor
• Conclusions