Posted on November, 25, 2024 at 10:53 pm
The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) Africa, in collaboration with the City of Cape Town, will host government leaders, researchers and youth ambassadors from 20 African and European cities from 25 November to 29 November, Cape {town} Etc reports.
The meeting will function as a ‘concerted effort’ to draw attention to the social problems related to hunger, malnutrition and obesity in Africa. Representatives from the AfriFOODlinks project’s 28 partner organisations will also join the meeting.
Also read: New urban development may threaten food security
The meeting is one of a few gatherings of its kind in which city officials from ‘across the African continent’ come together to share their solutions to these challenges at ‘city level’, according to a press statement issued by the City.
Earlier this year, research from the United Nations (UN) High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) on Food Security and Nutrition revealed that 1.7 billion of the world’s 2.2 billion people living in urban and peri‐urban areas face moderate or severe food insecurity.
Over half a billion of these individuals reside in African cities.
‘What makes AfriFOODlinks unique is that it is addressing this challenge, not by focussing on where food comes from, but by explicitly improving the design and governance of the urban food environments that shape the food choices, and therefore the nutritional outcomes, of city residents,’ said Dr. Luke Metelerkamp, ICLEI Africa, coordinator of AfriFOODlinks.
‘This gathering represents an unprecedented commitment from cities across Africa and Europe to tackle urban food challenges head-on, driving locally-led solutions that address the realities of food insecurity in urban communities,’ said Kobie Brand, ICLEI’s deputy secretary general and regional director of ICLEI Africa.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis also highlighted the pivotal role that the informal economy plays in Cape Town’s food system.
‘Through the AfrifoodLinks pilots and collaboration, the City of Cape Town is committed to improving trading conditions in food markets by providing the necessary infrastructure to empower the informal food sector to do business in a healthy, safe, and dignified manner and growing the local economy,’ said Hill-Lewis.
‘This is critical to ensure that we build a food-resilient city that can withstand any adversities in regards to the provision of nutritious and affordable food to sustain livelihoods,’ Hill-Lewis added.
‘The AfriFOODLinks project is a testament to the power of collaboration and the ingenuity of cities in addressing critical food system challenges. Cities are where the challenges of food security, nutrition, waste, and climate change converge, but they are also where innovative solutions can emerge,’ said Alderman Grant Twigg, Mayco member for Urban Waste Management.
‘Within the context of rapid urbanisation, African cities must take the lead in rethinking how food systems work, starting from the local level […] Our participation in AfriFOODLinks reflects our belief in local solutions, innovative partnerships, and knowledge-sharing across cities,’ Twigg added.
The meeting will also feature voices from other African city leaders who share Cape Town’s vision, such as Mayor Chilando Chitangala from Lusaka, Zambia.
‘In Lusaka, we know that sustainable food systems are the backbone of healthy and resilient communities. Through AfriFOODlinks, we hope to better integrate food into our city governance structures,’ said Chitangala.
Source: CapeTown