Food Security for Peace: how an integrated approach to the global food crisis contributes to peacebuilding

This session is co-organized with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

Food insecurity has reached staggering levels – with projections possibly rising to 323 million people by the end of 2022. Multiple crises have compounded this trend: besides climate change and Covid-19, the main driver remains conflict and fragility. The pressure of the Russian invasion in Ukraine on food prices and availability has exacerbated existing food crises, causing a global spike in acute hunger. Addressing food insecurity in this context requires a holistic and integrated food systems approach, while focusing on the needs of vulnerable populations. This session examines current practice and makes recommendations for better integrated programming to food insecurity in fragile contexts that contribute to peace. What type of programming is needed? What are opportunities and risks of incorporating peacebuilding into food security programs? And how can this approach be applied and scaled-up in the current responses to the global food crisis which are often “conflict blind”?