The Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA) is an international consultation and co-ordination Platform drawing on the political

leadership of the ECOWAS and UEMOA Commissions. Its technical management is co-ordinated by CILSS, with the support of the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat. Created in 1984, the work of the RPCA is based on consultation, dialogue and analysis. It reinforces the coherence and effectiveness of interventions through the implementation of the Charter for Food Crisis Prevention and Management. The Network brings together the three West African regional organisations (ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS), regional and international information systems, bi- and multilateral co-operation agencies, humanitarian organisations and international NGOs, as well as agricultural professional associations, the private sector and civil society.

RPCA➔ www.food-security.net

the food crisis Preventionnetwork

ANALYSE INFORMPREVENT

UEMOA

the sahel famines of 1973 and 1984 are etched in the memory of all, as the entire world discovered the disastrous consequences of these terrible droughts. Despite strong international mobilisation, a full assessment revealed many defi ciencies in the management of crises and aid. The region’s food security actors and their development partners therefore decided to join forces to create information tools and mechanisms to strengthen the co-ordination of interventions through the RPCA. Since then, thanks in particular to the work of the Network, Sahelian and West African countries have progressed in protecting themselves from the consequences of such catastrophes. Food security remains, however, a key challenge for the entire region.

Current food crises are more comPleX and multi-faceted than in the past. The regional population has doubled since the beginning of the 1980s; almost half of the West African population lives in urban areas. Global markets have an increasingly strong impact and new actors are shaping the institutional landscape. Despite signifi cant progress, the absolute number of people suffering from hunger is currently higher than during the 1980s. In March 2012, approximately six million people were in a state of severe food insecurity. The majority of the Sahelian countries have an acute malnutrition rate of around 15%, higher than the emergency threshold. Ensuring the smooth running of markets, increasing investment in food production, and improving the living conditions of vulnerable households and their access to basic services (health, education, water-sanitation-hygiene, etc.) are some of today’s key challenges for sustainable food and nutritional security.

By leveraging the Potential of its agriculture and youth, West Africa can count on its regional organisations to take a leadership role in the fi ght against food and nutritional insecurity. Regional policies/strategies and common governance mechanisms, of which the RPCA is one of the pillars, are evidence of the strength of regional solidarity.

food securitya keY Challenge for the region

global acute malnutrition 2011-2012 agriCUltUral CaMPaign

© agrhymet/Cilss

level of acute malnutrition moderate < 5% medium < 5%-10% high < 10%-15% critical < 15%

➔  1. Pascale ANdrEANi, ambassador of france to the oeCd. 2. Joseph Marie dAbirÉ, UeMoa Commissioner and Prof. Alhousseini brETAUdEAU, former Cilss executive secretary. 3. Sujiro SEAM, france and ibrahima diÉMÉ, UeMoa Commissioner. 4. 25th annual meeting, bamako, 2009. 5. 27th annual meeting, Praia, 2011. 6. Marc Lapodini AToUgA, eCowas Commissioner.

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As an open and informal forum for discussion and information-sharing, the Network analyses the food and nutritional situation of the region, improves information-sharing and thereby promotes consistent and concerted action. It draws on the expertise of its Members, in particular those specialised in information production and analysis of food and nutritional security (CILSS, ECHO, FAO, FEWS NET, UNOCHA, WFP). Regular consultations are an integral part of the Regional System for the Prevention and Management of Food Crises (PREGEC) comprising the following siX maJor stePs:

analysing & informing

MARCH Technical meeting

• final assessment of the agricultural campaign and national/regional outlook,

in preparation for the rPCa meeting in april.

APRILRestricted RPCA meeting at the

oECd headquarters

• recommendations for policy makers;

• advocacy and information-sharing with representatives

from oeCd member countries.

DECEMBER

RPCA annual meeting

• Provisional assessment of the agricultural campaign; • strategic orientations of the network’s priority work areas;

• recommendations for policy makers.

SEPTEMBER Technical meeting

• Provisional assessment of the agricultural campaign; • harvest scenarios;

• action plan for at-risk areas;• Monitoring of actions

conducted since March.

NOVEMBER Technical meeting

• harvest outlook;

• Cereal production & outlook,in preparation for the

rPCa annual meeting.

JUNETechnical meeting

• launch of the agricultural campaign; preparation for

monitoring of the rainy season; • review of agro-meteorological

& climatic forecasts;• assessment of recommen-dations implemented since

March/april.

lean se

ason

campaign; preparation for PREGEC CYCle

5

6

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2

3

4 PREGEC CYCle

PREGEC PREGEC CYCle

CYCle

leansee

ason

The stakeholders of the Network readily agree on the basic facts, such as harvest volumes, the climatic situation, the state of food stocks, market functioning, price levels, etc. However, it is often challenging to reach consensus regarding recommendations for Policy makers and the necessary actions to strengthen the food and nutritional situation of the most vulnerable groups.

This consensus-building process is at the heart of the debate of the two Network meetings, held in December in a country of the region (annual meeting) and in April at the OECD headquarters (restricted meeting). The annual meeting allows stakeholders to defi ne the strategic orientations of the Network’s priority work areas, and to strengthen the co-ordination and synergy of on-going actions. The restricted meeting in April offers a valuable opportunity for dialogue between the region’s leaders and the international community on food security issues, as well as the necessary political and fi nancial responses.

These regular meetings between Sahelian and West African leaders and their technical and fi nancial partners also provide an ideal setting for forging new PartnershiPs and strengthening North-South co-operation. The Network also aims to deepen South-South co-operation, especially with Brazil.

bUilding consensus

➔  Marc Lapodini AToUgA, eCowas Commissioner, agriculture, environment and water resources; rintaro TAMAKi, oeCd deputy secretary-general, development, environment and financial affairs; ibrahima diÉMÉ, UeMoa Commissioner, food security, agriculture, Mines and environment.

Published by the network Members at the end of each meeting, the Joint Position on the food and nutritional situation proposes actions to be undertaken in response to possible food and nutritional crises. it also proposes medium-and long-term actions to improve food security in a sustainable manner. for example, based on the recommendations of the rPCa, additional measures were taken by eCowas and UeMoa at a high-level meeting in June 2012 in support of sahelian countries affected by the food crisis.

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The principles of the Charter constitute the backbone of the network. The new Charter, approved in November 2011 after an inclusive consultation process, covers the fifteen ECOWAS member countries as well as Chad and Mauritania. Placing regional solidarity and mutual responsibility at the centre of action, this code of good conduct addresses the root causes of food crises. It calls on signatories to strengthen information systems and dialogue platforms, and to ensure the coherence of interventions, thereby improving the effectiveness of collective action. The Charter is subject to internal and external assessments conducted within the framework of the Network.

Priority work areascharter for food Crisis Prevention and ManageMent1. fo

cus

As the major tool of the ECOWAS Regional Food Security Strategy, the creation of the Regional Food Reserve is an exemplary symbol of regional solidarity. Building on community-level and national food reserves, the Regional Food Reserve constitutes a third pillar of crisis response. Adopted by ECOWAS in 2010, it is part of the Regional Agricultural Investment Programme (RAIP) designed within the framework of the ECOWAP/CAADP process. It provides a framework of convergence for all initiatives in this area, including networking of national food reserve agencies to improve co-operation and information-sharing (RESOGEST) as well as the strengthening of food stocks (UEMOA). The establishment of the Regional Food Reserve benefits from the political support of the international community through the G20.

regional food reserve2. focu

s

Fully in line with the spirit of the Charter, the Network welcomes AGIR, a global Alliance for fostering synergy, coherence and effectiveness of resilience initiatives in the region. Launched in December 2012, the stakeholders of the Alliance set themselves the objective to “Structurally reduce, in a sustainable manner, food and nutritional vulnerability by supporting the implementation of Sahelian and West African policies”. Under the political and technical leadership of ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS, the Alliance builds on existing platforms and networks, such as the RPCA, within which AGIR was launched. A regional roadmaP specifies the objectives and main orientations of AGIR, which are implemented at the country level under the provisions of national roadmaps.

global allianCe for resilience (agir) – sahel and west afriCa3. fo

cus

➔  agir launching Ceremony, ouagadougou, 6 december 2012. from left to right (first line): Nancy LiNdborg, Usaid assistant administrator, beyon Luc Adolphe TiAo, Prime Minister of burkina faso and Kristalina gEorgiEVA, european Commissioner.

aCMad: http://acmad.netafrique verte: www.afriqueverte.orgagrhYMet: www.agrhymet.netCilss: www.cilss.bfCirad: www.cirad.freCowas/eCoagris: http://agric.comm.ecowas.intfao/giews: www.fao.org/giewsfews net: www.fews.netifad: www.ifad.orgifPri: www.ifpri.orgsMart: www.westafricagateway.org/smartswaC: www.oecd.org/swacUeMoa: www.uemoa.intUnoCha - west and Central africa: http://unocha.org/rowcaUniCef - west and Central africa: www.unicef.org/hac2011/hac_wcaro.html waMis-net: www.resimao.org/html/en west africa gateway: www.westafricagateway.orgwfP: www.wfp.orgwMo: www.wmo.int

Phone +33 (0)1 45 24 89 87 E-mail swac.contact@oecd.org sibirijean.zoundi@oecd.org

SWAC Address SWAC/OECD 2, rue André Pascal F–75775 Paris, Cedex 16

useful links

did YoU know

West Africa might be the best PrePared region to respond to and mitigate the impact of food crises. Pioneering regional co-operation in Africa, it is endowed with a consultation and co-ordination framework adopted in 1984 (RPCA), and a regional system for the prevention and management of crises (PREGEC).

The cilss/agrhymet Regional Centre and acmad are the region’s agro-meteorological centres internationally reputed for their excellence.

Thanks to the RPCA platform, West Africa is now an official observer of the g20 Working Group on Development. The region participates in all preparatory meetings, representing African interests alongside South Africa.

Phone +226 50 37 41 25/26 E-mail cilss.se@cilss.bf mahalmoudou.hamadoun@cilss.bf

CILSS Address CILSS Executive Secretariat 03 BP 7049 Ouagadougou 03 Burkina Faso

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Last update: May 2013

ClubSAHEL ANDWEST AFRICA

Secretariat

➔ www.food-security.net