The purpose of the Global Meeting of Food Security Cluster Partners is to review the work of the gFSC during the second half of 2014 and to identify/ reaffirm priority areas for 2015-16, as well as to discuss strategically relevant food security topics. A detailed agenda for the meeting can be accessed via this link.

Please note that Wednesday, 26 November, has been designated for the face-to-face meetings of the gFSC Working Groups.  Participation in the Working Group meetings will be restricted to the members of these Working Groups. If you are interested in joining the Working Groups, please do not hesitate to contact the gFSC.

As part of the gFSC Strategic Framework and Work Plan for 2015-2016, the Meeting will also devote time to three discussion groups to develop a concrete plan of action on the following topics:

• Group 1 - Building National Capacity in Preparedness and Contingency Planning
• Group 2 - Accountability to Affected Populations and People Centric Issues
• Group 3 - Resilience Agenda

Please remember to sign-up for the meeting and the desired discussion group by COB 5 November by emailing the Global Food Security Cluster at info@foodsecuritycluster.net

We look forward to welcoming you to this event.

Liberia Food Security Cluster (previously the Food Security and Nutrition Task Force) was officially activated on 12 September 2014.

Key findings from food security assessments to date:

• There has been a general economic slowdown with the impact on main livelihoods such as farming (food and cash crop production), petty trade, hunting, transportation, entertainment business, skilled labourers and contractors.Communities in districts with high cases or deaths of EVD are most affected in terms of food security due to this collapse in their income generating activities.
• Supply of goods in the country, especially in the rural areas has been heavily constrained due to transportation delays and boarder closures. The goods that are available (even in reduced quantities) are not being purchased in the same quantity because of a significant reduction in incomes.
• Continued price studies reveal that price trends in 2014 are generally higher than would normally be the case without Ebola. Lofa county trends appear to be an anomaly. This may be due to that fact that both demand for imported rice is weaker relative to other counties, while supply faces challenges.
• Find out more at the FSC website

FSC Activities to date include:

• Partners have provided critical food assistance to people affected by the EVD and vulnerable populations.
• Partners are providing agricultural inputs and tools (such as rice, cassava sticks, pepper seeds and pesticides) and conduction trainings and working to increase awareness and improve hygiene and sanitation practices.
• Partners are also providing training on site preparation and pest control, cash motivation for seeds and tools protection.
• The Food Security Assessment was jointly conducted in the 15 counties by FSC Partners, FAO, WFP and the Government of Liberia, between 27 September and 12 October 2014.
• More information can be found at the FSC website.

• The final report of the Crop and Food Security assessment mission (CFSAM) has been published, while the results of the Emergency Food Security Assessment (EFSA) are expected soon as well as the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, carried out during this week.
• The results available indicate that the overall food security situation is the country is not improving. Some highlights are the following:

1. Almost 30% of the population (i.e. 1.44 million, including 270,000 in the capital Bangui) is in severe or moderate food insecurity, a total figure higher than in 2013;
2. The GDP of the country has dropped by 37% in 2013, with a contraction of the agricultural sector by 46% and livestock by 55%. The country has dropped six positions in the Human Development Index;
3. Cultivated land has dropped by 68% in comparison with the average of five years prior to the crisis (2008-2012), mainly because of insecurity, loss of livestock and lack of labour force. 50% of the households have declared having lost their animals due to looting and pillage, with a total loss of livestock between 67% and 77% compared with pre-crisis data;
4. Food prices have increased by 48%, while 70% of rural households and 80% of IDPs spend more than 75% of their income on food;

• Despite the positive impact of the agricultural campaign, food stock from the agricultural production will only cover four months.
• Food Security Cluster partners are working on the Strategic Response Plan for 2015 to respond to the increased food security needs in the country.

• Excluding the recent displacements from Anbar Governorate city of Heet and its surrounding districts, 1.8 million people have been displaced across Iraq since January 2014. More than 850,000 people are sheltering in the KR-I and the disputed border regions. The FSC is concerned about the food security of hundreds of thousands of people, especially those residing in active conflict zones.
• The FSC has reached 1.4 million beneficiaries since June 2014 with food assistance.
• The cluster and its partners have been able to provide food assistance in all 18 governorates of Iraq. Local partners have distributed food in areas under the control of armed groups on an ad hoc basis. While encouraging, this does not meet the ongoing needs of displaced populations within areas under the control of armed groups, especially in Anbar Governorate. In addition, longer-term assistance in livelihoods cannot be delivered until there is safe access to conflict-affected areas.
• The 2014-2015 Iraq Strategic Response Plan has been launched. Given that 2.8 million people are in need of food security, the Food Security Cluster plans to target 2 million people in need of food assistance, including food insecure people residing in governorates not under government control. The monetary requireements for this are $512 million.

• In October, a new IPC report was released, projecting the situation until March 2015, showing that, while there are significant improvements since the May IPC, the situation is much worse compared to a typical year at harvest time. 1.5 million people are projected to remain in Phase 3 (Crisis) and Phase 4 (Emergency) through December 2014, including one-third of the population of Greater Upper Nile.
• These populations have made it through conflict, displacement, and a harsh lean season in 2014 by relying on coping mechanisms, including traditional kinship sharing and distress asset depletion. As a result, their resilience into 2015 is expected to be very weak, particularly if new shocks occur.
• The outlook for 2015 is of great concern, with 2.5 million people projected to be in Crisis or Emergency from January to March 2015, including nearly half of the population of Greater Upper Nile. Severe challenges include early depletion of household food stocks, dysfunctional markets, loss of livelihoods, and displacement – all resulting from protracted conflict. In the absence of funded and planned humanitarian interventions for 2015, phase classifications for January to March were unable to factor in assistance as a mitigating factor.
• During the month of October, the Cluster finalized the Strategic Response Plan for year 2015. To complete this process, the Cluster contributed to the Humanitarian Needs Overview providing information on food security through consultation with the government and organizations at national and state level. Partners received training on gender issues and on how to fill  the OPS project sheet for the  SRP. Cluster members and partners submitted projects to be considered in the Cluster.

• In September 2014 a Whole of Syria Coordination system was set-up to further improve food security coordination from various hubs in and around Syria but with operations inside Syria.
• The purpose of the Whole of Syria Coordination is to harmonize cross-border and cross-line operations so as to ensure a more streamlined response, devoid of gaps and duplications; and provide a comprehensive Needs, Response and Gaps analysis.
• The WOS coordination was built on the existing structure of the Food Security and Livelihoods Working Group in South Turkey and the Food Security Working Group in Damascus.
• UN Resolution 2165 gave WOS further strengthened the rationale for greater coordination.
• A Jordan-based Food Security Sector was established coordinating with actors operating mainly in Da'ra and Quneitra, ensuring a more thorough gap analysis and needs-based response.
• The Jordan based hub will also provide the overall coordination for Whole of Syria.
• A WOS Meeting was held in Istanbul on 24 September 2014, involving all the different regional hubs in a discussion on next steps with regards to the HNO and Joint operational planning process. The Joint operational Plan produced focuses mainly on 4 governorates (Aleppo, Idleb, Quneitra and Da'ra) with inputs from partners from all hubs.
• One of the other concrete results from the Whole of Syria process was the agreement of People in Need figures for the HNO drawing from the recent MSNA assessment which covered 40% of Syria, the WFP and FAO co-led JFRSNA in November 2013, the Area of Origin by REACH and other secondary analysis including HelpAge-Handicap reports.

• The Sphere Project and the Cartoon Movement with the support of the Centre for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action (CERAH) have partnered to develop an attractive and memorable way of communicating some key messages of the Humanitarian Charter. Five renowned cartoonists created the cartoons, which can be downloaded in different versions from this website
• ICPS organizes a course "Professional Certificate in Strategic Food Security Planning", on 8th - 12th December 2014 in London, UK. For more information, visit the ICPC website.
• The High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) of the Committee on World Food Security of the United Nations (CFS) has published a note on Critical and Emerging Issues in the area of food security and nutrition. This HLPE note and related documentation are available the HLPE website.
• The FAO Quarterly Early Warning Bulletin for Food and Agriculture, covering the period October - December  2014, integrates information on threats to food security and the food chain by region and by country.

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