Food Security and Livelihoods in Urban Settings Working Group of the gFSC

The Food Security and Livelihoods in Urban Settings Working Group of the Global Food Security Cluster is composed by approximately 20 organizations including cluster lead agencies, WFP and FAO, academic institutions and NGOs.

The overall aim of the WG is to be a specialist resource within the Global Food Security Cluster to help strengthen the capacity of gFSC partners to shape urban food insecurity response at the global and national levels. As such the work of the gFSC Urban WG is framed within the Terms of Reference agreed with the IASC, as described on the gFSC website.

To achieve its objectives, the Working Group researches and helps develop food security tools and systems, encourages roll out of gFSC partners technical resources, and looks for gaps in available data and urban food security guidance. WG partners help develop tools and guidelines through collection of case studies and best practices; analysis of indicators; review of assessment and targeting methods.Linked with this is the WG interactive geographical mapping of partners’ urban activities design aimed at making the information available at field level.

The Urban WG links with and assists other international groups which have similar interests, and participates in other reference groups within the UN system, including IASC MHCUA Reference Group, IFRC, Concern Kenya and others. The individual core members of the WG are also called on as individual experts by gFSC major global partners and academic institutions as they seek to define their urban strategy.

Since a central core of gFSC work is to support the growth of food clusters at national level, the Urban Working Group encourage outreach to the country-level through country clusters and local partners, and supports the creation of country level urban hubs and working groups. Because key members of the working group are field based, they are able to play an active part in encouraging both international and local organisations to gather together and support each other on urban food security issues.