f2f

Global A&FS Network Face-to-Face Meeting (Rome, 26-29.09.2023)

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Welcome to the webpage of the SDC Agriculture and Food Systems Network global face-to-face meeting, that will be held from 26 to 29 September 2023 in Rome, Italy. Please note that registration for the meeting has closed. Below you can find all the relevant information for participating in the F2F.

Since the last Face-to-Face (F2F) in 2016, the institutional and real-world parameters in which the A&FS Network and the institutions of its members are operating have shifted substantially. The positive trend of hunger reduction has reversed over the last six years, armed conflict is on the rise, and the planetary boundaries and the effects of climate change are becoming ever more tangible. In response, the approach to food security is being sought more than ever from the systemic angle through a food systems approach. Similar developments in adjacent fields have led SDC and other organisations to seek a more joined-up approach to its work by accentuating the need to work with the humanitarian-development-peace nexus in mind and pursuing a more holistic and fluid approach to thematic/sectoral cooperation. But many of the challenges are global in nature and cannot be addressed in isolation from international, multilateral processes and the work and services of the UN agencies. Much of this has already been reflected in SDC’s institutional restructuring, the renaming of the Global Programme Food Security and the A&FS Network to incorporate the notion of food systems, and the accelerated efforts to work on multisectoral approaches. With a lot of groundwork now in progress (Food Systems Learning Journey, review of structural relationships between various networks) the timing is right to involve active network members in what will come next and reinvigorate a sense of community.

Emerging from the abovementioned institutional processes and global trends, this face-to-face meeting has three key objectives, underpinned by a series of activities:

Development of possible priority food systems transformation pathways which could be pursued jointly in the years to come, in light of the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Event, our recent Food Systems Learning Journey (FSLJ), and in face of current and expected challenges to local and global food security, notably by :  

  • Re-engaging with the findings of the FSLJ and what it means to work with a systems approach;
  • Identifying systems-related and inter-thematic topics that the A&FS Network could turn a focus on in the coming year;
  • Linked to the above, developing focus areas for the network (timebound and/or longer-term) to work with beyond the F2F.


Identification of areas of collaboration at different levels (global, regional and national) from the interaction with the Rome-based Agencies (RBAs), notably by :

  • Exchanging with key experts from the multilateral organisations located in Rome, to understand the relevance of multilateral processes, and how they relate to global, regional and national work.
  • Discussing how they can be better linked to SDC and the A&FS Network members, in pursuit of enhancing the institutional “elevator-approach”.

Discussion on how the A&FS Network should work in the future, and how it should relate to other networks and bodies (in due consideration of the available resources), with a specific focus on :

  • Review of the work of the A&FS Network, engaging with the initiatives of its members, building knowledge of one another and personal relationships;
  • Create spaces and informal fora to co-create knowledge and ideas which can feed into the main sessions and the “products” of the F2F;
  • Linked to the above, introduce and discuss SDC’s operational guidance framework for food systems.


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The main programme will last three days:

  • Day 1: Mainstreaming systems thinking in Agroecology and Markets
  • Day 2: Putting nutrition and human rights at the centre of food systems transformation and working on the humanitarian-development (HD) Nexus
  • Day 3: Mainstreaming youth, gender and nexus, consolidating our findings, exploring thematic linkages and setting our priorities for the A&FS Network

Plus an optional Day 4 excursion: Experience how Rome’s peri-urban food systems work


Day 0: 25 September (for those who reach Rome the evening before)


Day 1: 26 September


Day 2: 27 September


Day 3: 28 September


Day 4: 29 September (optional)

The Italian way: following the food trail out of Rome: A field visit starting at an urban food market and finishing with lunch at peri-urban food producers/processors.




If you are an A&FS-Network member and working in a field that is related to food systems and international development, you stand to take part in a process which will shape Switzerland’s future contributions to building sustainable and resilient food systems in pursuit of improving global food security. You will network with likeminded people, jointly reflect on some of the challenges facing us, and return home with fresh ideas and extra tools under your belt for enriching your work. Being in Rome will offer you the opportunity to visit the HOs of the Rome-Based Agencies and interact with some of their key experts.

The F2F is planned as a highly interactive and lively opportunity, so active participation will be expected from all. Additionally, we warmly welcome any more active involvement in the organization of the F2F, be it by presenting a project or providing content for one or the other of the sessions. And if you would like to provide content to any of the sessions, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please make sure to mention it when you sign up.

Here you can find all the relevant information about the Schengen-Visa.  

Travel-Documents and Entry Requirements
You will have to present several documents at the Schengen port of entry in order to be permitted to enter if you are a non-EU/Schengen country national, regardless if you are a visa-exempt or not.

The documents you need to provide when entering the Schengen Area are as follows:

  • Valid Passport: Issued within the previous 10 years and valid for at least 3 months after the date you intend to leave the EU.
  • Schengen Visa: If you are a national of one a country needing a visa.

EU/Schengen border officials may also ask for other information and documents such as sufficient funds, proof of accommodation, how long you intend to stay, round-trip airline ticket, the purpose of your entry, travel insurance, invitation letter, etc.

Please ensure that the border officer gives you an entry stamp in your passport when you enter the Schengen area. Without a stamp, you could be fined or detained.​

Health Advisories & Legal Provisions
There are no COVID-19-testing or vaccination requirements for entering Italy. Foreign tourists who test positive for Covid while in Italy need to self-isolate for five days.

Here (FDFA Switzerland) you can find further information and travel-recommendations.


Airport shuttle
There is no organised pre-arranged pick-up from and to the hotels. We can assist you in arranging pool trips for people arriving at the same time.

Getting to and from the airport/train-station is recommended to be done via taxi (cost: ca. 50 Euro) and will take you around 20-40 minutes depending on traffic. 

Getting around

  • Metro: Rome has three metro lines and a network of suburban railways. Particularly the metro is highly reliable and trains leave in short intervals.
  • Rome has a dense network of buses which are cheap. However the timetables are unreliable and you may have to wait for an extended period of time for your bus.
  • Taxi: The Taxi service works well. Use the App ItTaxi to call taxis. It will indicate your waiting time and the car identification
  • Uber: You can also use your Uber App to call cars, or unlock hire-bikes for short distances.
  • All the relevant information about getting around the city you can find here. 

NH Roma Villa Carpegna (workshop venue)
Set just outside Rome’s bustling centre, the NH Roma Villa Carpegna hotel offers the perfect balance between city action and suburban tranquillity. This hotel in Rome is near the Vatican City State, St Peter's Basilica with direct connection to other neighborhoods as Trastevere and other monuments. Surrounding the hotel is a private park, making it pretty and peaceful, yet we’re just 10 minutes from St Peter’s Square. And it’s a 15-minute walk to the metro station, putting all the sights within easy reach.

NH Roma Villa Carpegna
Via Pio IV, 6, 00165 Rome Italy
Email: nhvillacarpegna@nh-hotels.com
Tel.: +39 06 393731
Website


Belstay Roma Aurelia
Belstay Roma Aurelia welcomes you with a dynamic and relaxed atmosphere, in environments with a contemporary design and an international flavor. The strategic position between the center of Rome and Fiumicino Airport makes the hotel easily accessible by car. The large indoor and outdoor spaces have been designed to be functional and flexible, able to accommodate leisure and business customers, events and conferences, in a green and relaxing setting on the outskirts of Rome.

Belstay Roma Aurelia  
Via Bogliasco, 27, 00165, Rome Italy
Email: roma.aurelia@belstayhotels.it
Tel.: +39 06 66509001
Website


Breakfast is included in the hotel. Lunches and coffee breaks will be served during the workshop days at the convention center. There is a welcome-dinner and ice-breaker event on Monday evening for those who reach their respective hotels by early evening, and Reception on Wednesday evening. Further details will be provided. For the rest of the evenings you are free to arrange your own dinner-plans. Transport and excursion costs in conjunction with the workshop activities are also covered by the A+FS Network.

Each participant covers the hotel boarding costs incl. breakfast, and travel to and from the hotel in Rome. The A&FS Network will cover meals, workshops, visits and transport within and around Rome.

Hotel payment
Payment modalities: Ideally, room payment is made on arrival, either by credit card or in cash. Please contact us if this method is not suitable to your needs so we can explore alternative arrangements, like paying the hotel directly by bank transfer.

Currency
The local currency in Italy is Euros. Credit Cards are widely accepted. However, it is good to hold some cash on hand

Participant Signal Group
Please download the Signal-app:


In the days leading up to the event we will set up a communication group, that you will be invited to join.

Shareweb (Logistical Information Page)
For general information please consult this page.

Emails (Updates, Recaps)
Updates and recaps about the event will also be shared via email.


General Resources
For general resources please consult the AFS-Shareweb. You can become a member of the SDC Agriculture & Food Systems Network or only subscribe to the Newsletter to be updated about the work of your colleagues.

Slides & Session Resources
Slides and resources of the sessions will be uploaded to a separate shareweb-page (the link will be entered here shortly before the F2F).

HQ Berne
•    Bruce Campbell, bruce.campbell@eda.admin.ch
•    Stéphanie Piers de Raveshoot, stephanie.piers-de-raveschoot@eda.admin.ch
•    Riff Fullan, Riff.Fullan@helvetas.org
•    Cesar Robles, Cesar.Robles@helvetas.org
•    Lara Sponagel, lara.sponagel@eda.admin.ch  

In case of questions, do not hesitate to contact Lara Sponagel (lara.sponagel@eda.admin.ch ).