The UNITAR training centre for local governments in Asia, CIFAL Jeju, is launching its new training series on food and nutrition security to build local government knowledge, skills and capacities in the region.

Under a One UN Approach, UNITAR and CIFAL Jeju, joined the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization's (FAO) Food for the Cities Network to ensure the training series is developed in line with the community of practice's expertise. For over ten years, the FAO Food for the Cities initiative has been contributing to increased dialogue and partnerships with institutions at international and national levels, and in particular with municipalities. The network has grown into a community of practice, including a global network of experts, from development practitioners to academia, connecting research and practice on food and nutrition security.

FAO's Food for the Cities has assisted in developing not only the focus of CIFAL Jeju's first workshop on this topic, but also in connecting to key expertise on food and nutrition security in Asia, as well as current leading research and models for increasing local governments knowledge and capacities on good practices for more food secure and resilient municipalities in the region.

CIFAL Jeju's first workshop of the series will be held from March 20-22, 2013 in Jeju, South Korea and is formally focusing on "Developing Local Government Capacities to Enhance Resilience to Food Crisis and Food Self-Reliance". Applications are open for the workshop and can be accessed by clicking here for UNITAR event calendar. Participation is fully sponsored for eligible selected candidates from local governments in the Asia-Pacific region.

CIFAL Jeju is part of the UNITAR network of nine training centres for local governments and local actors across the globe known as The CIFAL Network. Founded in 2002, under the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and Local Agenda 21, the CIFAL Network focuses on demand-driven capacity development and training for local actors in various areas of sustainable municipal development. Each CIFAL is established through local and regional partnerships with key public, private and civil society institutions to build regional expertise in good practices for sustainable local development.

Given Jeju Special Self-Governing Province's good practices in decentralisation, localising green growth, and peace and security, CIFAL Jeju specialises in training Asia-Pacific local authorities on topics of localising green growth and ensuring human security in an urban context. The CIFAL hosts over six trainings each year on these topics. For more information see: www.cifaljeju.org.