The DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS) will join multiple global and national partners, including the South African government and the United Nations, at the 5th International Social Justice Conference and the 6th Annual Social Justice Summit, taking place in Cape Town, from 16 to 18 October 2024.
The Conference and Summit are hosted by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), which is based at Stellenbosch University, and led by social justice giant and former Public Protector of South Africa, Professor Thuli Madonsela. This year, the CoE-FS, and the UNESCO Chair in Science and Education for African Food Systems, hosted at the CoE-FS and held by director Professor Julian May, are Conference and Summit partners.
Also joining as partners are the Artscape; Department of International Relations and Cooperation; Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation; South African Human Rights Commission; UN South Africa; Daily Maverick; Stellenbosch University International; and the Southern Africa Food Lab, led by CoE-FS collaborating researcher, Professor Scott Drimie.
International human rights defender and climate activist Catherine Constantinides will direct the Conference programme.
5th International Social Justice Conference
The theme for this year’s Conference is “Social Justice and Sustainable Development Goal on Zero Hunger”. According to the CSJ, the Conference will “interrogate research, policies and legal developments on hunger, with a view to increasing the pace of progress in addressing hunger as one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals”. It will bring together academics, lawyers, judges and civil society researchers who are involved in research on the intersection between hunger, social justice and human rights, to share research outputs and explore innovative solutions and best practices on the integration of data science and neuroscience in social and legal policy design processes.
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We recognise that producers, processors, distributors and consumers are incorporated into the food system under varying terms and returns. We also recognise the economic, social, human and environmental health impacts associated with food security. Therefore our goal is to conduct research, build capacity and disseminate findings that will promote a sustainable food system in South Africa.
Our research is concerned with the scale, nature, causes and consequences of food insecurity in South Africa and elsewhere on the African continent. Thus our mission is to investigate products, technologies, processes and policies that can reduce food insecurity and mitigate its negative outcomes. We seek to make a difference to food security by linking innovative science with critical enquiry.