Preparing for the sustainable food systems (SFS) summit

The transformation of food systems will require an unprecedented degree of international cooperation given the globalized nature of our food system. The UN Food Systems Summit in 2021 (September 2021) will raise food system transformation to the highest level of political attention.

The Food Systems Summit 2021 is tentatively scheduled for September 2021.

See; https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/events

Open Public briefings

The Food Systems Dialogues were established in 2018 as an initiative of five partners – EAT, Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), World Economic Forum (WEF) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Over 40 dialogues have been convened, in 23 countries, across 6 continents, engaging over 2500 food systems practitioners.

In 2019, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) called for a Food Systems Summit, underpinned by an inclusive engagement process to unleash the power of food to deliver progress on all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In preparing for the Summit a diverse range of stakeholders — from youth activists to indigenous leaders, from smallholder farmers to scientists and CEOs – are invited to identify the most powerful ways to make food systems stronger and more equitable

These classic versions of dialogues about food systems are a foundation and source of inspiration for the Food Systems Summit Dialogues.  Summary reports of all previous events can be explored on this website: https://foodsystemsdialogues.org/

Three Open Public Briefings were held in November 2020 to introduce people to the Food Systems Summit Dialogues. Recordings of the three sessions can be found on the Food Systems Summit YouTube page here.

1. Food Systems Summit Dialogues | Open Public Briefing 1: (11/11)
   
   
   
   
2. Food Systems Summit Dialogues | Open Public Briefing 2: (18/11)
   
   
   
   
3. Food Systems Summit Dialogues | Open Public Briefing 3: (25/11)
   
   

The Food Systems Dialogues

As many people as possible are invited to engage with the Food Systems Summit through the three types of Dialogues:

1. Member State Dialogues  In countries with UN presence, UN Resident Coordinators and Representatives of UN system entities as well as summit Champions, in-country scientists, and food systems partners (including development partners) are committed to support Member States to develop and implement their Dialogues programme. Click here to view the list of officially nominated Member State Dialogue Convenors.
2. Independent Dialogues
3. Global Summit Dialogues

Action tracks

The Food Systems Summit 2021 will be organized around 5 Action Tracks. Each Action Tracks produced Discussion Papers for discussion during public fora.

Action Track 1: Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all

This action track will aim to deliver zero hunger and improve levels of nutrition, enabling all people to be well nourished and healthy. It will develop game changing solutions for (1) accelerating hunger reduction, (2) making nutritious foods more available and affordable and (3) making food systems safer.

• UN anchoring agency: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Chair: Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director, GAIN. Vice-chairs: Godfrey Bahiigwa, Director of Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission, Sheryl Hendricks (University of Pretoria. South Africa)
• Discussion Starter Paper Action Track 1  (October 2020, 4 pp.).
• The Action Track 1 Public Forum was organized on 17^th November 2020. Lawrence Haddad (Chair AT1), Godfrey Bahiigwa (Vice-Chair AT1), Jamie Morrison (UN Anchor AT1) and Sheryl Hendriks (Link to Scientific Group for AT1) provides reflections on the Food Systems Summit, AT1 and the discussions during this meeting. The event was moderated by Tom Arnold, UN Food Systems Summit Champion and former SUN coordinator.
• Recording:
  
  

Action Track 2 Shift to sustainable consumption patterns

Guided by the best available scientific evidence, best practice and real world examples, Action Track 2 aims to generate game-changing propositions that can catalyse shifts in food environments, private sector actions and offerings and consumer behaviour, towards diets around the world which are more environmentally, economically and socially sustainable.

• UN anchoring agency: World Health Organization (WHO). Chair: Gunhild Stordalen, Founder and Executive Chair, EAT Foundation. Vice-chairs: Ajay Vir Jakhar, Chairman, Bharat Krishak Samaj, Lana Weidgenant, Real Food Systems, Deputy Director at Zero Hour International.
• Discussion Starter Paper Action Track 2 (October 2020, 4 pp.).
• The Action Track 2 Public Forum was organized on 9^th December 2020.
• Recording forthcoming

Action Track 3: Boost nature-positive production

The goal of Action Track 3 is to boost nature-positive production systems at scale to globally meet the fundamental human right to healthy and nutritious food while operating within planetary boundaries. Boosting nature-positive production will be fundamental to put us on a pathway to a more resilient future and the sustainable well-being of society.

• UN anchoring agency: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Chair: Joao Campari, Global Leader Food Practice, WWF International
  "Trade off must be considered as well as synergies". Vice-chair: Lavetanalagi Seru, Alliance of Future Generations.
• Discussion Starter Paper Action track 3 (October 2020, 7 pp).
• The Action Track 3 Public Forum was organized on 10^th December 2020. 
• Recording forthcoming

Action Track 4: Advance equitable livelihoods

To support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Action Track 4 will seek to ensure that food systems ‘Leave No One Behind’ by addressing inequality as one of the root causes of poverty in all its forms: inequality in access to economic opportunities, gender inequality and inequality in access to productive resources and services that restrict the advancement of equitable livelihoods.

• UN anchoring agency: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Chair: Michelle Nunn, President and CEO, CARE USA. Vice-chairs: Shakuntala Thilsted, Research Program Leader for Value Chains and Nutrition, World Fish. Mai Thin Yu Mon, UN Global Indigenous Youth Caucus – Program Director for the Indigenous Peoples Development Program of Chin Human Rights Organization
• Discussion Starter Paper Action Track 4 (October 2020, 5 pp).
• The Action Track 4 Public Forum was organized on 1^st December 2020. 
  The topics were introduced by members of the AT4 leadership team, after which there will be time for questions and discussion. Michelle Nunn (CARE, AT4 Chair), Shakuntala Thilsted (WordFish, AT4 Vice-Chair), Mai Thin Yu Mon (UN Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, AT4 Vice-Chair), Marie Haga (IFAD, AT4 UN Anchor) and Jikun Huang (Link to Scientific Group for AT4) will provide reflections on the Summit, AT4 and the discussions during this meeting. The event is moderated by Rediet Abebe, Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows and Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley.
  

Action Track 5: Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress

Action Track 5 will propose actions to ensure that food systems, which are affected by conflict, environmental and economic shocks and stresses, can maintain functionality, recover from the effects of harmful events, and improve to a better-off state. These actions include a focus “productive disruption” in the context of global challenges – such as the health pandemics, biodiversity loss and the global climate crisis.

• UN anchoring agency: World Food Programme (WFP). Chair: Saleemul Huq, Director of the International Centre for Climate Change & Development. Vice-chairs: Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Co-President of the Club of Rome. Mike Khunga, SUN Global Youth Leader for Nutrition, SUN CSN, and Project Officer, Civil Society Organisations Nutrition Alliance
• Discussion Starter Paper Action Track 5 (October 2020, 4 pp).
• The Action Track 5 Public Forum was organized on 4th December 2020. 
• Recording forthcoming

Global Food Systems Summit Dialogues

Several pre-events are planned during 2020 and 2021.

7-9 December 2020, 12:00-18:00 CET. 4th International Conference on Global Food Security

• The 4th International Conference on Global Food Security was a live-streamed and interactive event with pre-conference mini-symposia on 4 December 2020, 12:00-18:00 CET. It brought together keynote speakers, presentations, talks and e-posters showcasing the latest research and addressing key topics in the field.

25 November - 3 December 2020. 3rd Global Conference of the One Planet (10YFP) Sustainable Food Systems Programme

The first global Food Systems Summit Dialogue took place virtually on Tuesday, 1 December 2020, from 13:00 –15:30 CET, hosted by the 3rd Global Conference of the One Planet network’s Sustainable Food Systems Programme.

The purpose of this 3rd global conference was to provide substantial input to the UN Food Systems Summit that, building on the achievements of the SFS Programme’s membership during the first five years of implementation as well as the outcomes of the Programme’s previous two global conferences.