INTRODUCTION

Call for submissions

The UN Food Systems Coordination Hub (Hub) invites National Convenors, governments, global ecosystems of support, UN entities, and the broader food systems community to submit success stories, as well as promising and good practices in food systems transformation at the local, national, regional, and global levels. This Call for Submissions (Call) contributes to tracking progress in implementing the six priority areas identified in the UN Secretary-General's Call to Action issued following UNFSS+4. It aims to document and disseminate practical solutions and lessons learned in implementing food systems transformation across different contexts and levels.

All submissions will form the core content of the Hub Database of Practices. Submissions selected as promising and good practices through an expert review process will also be featured in a Compendium of Promising and Good Practices in Food Systems Transformation, to be launched in 2027.

OBJECTIVES

This Call aims to collect, document, and promote successful practices and outstanding efforts in food systems transformation that demonstrate measurable impact and inspire continued momentum and investment.

Specifically, it seeks to:

• collect success stories that can be shared as inspiration across countries and stakeholders;
• identify promising and good practices that can be replicated or adapted in similar contexts; and
• contribute to global learning and knowledge exchange on food systems transformation.

Participation in the Call offers organizations and practitioners an opportunity to gain wider recognition for their work and to contribute their experience to global food systems learning. In addition to the visibility provided through the Database of Practices and the Compendium, selected submissions may receive further exposure through the Hub’s and partner organizations’ communication and knowledge-sharing channels and, where relevant and feasible, through opportunities to present and exchange their experience at regional or global food systems platforms and events. The review process will also help identify and bring forward the evidence, lessons learned, implementation approaches and critical factors that make these experiences valuable for others, strengthening their potential to inform peer learning, adaptation and action in different contexts.

SCOPE

This Call recognizes experiences and solutions shared across the full spectrum of transformation of food systems.

Emphasis is placed on initiatives that support the implementation of national food systems pathways, national food systems commitments, regional food systems frameworks, and the six priority areas of the UNFSS+4 Call to Action. Submissions may focus on local, national, regional, or global initiatives across the broader food systems agenda.

Recognizing that countries are at different stages of their food systems transformation journeys, the Call welcomes submissions in two distinct categories, capturing the implementation of a food systems project, policy, initiative or activity, with clear relevance and learning value to expand impact at scale:

• Success stories, showcasing a compelling achievement, highlighting actions taken, changes obtained and key insights gained along the way; and/or
• Promising [1] and good practices[2], unpacking the implementation process, evidence of results and impacts, lessons learned, and providing actionable guidance for replication, adaptation and potential scale-up.

Key considerations for knowledge and learning. Under both categories, participants are highly encouraged to provide relevant insights and details on the process and critical design and implementation factors that contribute to an intervention's success and impact, given their value for cross-country learning, and are thus encouraged to use the space offered in these templates for reflection, including on things that did not go as expected and needed adjustment along the way.

SELECTION PROCESS

All submissions in the Success Story category will be published in their original format in the Database of Practices hosted by the Hub, contributing to a growing global repository of food systems transformation experiences and achievements.

Submissions under the Promising and Good Practices category will undergo review process by an international panel of experts (Review Team) nominated by the Hub following pre-defined criteria against the relevant food systems actions areas and alignment with UNFSS+4 Call to Action. The Review Team will ensure balanced representation across regions, disciplines, areas of expertise, and stakeholder groups. Upon the review process, submissions will be adapted to fit the Hub’s Database of Practices, and the selection of those will also be featured in the Compendium of Promising and Good Practices in Food Systems Transformation, to be launched in 2027.

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria and the supporting evidence base:

• Impact and practical application: Demonstrated results and effectiveness in advancing food systems transformation.
• Inclusivity and social impact: Contributions to gender equality, youth engagement, and the participation of Indigenous Peoples and other underrepresented groups.
• Scalability and replicability: Potential for adaptation and implementation across different contexts.
• Sustainability: Contribution to the long-term resilience and sustainability of agrifood systems.
• Food systems transformation dimensions: systems thinking, cross-sectoral or whole-of-government coordination, policy and institutional integration, among others.

The Review Team will use a standardized framework to ensure that the process and its outcomes are objective, evidence-based, transparent, and consistent.