Announcing the 2024 Food Systems Solutions Dialogues
These Dialogues build upon the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment and the Secretary-General’s Call to Action, empowering National Convenors to develop actionable strategies for the implementation of their national pathways. Discover the key themes shaping this year’s discussions.
Participation is by invitation only, primarily intended for National Convenors, government participants, UN Country Teams, and select actors of support. Official schedule coming soon.
Food Systems Solutions Dialogues
The Food Systems Solutions Dialogues are purposeful and organized events which bring together National Convenors, along with other food systems actors, to share their experiences and insights on food systems.
The Hub has organized monthly Food Systems Solutions Dialogues since April 2022, on a wide range of technical topics, including financing food systems transformations, coalitions of action, governance and institutions, health and nutrition, and the role of the private sector.
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In each dialogue, resource people from the Rome-Based Agencies and beyond, are invited for a technical introduction followed by interactive sharing of experiences, opportunities, and challenges among National Convenors in break-out groups. These sessions also include other national focal points at the capitals, Members’ Permanent Representatives in Rome, UN Resident Coordinators, as well as Rome-Based Agencies and other UN agencies at regional and country level. These sessions have enabled continued peer-exchange, peer-learning and capacity development within the Convenors networks.
PAST DIALOGUES
Regional Touch Points: Food Systems and Climate Action Convergence Initiative
The UN Food Systems Coordination Hub organized five regional touchpoints to introduce the Food Systems and Climate Action Convergence Initiative, developed in partnership between the Hub, the COP28 Presidency and 4SD. These touchpoints served as a platform for Convenors to collaborate on providing inputs to the Convergence Initiative, aiming to address the challenges of food systems transformation and climate action while supporting the acceleration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Materials
Concept Note: العربية | 中文 | English | French | Русский | Español
Summary Note: العربية | 中文 | English | French | Русский | Español
Fostering Synergies Between Climate Action and Implementation of Food Systems National Pathways Towards COP28
At the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment, the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub and COP28 Presidency highlighted their strategic partnership to promote food systems as a key driver for achieving the SDGs and Paris Agreement targets. A significant element of this partnership involves securing the commitment of Heads of State and Governments attending COP28 to sign the first-ever Leaders Declaration on the food systems and climate nexus, marking a historic commitment to address these issues on a global scale. The purpose of this Dialogue was to update National Convenors and government representatives on the progress of the COP28 Food Systems and Agriculture Agenda, including information on the Leaders Declaration, and to gather input from participants on enhancing synergies between climate action and food systems transformation in the Declaration.
Materials
Concept Note and Agenda: العربية | 中文 | English | French | Русский | Español
Summary Note: العربية | 中文 | English | French | Русский | Español
UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment: Global Touchpoint with National Convenors
The touchpoints offered National Convenors and government officials a chance to learn more about preparations for the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment, including information on the program, opportunities for National Delegations' involvement, and logistical inquiries. The touchpoint also allowed the Hub to explain how the 101 Voluntary Progress Reports and numerous good practices received informed the Report of the UN Secretary-General on food systems transformation.
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Materials
Concept Note: English
Learning for food systems transformation: Gender Mainstreaming
Led by the Coalition of Action Making Food Systems Work for Women and Girls, this Dialogue focused on the linkages between gender equality and food systems transformation. The coalition brings forward the work of the UN Food System Summit - Gender Lever and cluster working groups to foster the implementation of gender and food systems actions in national food systems transformation pathways - as gender equality and women’s empowerment are central to the transition towards sustainable and resilient food systems.
Materials
Concept Note: English
Summary Note: English
Planning for food systems transformations - Science, Technology and Innovation
The session brought together food systems National Convenors and country representatives with the Science Ecosystem of Support and to discuss country's needs for science-based policies on food systems transformation as well as the question of how the “Scientific Advisory Committee” of the Hub can support the implementation of food systems transformation.
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Materials
Concept Note: English
Summary Note: English
Regional Touch Points
These regional discussions, held from the 22-26 May, reviewed the status of preparations for countries' participation in the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment, to be held 24-26 July 2023.
Materials
Meeting Presentation: English
Window of the Joint SDG Fund
The session presented the work in progress in incubating a Joint SDG Fund window on food systems transformations in response to financial support needs expressed in the Country Needs Survey (February 2022) and seek National Convenors’ feedback on the overall direction of the strategy, as well as priority topics for a first funding round in the context of the Stocktaking Moment.
Materials
Concept Note: English
Summary Note: English
Building Resilience
Across the globe, conflict and fragility are on the rise. Resilient food systems are able to provide safe and affordable healthy diets to all – even in the face of structural vulnerabilities, shocks and stressors. To enable more resilient food systems, governments and partners aim to enhance the understanding of the context-specific risks and vulnerabilities of local and national food systems, incorporate these considerations into national policies and plans, and move towards action at the national and local levels.
Materials
Concept Note: English
Summary Note: English
Building multi-stakeholder collaboration
As part of the follow-up process to the Food Systems Summit, the Hub has established the Stakeholder Engagement and Networking Advisory Group (SENA Group) with representatives from Youth, Women, Indigenous Peoples, Producers and Private Sector. The objectives of the SENA Group are to facilitate stakeholder interaction and communication, provide technical advice for participatory consultation methods, help identify opportunities for action and critical gaps, promote inclusiveness and transparency, activate existing networks, and act as thought leaders to disseminate core messages from major stakeholders. In this Dialogue, members of the SENA Group highlighted critical priorities for the Stocktaking Moment from a diverse range of perspectives.
Materials
Concept Note: English
Summary Note: English
Financing food systems transformation
Financing for food systems transformation is the first area of support requested by countries. In addition to resources, countries have requested data and tools to inform allocations to food systems. As co-leads of the financing agenda for food systems transformation, IFAD and the World Bank presented the products under development to support countries to operationalize a new Food Finance Architecture.
Materials
Concept Note: English
Summary Note: English
Planning for the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment
The first Food Systems Solutions dialogue of 2023 was dedicated to a briefing on preparations for the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment in July. Director of the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, Stefanos Fotiou, highlighted the efforts underway at a national level, to support countries accelerate the design and implementation of national pathways, and at the regional level, with a series of regional preparatory meeting being held to gather countries' views and capture recommendations.
Materials
Concept Note: English
Meeting Presentation: English
Summary Note: English | French
Dialogue of Food Systems National Convenors with the FAO Director-General
The UN Food Systems Coordination Hub (the Hub) convened a dialogue between the Food Systems National Convenors and the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Dr. Qu Dongyu. The purpose of the dialogue was to consolidate understanding of the priorities for the work of the Hub in 2023. Participants included National Convenors and their teams, other government food system focal points, as well as the UN agencies supporting the Hub.
Materials
Concept Note: العربية | 中文 | English | French | Русский | Español
Summary Note: العربية | 中文 | English | French | Русский | Español
Regional Touchpoint – UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment
The UN Secretary-General has committed in his Statement of Action and Chair’s Summary of the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit (FSS) to convene “a global stock-taking meeting every two years to review progress in implementing the outcomes of this process and its contributions to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. This will be supported by the RBAs, the broader UN System and partners.” The first of these Stocktaking Moments will take place in 2023.
In response, the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub (the Hub) convened a series of five regional dialogues focusing on the preparation for the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment in 2023, working with the Regional Offices of the agencies that support the Hub, and other appropriate UN and regional bodies. Participants included National Convenors and their teams, Permanent Representatives to the Rome-based agencies, UN Resident Coordinators, and UN Country Teams.
Materials
Concept Note: العربية | 中文 | English | French | Русский | Español
Food systems for health and nutrition
Transforming food systems for better health and nutrition is a unique and powerful opportunity to help achieve the SDGs by 2030. And yet, poor diets have become a leading global health risk and every year account for 8 million premature deaths globally. This dialogue was led by nutrition stakeholders – including WHO, UN Nutrition and the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement (SUN) – to draw attention to the need to put health and nutrition at the centre of food systems transformation, highlighting the win-wins at the nexus of climate and nutrition action and identifying opportunities to scale up policy action and multistakeholder collaboration.
Materials
Concept Note: English
Summary Note: العربية | 中文 | English | French | Русский | Español
Financing food systems transformations – Roles of the private sector
This dialogue discussed how the private sector can be an actor of food systems transformation, what country level mechanisms support scaled-up private sector investments, and how these can be enhanced. Representatives from FAO, WFP, and IFAD presented how each organisation is mobilizing the private sector to accelerate positive transformations towards more resilient and sustainable food systems and National Convenors shared their experiences engaging with the private sector for the implementation of national pathways for food system transformation.
Materials
Summary Note: العربية | 中文 | English | French | Русский | Español
Learning for food systems transformation – Complementarities to accelerate the Climate Paris Agreement
This dialogue focused on discussing the place of food systems transformation in the climate agenda in the run-up to the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 27). Guiding questions encouraged a reflection on how food systems transformation can be incorporated into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to support climate mitigation and adaptation, as well as main expectations regarding the role of food systems at COP 27.
Materials
Summary Note: العربية | 中文 | English | French | Русский | Español
The Global Alliance for the Future of Food Presentation: English
Learning for food systems transformation – Governance, policies and institutions
This dialogue discussed how law, regulations and institutions could support food systems transformation. The session highlighted how food systems transformation can be governed in effective, inclusive, and transparent ways – empowering existing institutions to become more supportive of food systems transformation. The dialogue was framed by a panel where colleagues from the International Development Law Organisation (IDLO) reflected on “the rule of law approaches to enhance good governance for food systems transformation” and a country example on “multistakeholder-based accountability reporting framework in Sweden” was also presented.
Materials
Summary Note: العربية | 中文 | English | French | Русский | Español
IDLO Presentation: English
Regional Touch Point - Adapting to shocks in food, energy and finance systems
The UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, together with the FAO Office of the Chief Economist and the Food Workstream of the UN Secretary-General’s Global Crisis Response Group, convened a series of five regional dialogues with the participation of 60 convening teams. Participants discussed the shocks (COVID-19, climate change and conflict) that are affecting national food systems and contributing to challenges faced by food producers, especially those with smallholdings, and by poorer people who cannot access sufficient nutritious food.
Materials
Concept Note: العربية | 中文 | English | French | Русский | Español
Summary Note: العربية | 中文 | English | French | Русский | Español
Engaging for food systems transformations – Coalitions of Action
Collective initiatives such as the Coalitions of Action emerged from the Food Systems Summit and are in different stages of development, organization and level of activity. The Hub, as defined in its Work Plan, will connect coalitions and help identify overlaps, complementarities and opportunities for joint action, as well as connect coalitions with countries for accelerating food system transformative actions. This session focused on connecting coalition leads and National Convenors, exploring what coalitions offer and how Convenors can make the best of their country’s engagement in coalitions.
Materials
Concept Note and Agenda: English
Summary Note: العربية | 中文 | English | French | Русский | Español
Presentation: English
Brainstorming with Food Systems Coalitions
How can we create synergies to effectively serve countries transforming their food systems?
Led by the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, this session convened coalition focal points and representatives of their lead agencies and organizations. It focused on identifying the added value that joint work between the Hub and the coalitions could provide to the countries on transforming their food systems.
Materials
Concept Note and Agenda: English
Summary Note: English
Presentation: English
Financing food systems transformations – Global opportunities and local needs
The objective of the dialogue was to highlight and discuss opportunities to target and scale up financing for food systems transformation in countries. Finance is both a driver of food system inefficiencies and a vital ingredient to their transformation. The vision for a New Food Finance Architecture released during the Food System Summit identifies the actions areas that governments and the global community must embrace to mobilise private finance and optimise public finance to transform food systems, as well as shift investment practices towards more sustainable, equitable, resilient and profitable business models. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank are co-leading the post-summit work on Food Finance in collaboration with the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub.
Materials
Concept Note and Agenda: English
Summary Note: العربية | 中文 | English | French | Русский | Español
Presentation on Food Financing: English
