Determining the course of our food supply networks is at present's focus

Determining the course of our food supply networks is at present's focus

The UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+4), taking place in Addis Ababa from July 27 to 29, 2025, is set to reflect on global and national progress in food systems transformation, strengthen accountability, and unlock investment opportunities [1][5]. The summit, which follows the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, is a crucial step towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals related to hunger, nutrition, and sustainability [1][2].

The summit will convene a diverse global audience, including heads of state, policymakers, farmers' organizations, private sector representatives, youth, indigenous leaders, and civil society, to discuss inclusive and sustainable food system solutions [1][2]. The event aims to address pressing global challenges such as food sovereignty, climate-smart agriculture, equitable access, and economic recovery, making the connection between food systems transformation and climate action [1].

Innovative finance and investment dialogues will be promoted to ensure access to both short- and long-term concessional finance and encourage public-private partnerships for food system resilience and equity [2][4]. Successful country-level reforms and initiatives, such as Ethiopia’s leadership in integrating food systems transformation with climate resilience via the Convergence Initiative, will be highlighted [1].

The summit also seeks to strengthen partnerships and accountability mechanisms by fostering multi-stakeholder engagement in a variety of plenaries, ministerial roundtables, and side events showcasing innovations and evidence-based solutions in food systems [2][3]. The goal is to discuss and transform food systems worldwide, ensuring all stakeholders have a seat at the negotiating table.

Welthungerhilfe, an organisation committed to ensuring marginalized groups have a say at the UNFSS+4 conference, will share experiences and make demands, including calling for action at the governmental level and adopting a holistic perspective that recognizes the interdependence of food systems, climate change, and biodiversity loss [6].

The summit emphasizes the need for context-specific and locally adapted solutions, as the climate crisis, loss of ecosystems, and decline of biodiversity affect food security globally. It also underscores the importance of political leadership in addressing food system imbalances and ensuring equitable and sustainable global food systems [7]. The summit invites governments to present new laws and incentives to make sustainable nutrition the norm, including stronger support for smallholder farming structures and an end to subsidies that favor unsustainable agricultural practices [8].

The conference aims to create historical alliances and advance sustainable nutrition as a reality accessible to all, while also emphasizing the need for policies and programs to be more impact-driven and for synergies between sustainable nutrition, environmental protection, climate resilience, and biodiversity to be utilized or created [9]. People who cultivate their land with traditional knowledge hold valuable solutions for the political debate, and the summit aims to strengthen the recognition of food as a human right, not just a commodity [10].

Welthungerhilfe plans to report live from the UNFSS+4, sharing voices from their projects, and the summit involves government representatives, civil society, smallholder farmers, Indigenous communities, scientists, and the private sector [11]. Hosting the event in Ethiopia underscores the global recognition of leadership from the Global South in advancing integrated food and climate action [1][2].

[1] United Nations Food Systems Summit. (2025). UNFSS+4: Stocktaking Moment. [Online] Available at: https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/unfss-plus-four [2] Food Tank. (2025). UNFSS+4: What to Expect from the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment in Addis Ababa. [Online] Available at: https://www.foodtank.com/news/2025/07/unfss-plus-four-what-to-expect-from-the-un-food-systems-summit-stocktaking-moment-in-addis-ababa [3] Welthungerhilfe. (2025). UNFSS+4: Welthungerhilfe at the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment in Addis Ababa. [Online] Available at: https://www.welthungerhilfe.de/en/news/unfss-plus-four-welthungerhilfe-at-the-un-food-systems-summit-stocktaking-moment-in-addis-ababa [4] World Resources Institute. (2025). UNFSS+4: Innovative Finance and Investment Dialogues. [Online] Available at: https://www.wri.org/blog/2025/07/unfss-plus-four-innovative-finance-and-investment-dialogues [5] United Nations Development Programme. (2025). UNFSS+4: Accelerating Transition Towards Equitable, Inclusive, and Environmentally Sustainable Global Food Systems. [Online] Available at: https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/food-systems-summit/unfss-plus-four.html [6] Welthungerhilfe. (2025). UNFSS+4: Welthungerhilfe at the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment in Addis Ababa. [Online] Available at: https://www.welthungerhilfe.de/en/news/unfss-plus-four-welthungerhilfe-at-the-un-food-systems-summit-stocktaking-moment-in-addis-ababa [7] Food Tank. (2025). UNFSS+4: What to Expect from the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment in Addis Ababa. [Online] Available at: https://www.foodtank.com/news/2025/07/unfss-plus-four-what-to-expect-from-the-un-food-systems-summit-stocktaking-moment-in-addis-ababa [8] United Nations Food Systems Summit. (2025). UNFSS+4: Stocktaking Moment. [Online] Available at: https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/unfss-plus-four [9] World Resources Institute. (2025). UNFSS+4: Innovative Finance and Investment Dialogues. [Online] Available at: https://www.wri.org/blog/2025/07/unfss-plus-four-innovative-finance-and-investment-dialogues [10] Food Tank. (2025). UNFSS+4: What to Expect from the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment in Addis Ababa. [Online] Available at: https://www.foodtank.com/news/2025/07/unfss-plus-four-what-to-expect-from-the-un-food-systems-summit-stocktaking-moment-in-addis-ababa [11] Welthungerhilfe. (2025). UNFSS+4: Welthungerhilfe at the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment in Addis Ababa. [Online] Available at: https://www.welthungerhilfe.de/en/news/unfss-plus-four-welthungerhilfe-at-the-un-food-systems-summit-stocktaking-moment-in-addis-ababa

1. The UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+4) aims to foster a holistic perspective that recognizes the interdependence of food security, climate change, and biodiversity loss.
2. The summit is set to strengthen partnerships and accountability mechanisms by involving scientists, smallholder farmers, Indigenous communities, and the private sector.
3. Innovative finance and investment dialogues will be promoted to make sustainable nutrition the norm and encourage public-private partnerships for food system resilience and equity.
4. Policymakers and heads of state will discuss pressing global challenges such as climate-smart agriculture, equitable access, and economic recovery, making the connection between food systems transformation and climate action.
5. Lifestyle choices in food-and-drink and home-and-garden sectors will also be addressed in the context of sustainable living and environmental-science, as these activities impact food security and climate resilience.
6. The summit will emphasize the importance of political leadership in ensuring equitable and sustainable global food systems, while also underlining the need to utilize or create synergies between sustainable nutrition, environmental protection, climate resilience, and biodiversity.

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