CGIAR was actively involved in the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), which involved a number of lead-up activities, including global dialogues at various levels, consultations with a variety of stakeholders, the dissemination of new studies and reports, and a Pre-Summit in July 2021. All of these activities contributed to UNFSS’s main Summit held on September 23, 2021.

The first ever UNFSS was a historic opportunity to empower people to leverage food systems to drive the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and to get back on course to achieve all 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The UNFSS saw more than 200 commitments from hundreds of thousands of people from around the world to accelerate action and to transform food systems.

At the September Summit, CGIAR joined heads of state and global leaders to announce its commitment to UNFSS’s mission of addressing such global challenges as hunger, climate change, poverty, and inequality through transformed food systems.

“To launch bold new actions, solutions, and strategies to deliver progress on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), each of which relies on healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable food systems.”

UNFSS stated vision

A key CGIAR commitment to the UNFSS is support to UN Member States in planning and implementing national and regional pathways for food systems transformation.

A related commitment was the One CGIAR reform process, a dynamic reformulation of CGIAR’s partnerships, knowledge, assets, and global presence to deploy scientific innovations for food, land, and water systems faster and more cost effectively for greater impact. CGIAR outlined that an important aspect of the reform process is the 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy and the new Portfolio of CGIAR Initiatives that build on more than 50 years of CGIAR innovations and impact.

At the Pre-Summit in July, CGIAR hosted and participated in a range of key sessions to highlight CGIAR’s contributions to achieving sustainable and equitable food systems for all. Sessions covered such topics as science and innovation for food systems, aquatic foods, equitable livelihoods, nutrition, evaluation, and blue foods. CGIAR also hosted and participated in many Food Systems Summit Dialogues leading up to the September Summit. Dialogues fell into three categories: Member State Summit Dialogues, which aimed to shape national pathways to sustainable food systems; Independent Summit Dialogues, which individuals or organizations convened; and Global Summit Dialogues, which took place alongside key global events. CGIAR was involved in all three dialogue types.