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Food systems finally reached the multilateral agenda, but will they also make it to UNEA-6?
March 26, 2024
Food systems finally reached the multilateral agenda, but will they also make it to UNEA-6?
Throughout 2022 and 2023, food systems transformation was finally recognized as a key lever to achieve the Paris Agreement on Climate, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), and the Sustainable Development Goals. Policymakers seem to have started to react to the alarm bells. Food systems reached several multilateral and global agendas, with three Rio Conventions - UNCCD, UNCBD, and the UNFCC - including their first ever “Food Day” into their official programs. More importantly, food systems started to feature in their outcome agreements. The KMGBF included a series of targets that commit countries to transforming certain elements of our food systems. At COP28, the first ever Global Stocktake of the UNFCCC Paris Climate Agreement included references to food systems, while the Adaptation section even featured a range of food systems actions. In addition, over 150 countries committed to implementing the Emirates Declaration on Resilient Food Systems, Sustainable Agriculture, and Climate Action that was put forward by the COP28 Presidency.
Meanwhile, it is not clear whether these breakthroughs will be reflected at the 6th session of the UN Environment Assembly, the highest decision-making body on the environment, which focuses on addressing the interconnected planetary crises and promoting effective, inclusive, and sustainable multilateral actions against climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. While the topics of several of the draft resolutions that will be negotiated at UNEA-6 are highly related to food and agriculture – including water policies, land degradation, nature-based solutions, pesticides, and circular economy – the current draft decision texts lack any prominent mention of food systems. This means that countries and could miss a critical opportunity to embrace the urgent need to transform our food systems as a key integrated approach for overcoming the triple planetary crisis. The draft UNEA-6 outcome documents and country-led resolutions currently lack any prominent mention of food systems transformation.
To bring food systems back to the table at UNEA-6, the SFS Programme has developed guidance for UN Member States with concrete text proposals for four key draft resolutions that can help place food systems transformation where it needs to be if we are to succeed with Agenda 2030.
Read the guidance for advancing food systems in UNEA-6 resolutions at One Planet Network knowledge center.
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