Report Released from Global Dialogue on Territorial Governance for Sustainable Food Systems
On July 8th, the UNESCO Chair on Food, Biodiversity, and Sustainability Studies co-hosted an Independent Dialogue, titled “Territorial Governance for Sustainable Food Systems,” in partnership with French agricultural research institution, CIRAD. This Global Dialogue aimed to inform and shape narratives at the first-ever UN Food Systems Summit, scheduled for September in New York.
The Dialogue welcomed 85 participants across more than 12 sectors and 15 stakeholder groups, including small-scale farmers, Indigenous Peoples, and Local, National, and International institutions and authorities.
The Dialogue began with a plenary session hosted by the Chairholder, Alison Blay-Palmer, with speakers Manuel Lapão (Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries [CPLP]), Gabriel Ferrero (Ambassador at Large for Global Food Security, Spanish National Government), Rodrigo Messias (UCLG, Policy Branch), Stefano Marta (A Territorial Approach to the SDGs, OECD), and Elodie Valette (CIRAD). Each speaker shared their organizational perspective on, and experience with, territorial governance in different contexts. Together, the plenary speakers provided a broad overview of approaches to territorial governance and shared some of the opportunities and challenges within countries, collectives, and sectors.
The plenary was followed by breakout group discussions on: Localisation of Food Systems—Strengthening Sustainable Territorial Development; Integrated Natural Resources Management for Food System Resilience; Public Procurement/Inclusive Financial Investments in Food Systems; and Leave No One Behind/Humanitarian Development Peace. All participants were invited to join a group, share their perspective, and contribute to a generative conversation on the discussion topic. Key insights from these conversations were shared during the final report back period.
The outcomes of the Territorial Governance for Sustainable Food Systems Dialogue have been summarized and submitted to the organizers of the UN Food Systems Summit. This Official Feedback Report summarizes the main focus for each of the five plenary speakers and the major findings of the Dialogue as a whole. It also provides a summary of the key outcomes from each of the discussion groups.
The Official Feedback Report is now available for download.
Video and audio recordings and the plenary transcript are also available to view.
If an alternate format for the recordings/transcript is required, please contact lcsfs@wlu.ca
We would like to acknowledge the following organizations for their contributions to the Dialogue: African Union Development Agency, Balsillie School of International Affairs, CIRAD, EcoAgriculture Partners, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, the UN Capital Development Fund, the UN Environment Programme, UN-Habitat, and 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People.