Sustainable Food Systems
4th session of the UN Environment Assembly
8-15 March 2019, Nairobi, Kenya
The United Nations Environment Assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment. Its fourth session (UNEA-4) will be held from 8-15 March, 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya, under the theme Innovative Solutions to Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Consumption and Production.
The outcome document of the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development affirms that “poverty eradication, changing unsustainable and promoting sustainable patterns of consumption and production and protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development are the overarching objectives of and essential requirements for sustainable development.” Two years later, the Second International Conference on Nutrition called for “strengthening sustainable food systems”. The UN Decade of Action on Nutrition proclaimed in 2016 takes that one step further by placing its support for the improvement of diet quality through sustainable food systems. In 2019, food systems have become an essential part of UNEA’s programme, providing a unique opportunity to better link the environmental, health and nutrition agendas.
These efforts will be especially apparent throughout the following UNEA-4 events:
- Sustainable Food Systems for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet at the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum (8-10 March): The global food system — in other words, the types of foods produced and how they are processed, traded, retailed and marketed — has a huge potential to be more sustainable and promote healthier diets. Aware of that potential, UNSCN has worked to connect some of the themes and global commitments in its publication Sustainable Diets for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet (2017). UNSCN will highlight the findings of this publication during two sessions: Session 1 - Agricultural transformation (9 March from 14.55-15.40h) and Session 2 - Diets, nutrition and climate change (10 March from 10:50-11:35h).
- Environment Management Group Nexus Dialogue on Sustainable Food Systems: ensuring food security for future generations on 12 March (15-18h, Conference Room 13): Sustainable food systems are at the centre of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development framework and connect many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For UNSCN, work to promote this potential has been undertaken through close collaboration with the Sustainable Food Systems Programme of the 10-Year Framework for Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns among others. UNSCN will moderate the high level session of this dialogue.
- Cities Summit on 13 March: In the face of economic development, urbanization, and tighter global connections, food systems and dietary patterns are changing rapidly. Building on UNSCN Statements The double burden of malnutrition: a challenge for cities worldwide (2006), Nutrition security of urban populations (2012), and the work to link nutrition with sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) at the UNSCN hosted Expert Group Meeting on nutrition and the SDGs (June 2018, UN HQ, New York), UNSCN will highlight the unique specificities that urban and peri-urban environments present.
- Leadership Dialogue: Environmental challenges related to poverty and natural resources management, including sustainable food systems, food security and halting biodiversity loss on 14 March: The Dialogue focuses on how food systems are putting increasing pressure on our environment and are failing to provide for the food for the world’s vulnerable people, both in terms of agricultural yield and nutritional quality. Maximizing agricultural productivity and shifting to sustainable food systems is critical to eradicating poverty, creating income opportunities, enhancing inclusive socio-economic growth and reducing vulnerabilities across the globe.
