UNFS Coordination Hub
Hosts: UNFS Coordination Hub, UN Global Compact
Food systems account for around one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, making their transformation essential to keeping the 1.5°C goal within reach. Without collective action, rising temperatures will endanger harvests, livelihoods, and food security, while 2.6 billion people already lack access to healthy diets. The private sector—one of the largest employers and investors across the food value chain—has a crucial role to play in driving sustainability, resilience, and equity. Yet responsible practices often remain under-incentivized, and harmful ones insufficiently addressed, highlighting the need for stronger accountability and enabling conditions for responsible investment.
In 2021, 228 senior executives endorsed the Business Declaration on Food Systems Transformation at the UN Food Systems Summit, committing to action across six key areas. Building on this momentum, the UNFSS+4 process established a Business Engagement Group to showcase successful investment and blended finance models, mobilize private sector investment, and strengthen public–private collaboration. The UNFSS+4 showcased a series of “Investment Dialogues”, showcasing best practices, investment opportunities and addressing barriers to financing, as well as a session on the importance of Corporate Accountability and existing mechanisms. Looking ahead, the private sector must go beyond current efforts—embedding responsibility, transparency, and climate ambition at the core of business models to truly advance food systems transformation for people, planet, and prosperity.
This side event will provide a platform to discuss opportunities and challenges in advancing food systems transformation through private sector engagement and public–private partnerships, as highlighted in the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action at UNFSS+4. It will focus on:
What is the current opportunity for the private sector in driving food systems innovation and investment?
What concrete engagement modalities and accountability mechanisms are already in place to ensure positive environmental and social outcomes?
How can innovative financing and co-investment models be leveraged to scale solutions equitably and sustainably, especially to support SMEs and smallholder farmers?