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EIT Food to serve as Secretariat for the Food Systems Partnership in 2023

  • The Food Systems Partnership, which evolved from the COP27 Food Systems Pavilion, has launched a new pathways report calling for urgent action on food
  • EIT Food has taken over as Secretariat for the group from Clim-Eat, who fulfilled this role at COP27
  • The Food Systems Partnership is mobilising at the Bonn Climate Change Conference
08 Jun 2023

Building on the momentum of the first ever Food Systems Pavilion at COP27 last year – of which EIT Food was a co-host – the organisation will now take on the role of Secretariat for the newly established Food Systems Partnership.

This partnership of leading international food organisations has published a report outlining six pathways for policymakers to accelerate urgent action to transform food systems. Pathways for food systems transformation calls for food and agriculture to be central to global climate dialogue and negotiations.

The report launches on the fourth day of the Bonn Climate Change Conference (8 June 2023), an event that will lay the groundwork for the global stocktake and negotiations at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai later this year.

The newly formed Food Systems Partnership, which includes EIT Food, the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), Clim-Eat, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Carrier and Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH), evolved from the first ever Food Systems Pavilion which hosted two weeks of programming at COP27 and campaigned for the inclusion of a food systems approach within the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture.

The Pathways report synthesises key findings from national action plans, analysis of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and assessments from leading food organisations including WWF, the Global Alliance for the Future of Food and the Food and Land Use Coalition. While there has been a positive trend in the recognition of food systems as part of national climate solutions, the studies reveal that most countries are yet to realise the full potential of including and implementing action on food systems in their climate strategies and action plans. 

Despite food and agriculture being recognised as the largest sources of environmental degradation, there is no mention of food or food systems in any of the four Global Goals for 2050 outlined in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework launched at CBD COP15 (UN Convention on Biological Diversity) in November 2022.

“The Bonn Climate Change Conference is a critical moment to elevate food systems within global climate negotiations. COP27 failed to fully recognise the role of food systems in strengthening climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience. This year we must go further and faster.

“The Food Systems Partnership is calling on the COP28 Presidency to prioritise the role of food systems. In the new Pathways report, released today, we are advocating for international efforts to increase ambition, urgency and scale of action. We cannot achieve any climate targets without incorporating and implementing a more holistic transformation of our food systems.”

- Dr Lucy Wallace, Chief of Staff at EIT Food

The report outlines six themes for Parties to embed throughout the negotiations in Bonn and beyond:

  • ENHANCE collaboration and inclusion at all levels and across all parts of our food systems.
  • ENABLE a transition to healthy, nutritious and sustainable diets for all.
  • EMBRACE agricultural reform and nature-positive production.
  • INCREASE action against food loss and waste
  • TRANSFORM financial mechanisms to support sustainable, equitable food systems.
  • CHAMPION consistent, accurate monitoring and reporting to track global progress on implementation.

The Food Systems Partnership will focus on convening and unifying stakeholders across the food and climate movements and spanning the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, from farmers and youth to policy makers and scientists. The partnership plans to establish a new ‘Producers Hub’ led by farmers and food producers at COP28 and has announced a formal relationship with the Food4Climate Pavilion.