UN-Habitat at the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment
Urbanization's Role in Food Systems:
Urban-rural coexistence shapes global food systems.
UN Food Systems Summit +2 Impact:
Collaboration strengthens sustainable food systems commitment.
ROME, ITALY, 7TH JUly 2023
Urbanization continues to have profound impacts on food systems. While rural areas are the main hubs for food production, the urban areas also provide rural areas with services and opportunities, which demonstrates a mutual and important coexistence. Intermediary towns and cities play the fundamental connecting role, offering a much needed urban-rural linkage corridor for this coexistence.
In a significant stride towards food systems transformation, the 2nd Edition of the UN Food Systems Summit was hosted by Italy from July 24th to 26th, 2023, in collaboration with the Rome-based UN organizations including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Food Programme (WFP) and the wider UN System. Featuring the attendance of the UN Deputy Secretary General and the Italian Prime Minister, the Summit was a follow-up to the 2021 Food Systems Summit, where individuals and countries committed to accelerate and deepen the transformative power of food systems, for the full realization of all 17 SDGs.
The UN Food Systems Coordination Hub supports action for SDG-based food systems transformations towards the acceleration of the 2030 Agenda.
UN-Habitat participated in this summit, which facilitated a comprehensive review of progress across global, regional, national, and local levels in advancing sustainable food systems. Remarkably, the summit drew an attendance of over 2000 participants, representing 161 countries, including 22 Heads of State and Government, more than 100 Ministerial delegates, and 150 Non-State-Actor organizations. This impressive convergence underscored the renewed commitment to the goal of sustainable food systems.
