1.CONTEXT

In 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will hold the Food Systems Summit as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The Summit will launch bold new actions to deliver progress on all 17 SDGs, each of which relies to some degree on healthier, more sustainable and equitable food systems. The Summit catalyzes momentum to transform the way the world produces, consumes and thinks about food.  The focus, as in the overall, UN Food Systems Summit, is on implementation and attainment to tangible results on healthy, resilient and inclusive food systems as well as in the impacts of food systems on broader economic growth and development goals.

Through the process of Rwanda national dialogues, three priority challenges to be worked through were identified to transform Rwanda’s national food systems, these are fully aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Those are: (1) Ensuring Availability, Accessibility, Affordability and Food Safety for all, (2) Food systems that contribute to environmental sustainability, and (3) Enabling farmers and others in the food chain to enjoy decent livelihoods and to promote rural development while building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stresses.  Additional cross cutting themes included (1) Financing for Food Systems Transformation, (2) Enhancing the contributions from women and young people, (3) Innovative governance for sustainable and equitable food futures. The convenor team has emerged with support for action in these above challenges and have proposed a number of solutions.

2. DIALOGUE OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES

This high level national dialogue on Rwanda’s food systems is the last stage under the process of convening member state food systems national dialogues. It aims at bringing together leaders and decision makers, including Ministers, UN agency country team, development partners and other key stakeholders (Financial Instructions, Private sector, Academia, etc..) to discuss key challenges and proposed game changing solutions for Rwanda’s food systems. The dialogue therefore will build on the previous dialogues’ outcomes and will help establish Rwanda’s contributions to the pre-summit and summit 2021. As the Food Systems Summit is a critical part of the Decade of Action for the SDG delivery between now and 2030, the high-level dialogue will also seek to align itself with SDGs. The dialogue will subsequently provide an opportunity to compare the progress made towards achieving the SDGs as well as national and continental commitments with the summit objectives. Dialogue participants will explore options for contributing to the national pathways for sustainable food systems and touch base on the progress so far made in achieving the national plans and continental commitments and declarations (CAADP Malabo goals -for 2025, SDGs-for 2030) versus the Food systems summit objectives.

3. METHODS

A. Panel discussion:

Panel 1: Ensuring food security and nutrition for all, decent livelihoods and to promote rural development while building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stresses.

Panel 2: Crosscutting pillars toward Rwanda’s sustainable food systems: Empowering youth and women and access to financing.

B. General discussion on shaping Rwanda Food systems pathways to contribute achieving SDGs goals. The following questions shall be discussed:

1. What is the vision for food systems in Rwanda by 2030?
2. How do the current food systems function?
3. What changes need to be made if the vision is to be achieved?
4. What mechanisms are needed to bring together all stakeholders to work collectively for the shared vision for 2030?
5. What indicators and milestones to 2030 are needed to measure progress?
6. What are the next steps – how to ensure they happen as intended.