UN FOOD SYSTEMS SUMMIT PRINCIPLES OF ENGAGMENT

And their relation to the Food Systems Summit Dialogues

Act with Urgency

We recognise the utmost urgency of sustained and meaningful action at all levels to reach the respective 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

In light of this urgency, the Dialogues are organized as contributions to the Food Systems Summit and to the elaboration of pathways to food systems transformation contributing to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Commit to the Summit

We commit to practicing what we preach personally and professionally to contribute to the vision, objectives and the final outcomes of the Food Systems Summit.

The Dialogues empower stakeholders to participate in the preparation of the Food Systems Summit. They are forward-looking, foster new connections, and enable the emergence of ways to move forward collectively and creatively, embracing the entire scope of opinions.

Be Respectful

Within our respective capacities and circumstances, we will promote food production and consumption policies and practices that strive to protect and improve the health and well-being of individuals, enhance resilient livelihoods and communities, and promote good stewardship of natural resources, while respecting local cultures and contexts.

Respect for one another is a foundation for genuine Dialogue. Participants in the Dialogues are expected to listen to each other and be open to the co-existence of divergent points of view. 

Recognize Complexity

We recognize that food systems are complex, and are closely connected to, and significantly impact upon, human and animal health, land, water, climate, biodiversity, the economy and other systems, and their transformation requires a systemic approach.

Dialogues are an opportunity to embrace the complexity of food systems. They promote a systemic approach by involving multiple stakeholders to identify actions across the system together with potential synergies and trade-offs.

Embrace multi-stakeholder inclusivity

We support inclusive multi-stakeholder processes and approaches within governments and communities that bring in diverse perspectives (including indigenous knowledge, cultural insights, and science-based evidence) to enable stakeholders to find alignment through understanding and to design policy options that deliver against multiple public goods across these various systems.

The Dialogues bring to the table a diversity of stakeholders from within government, the business community, civil society and research – working across the food system from production to consumption. They are inclusive and strive to showcase as many voices as possible, capturing diverse cultural, professional and gender specific perspectives. The multiplicity of voices is captured in the Dialogue feedback.

Complement the work of others

Recognizing that issues related to food systems are being addressed through several other global governance processes, we will seek to ensure that the Food Systems Summit aligns with, amplifies, and accelerates these efforts where practicable; avoiding unnecessary duplication, while encouraging bold and innovative new thinking and approaches that deliver systems-level transformation in line with the Summit’s principles and objectives.

The Dialogues build-on and add-value to existing policy processes and initiatives. They provide an opportunity to share promising innovations, connect stakeholders, and broaden partnerships to transform food systems for the common good.

Build Trust

We will work to ensure the Summit and associated engagement process will promote trust and increase motivation to participate by being evidence-based, transparent, and accessible in governance, decision-making, planning, engagement, and implementation. We – from member states to private businesses to individual actors – will hold ourselves accountable for commitments made with mechanisms in place to uphold this accountability.

The Dialogues are curated and facilitated in a way which creates a “safe space” and promotes trust, encouraging mutual respect. The conclusions emerging from the Dialogues that are shared in the feedback and other media are not attributed to single individuals.