Since the mid-2010s, progress in reducing food insecurity and improving diet quality has stalled. Multiple shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, have exacerbated the situation and put Sustainable Development Goal 2 on Zero Hunger further out of reach.

There have been many calls for action to address the food and diets crisis facing vulnerable people around the world. The private sector has been called on to invest in transforming food systems—at an annual rate of $320 billion—while the development banks have been asked to align financial incentives with food system-related goals. While some of these actors have stepped up, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) opening of a food shock window to channel funds to countries beset by crisis, ultimately, progress depends on governments. National governments are responsible, and can be held accountable, for ensuring food security; healthy, diverse diets; and stable, dignified livelihoods, for their populations.

Since the SDGs were announced in 2015, governments in both high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries have made commitments to actions to address food insecurity and poor diets by 2030, including at the UN General Assembly, the World Health Assembly, the G-20, and the UN Food Systems Summit. What remains uncertain at this midway point is which commitments and actions are most salient, whether and how much global and linked national commitments are both fit-for-purpose and fit for the future, and to what extent these commitments have the potential to address known challenges to achieving SDG goals on food security and healthy diets.

This seminar will shed light on commitments already made, share research results on the potential of current commitments to achieve a focused set of food and nutrition security goals, and foster continued dialogue with global advocacy partners. A brunch reception will follow the presentations.

Opening Remarks

• Johan Swinnen, Managing Director, Systems Transformation, CGIAR and Director General, IFPRI
• Catherine Bertini, Managing Director, Food Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation

Report Findings

• Purnima Menon, Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy, CGIAR and IFPRI

Global Scenarios for Food Security: An imperative for action

• Rob Vos, Director, Markets, Trade and Institutions (MTI), IFPRI

From Commitments to Impact

• Christina Zorbas, Postdoctoral Researcher, Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition in the Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University 
• Shoba Suri, Senior Fellow, Health Initiative, Observer Research Foundation
• Elyse Iruhiriye, Associate Research Fellow, IFPRI

Implications of Findings

• Purnima Menon, Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy, CGIAR and IFPRI

Panelists

• Mwandwe Chileshe, Director, Food Security Nutrition and Agriculture, Global Citizen
• Oliver Camp, Environment and Food Systems Advocacy Advisor, The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)
• Alexandre Brecher, Communications and Advocacy Advisor, Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement
• Pedro Vormittag, Deputy Director for External Relations, Brazilian Center of International Relations (CEBRI)

Moderators

• Purnima Menon, Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy, CGIAR and IFPRI
• Asma Lateef, Policy and Advocacy Lead, SDG2 Advocacy Hub