Events
NEW! Watch the launch of the Whole-of-Food System Governance in Practice webinar series
Our side event at the 54th Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security
Governments around the world are experimenting with new ways to govern food systems across sectors, including interministerial committees, technical working groups and coordination councils. Yet comparative evidence on what enables these institutions to deliver effective coordination, policy coherence and inclusive decision-making remains limited.
This side event presents lessons from Brazil, Cambodia, Somalia, Timor-Leste, Yemen and Zambia, six countries across four continents where the Food System Governance Strengthening Framework has been piloted. An overview of the global results, including lessons from Cambodia and Timor-Leste, will be followed by government representatives from Brazil, Somalia, Yemen and Zambia, who will share how their institutions are designed, how they perform in practice, and what helps them support resilient food systems transformation. Three of the six countries, Somalia, Timor-Leste and Yemen, face protracted crises. Partners from United Nations agencies, development cooperation and civil society will then reflect on the lessons in an open discussion.
The session will present evidence on how different institutional designs support policy coherence, coordination and resilience across diverse political, economic and conflict-affected contexts. It will share practical innovations on how these institutions can help put the policy products of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) into practice, especially the Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition and the Framework for Action for Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Crises. It will also generate actionable messages for CFS Members and stakeholders on strengthening or establishing multisectoral, participatory governance institutions.
Spanish and French interpretation will be provided.
Innovation & Lessons on Whole-of-Food System Governance: Institutional Designs and Their Impacts Across Four Continents
Friday, 23 October 2026 | Green Room, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy, and online
Whole-of-Food System Governance in Practice Webinar series
Whole-of-Food System Governance in Practice: A Framework and Global Evidence
A three-part online series | October – November 2026
One of the biggest barriers to better food systems is not a shortage of policies or technical solutions — it is governance itself. Governments have established councils, committees and coordinating ministries to bring state and non-state actors to the same table, but establishing one is only the beginning. Whether it changes how actors work together, whether that produces more coherent policy, and where it could be strengthened are harder questions.
This series introduces the Food System Governance Strengthening Framework and its Toolkit, and shares what twenty-four countries reveal about how multisectoral coordinating institutions are designed, how they operate, and what makes some more effective than others. The series is intended for government officials working in food system-related fields, the development partners supporting them, academics and other stakeholders.
The sessions will be recorded and made available here afterwards.
Co-hosted by the University of Sydney, Deakin University, Universidad de la República, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, the WHO Regional Office for Europe, GIZ’s Global Programme Transformation of Food Systems, the World Food Programme and UNDP Food Systems.
Session 1 — Launch: Whole-of-Food-System Governance in Practice: Introducing the Food System Governance Strengthening Framework and Toolkit | 7 October 2026, 10:00–11:30 CEST / 19:00–20:30 AEDT. Watch the recording
An introduction to the Food System Governance Strengthening Framework and Toolkit: how it was developed, how institutions can apply it or commission an assessment, and what the evidence from twenty-four countries reveals about how these institutions are designed and how they perform.
NEW!
Session 2 — Food System Governance in Practice: Lessons from Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific | 28 October 2026, 10:00–11:30 CET / 20:00–21:30 AEDT
Cross-country findings on how institutions across these regions are structured, where authority sits, and how non-state actors are engaged — followed by responses from Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Somalia, Yemen and Zambia on their own institutions.
Session 3 — Food System Governance in Practice: Lessons from the Americas | 19 November 2026, 14.00 - 15.00 CST / 17.00 - 18.00 BRT / 21.00 - 22.00 CET / 7.00 - 8.00 AEDT (next day)
Cross-country findings drawing on Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru — followed by responses from Brazil on its assessment and Mexico on its SINSAMAC process.