When: 8 December 2023 from 18:00 – 19:00 hrs UTC+4
Where: Virtual under the auspices of the EU Pavilion, COP28, Dubai
Organizers: Coalition of Action on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Foods Systems, Nordic Council of Ministers
Food systems are both a significant driver and victim of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. More than 3 billion people are not able to afford healthy diets, contributing to all forms of malnutrition, while many environmental systems and processes in the food value chain are pushed beyond safe planetary boundaries.
The 2023 IPPC report identified the shift to sustainable healthy diets as a significant potential contribution to the reduction of net CO2 emissions. There is an urgent need to transform our food systems. Solutions include prioritizing public sector policies and strategies that increase access and affordability of healthy foods, ensure healthy food environments by mitigating and controlling the marketing of highly processed foods and beverages with high sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats content, creating incentives to increase production of healthy foods, and reducing food loss and waste. Implementing such interventions requires policy actions across sectors and at all levels including regulation, use of fiscal instruments, and reformulation.
Moderator
Abigail Perry, Director, Nutrition Division, World Food Programme
Speakers
- Roser Domenech, Director, One Health, Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission
- Francesco Branca, Director, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, World Health Organization
- Unni Kløvstad, Head of Department for Gender Equality, International Co-operation, Natural Resources and Culture, Nordic Council of Ministers
- Divine Njie, Deputy Director, Food Systems and Food Safety Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Lars Roth, Director, Government Partnerships, Environmental Defense Fund
- Victor Suárez, Undersecretary of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty - Mexico (TBC)
- Matthews Mhuru, Deputy Executive Director, National Food and Nutrition Commission, Zambia
- Steven Ratuva, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Pacific Director, Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, Fellow Royal Society of New Zealand