The Food Systems Facility (which emerged from The Future of Food Systems Collaboration (FFSC) initiative)

The UN Food Systems Summit created momentum for a sustainable transition of our food systems. A transition that needs to happen primarily at the country level. The dialogues and resulting pathways have been an important initial step in a longer, more sustained food systems transformation journey. Continued commitment from Member States and coordinated support from the UN System is needed as the process moves from the mobilization and commitment to the consolidation and implementation phase. 

Building on the initial experiences with national food systems dialogues and nascent interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder collaboration mechanisms at country level around food systems, there is an opportunity to take this country level process to the next level and spur systems-level transformation.  Experience in multi-stakeholder collaboration proves that dedicated long-term support is needed to empower stakeholders in-country to lead transformational change by themselves, their organizations and the system around them. The UN, with its neutral convener role and in-country structure around RCOs and UNCTs is well placed to provide this deeper and on-going level support to countries so that they embrace a systems approach and strengthen platforms and collaboration vehicles for inclusive and effective multi-stakeholder collaboration around food systems. This to be successful requires capacity building in-country so that Member States can continue driving multi-stakeholder collaboration around their food system transformation pathways.   

It is proposed therefore that the missing piece to the Post Summit architecture and what is needed to complement the Hub is a mechanism to deliver, in close coordination with RCs and UNCTs, bespoke guidance to countries in adopting & strengthening inter-disciplinary, cross-sectoral, and effective & inclusive multistakeholder processes to support food systems transformation.