High-level roundtable | Agrifood systems taking action for nature
High-Level Roundtable
AGRIFOOD SYSTEMS TAKING ACTION FOR NATURE
FAO Headquarters, Red room - Rome (Italy)
18/02/2026
17:45 – 18:55 CET
On 18 February 2026, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with the Armenian Presidency of COP17 and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), will co‑host a High‑Level Roundtable on “Agrifood systems taking action for nature” at FAO headquarters.
Held alongside the sixth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI‑6) of the CBD (16–19 February), the event comes at a pivotal moment. As the first major implementation‑focused meeting following adoption of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), SBI‑6 sets the stage for reviewing progress on National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), identifying gaps and signalling priorities ahead of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17). Building on the momentum from CBD COP16 – where FAO, the Government of Colombia and the CBD Secretariat launched the Agri‑NBSAPs Support Initiative – the Roundtable will explore how countries are integrating agrifood systems into their biodiversity strategies as they shift from planning to implementation of the KMGBF. Discussions will highlight national experiences, priority actions and the support needed to scale up biodiversity efforts across agrifood systems.
Moderated by Kaveh Zahedi, FAO Assistant Director‑General and Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, the event will bring together senior government representatives and international partners to examine how agrifood systems can accelerate biodiversity action and support countries in delivering on their KMGBF commitments. A special visual installation in the Atrium will showcase FAO’s biodiversity work across agricultural sectors.
The Roundtable will be streamed live on UN Web TV with interpretation in all six UN languages.
Programme
Opening statements
Dr QU Dongyu, Director-General, FAO
H.E. Hambardzum Matevosyan, Minister of Environment, President of COP17, Armenia
Ms Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Roundtable
Navigating the Global Biodiversity Framework across agrifood systems: Insights and Next Steps
Mr Hesiquio Benitez Diaz, Director of Biodiversity, Cooperation and Implementation, National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), Mexico
Mr SHINDO Mitsuaki, Minister-Counsellor, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome, Japan
Ms Sikeade Egbuwalo, CBD National Focal Point, Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria
Ms Chizuru Aoki, Manager of MEAs and Funds Division, Global Environment Facility (GEF)
Moderator:
Mr Kaveh Zahedi, Assistant Director-General, Director of Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, FAO
Resources highlights
Jointly launched by FAO, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Government of Colombia during COP16 in 2024, the Agri‑NBSAPs Support Initiative helps countries integrate agrifood systems into their NBSAPs and supports their implementation.
The Initiative contributes to the achievement of the KMGBF by helping countries identify and translate its targets into agrifood‑system‑specific actions that advance the biodiversity commitments outlined in their NBSAPs. This support focuses on strengthening institutional capacity, improving policy coherence, fostering stakeholder participation, generating knowledge and enhancing access to finance.
Amid accelerating biodiversity loss and growing threats to ecosystems, sustainable agrifood systems can play a crucial role in reversing these trends while ensuring food security for a growing global population. Agrifood systems are directly linked to more than half of the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and, in some way, to all the others. Therefore, agrifood sectors have a significant role in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of actions necessary to meet the framework's targets. By highlighting the connections between the KMGBF and agrifood sectors, this publication aims to facilitate the engagement of agrifood stakeholders in the framework's implementation.