FAO at the UNFSS+4: Putting youth, science and innovation, targeted investments and trust-based partnerships at the centre of agrifood systems transformation

Addis Ababa/Rome - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu led the Organization’s participation in the Second United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4), co-hosted by Ethiopia and Italy and including a series of events and initiatives led or co-led by FAO.

Through various interventions - plenary sessions, Ministerial roundtables and other high-level events - the Director-General conveyed FAO’s key messages to the Stocktake where he stressed that empowering young people and leveraging cutting-edge innovation, combined with inclusive, rights-based policies and strategic partnerships, offers the most effective pathway to accelerate global agrifood systems transformation. 

New SOFI report reveals uneven progress on global hunger

On July 28,  on the margins of the opening day of the UNFSS+4,  a special event was held to launch the 2025 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI).  The report reveals a modest improvement in global hunger levels, with the share of people facing hunger declining from 8.5 percent in 2023 to 8.2 percent in 2024. While Asia and Latin America have seen encouraging progress, hunger continues to worsen in Africa, where 307 million people - equivalent to 20 percent of the population - are food insecure.

Speaking at the launch event, the FAO Director-General noted that the world must act with greater urgency and inclusiveness to address the uneven progress in the fight against global hunger and malnutrition as he called for integrated and collective efforts to ensure that everyone has access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.

“In the face of global disruptions, protectionist or inward-looking policies are counterproductive. What we need is coordinated global action - based on shared responsibility, solidarity, and sound evidence,” Qu said.

The Director-General especially commended Brazil, and in particular President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, for having succeeded in taking Brazil off the hunger map, with less than 2.5 percent of the population facing hunger.  He praised Brazil for this achievement highlighting that it provided a successful model for the region and beyond.

_{(From Left to Right) Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Claver Gatete, Assistant Executive Director of WFP, Valerie Guarneri, FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, the President of Ethiopia, Taye Atske Selassie, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, and the Director of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Álvaro Lario, at the High-Level Launch of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 (SOFI 2025).}

Three major areas to drive transformation of agrifood systems

Earlier on the same day, the Director-General addressed the UNFSS+4 opening plenary in Addis Ababa, where he outlined three major areas to drive transformation of agrifood systems.

First, he underscored the importance of empowering youth as a driving force in transforming agrifood systems. Referencing FAO’s first global assessment on Youth in Agrifood Systems, he called for urgent action to close gaps in education, employment, and leadership opportunities for young people, especially young women.

Second, he pointed to the need for scaling innovation and technology as essential for overcoming systemic barriers. He highlighted the role of the World Food Forum, with its three pillars – Hand-in-Hand Investment, Science and Innovation, and Youth and Women’s Empowerment - as a key platform for accelerating solutions. Tools such as the FAO-led Agrifood Systems Technologies and Innovations Outlook (ATIO) he said, are helping countries identify and adopt innovations including digital agriculture, artificial intelligence, and precision farming.

The Director-General also noted the growing momentum of FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative, which applies geospatial targeting and data to guide investments where they are most needed. It has already grown from $1.5 billion in 2022 to $4.5 billion in 2024, reflecting increasing country demand and donor support.

Third, he advocated grounding transformation in the Right to Food – a foundation for transparency, participation, accountability, and inclusion. Qu emphasized FAO’s role in hosting the support mechanism for the Global Alliance Against Poverty and Hunger, launched under the G20 Brazil Presidency, which serves as a platform for coordinated financing and technical support aligned with national priorities.

Bridging financing gaps through stronger public–private collaboration; integrating tools, digital technologies and finances to benefit smallholder famers

On July 29, the Director-General opened the “Transforming Food Systems Together” plenary at UNFSS+4, stressing the urgency of aligning action, investment, and accountability. The session highlighted the need to bridge financing gaps through stronger public–private collaboration. Speakers showcased initiatives combining financial, social, and environmental returns, while a Ministerial Roundtable emphasized local food sovereignty and scaling up rural solutions through innovation and traditional knowledge.

The session highlighted how traditional agricultural, fishing, and pastoral practices are at risk and in need of adaptation to environmental, social, and economic challenges. As multifaceted risks - including the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, geopolitical conflicts and disruptions in global supply chains - continue to threaten food availability and access, scaling up local production and resilience is increasingly important.

In his remarks, the FAO Director-General underscored the need to scale up action in rural communities, emphasizing initiatives such as FAO’s Digital Villages Initiative which integrates tools, digital technologies and finances to ensure smallholder famers can also benefit.   

FAO pushes for coffee value chain reform

On July 27, the Director-General participated in a high-level UNFSS+4 session titled "Advancing Transformation of the Coffee Value Chain," where he called for urgent and coordinated action to make global coffee production more resilient, fair, and sustainable.

"Transforming strategic value chains like coffee is no longer optional. It is essential to achieving a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable future," he stated, noting that nearly half of the world's 25 million coffee farmers live on less than $3.20 a day.

He outlined three priorities for the sector: enhancing climate resilience, supporting producers in meeting new market demands, and mobilizing inclusive investment.

High-level engagement  

As part of the UNFSS+4, FAO led or co-led a series of specific events, including plenary sessions and Ministerial roundtables, high-level panels, investment dialogues, and special events, including the Plenary Session/Roundtable: Navigating Transitions to Inclusive, Resilient, Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems: Reflecting on Progress. Led by FAO and UNEP, the event allowed participants to discuss policy options to support inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems, while addressing trade-offs, hidden costs, and rising health challenges.

High-Level Panels included:

• Listening to Practitioners: Barriers and Enablers of Food System Transformation - Led by FAO and UNDP the event explored practical challenges and shared solutions for aligning actors and strengthening inclusive governance to support agrifood systems transformation.
• Anticipating the Future of Food: Science, Knowledge and Innovation for Just Transformations - Led by FAO, CFS SAC and CGIAR the event highlighted the critical role of science and innovation in accelerating equitable agrifood systems transformation in the context of global challenges.
• Mobilizing High-Impact Climate Finance: Unlocking Finance and Increasing Investments - Led by Brazil with FAO, UNEP and UNDP the event focused on expanding climate finance options to support smallholders and adaptation through agrifood systems transformation. Within this context it also highlighted initiatives such as the School Meals Impact Accelerator and the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty.
  

^{FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu addresses the public during the Ministerial Roundtable about Food Sovereignty in the UNFSS+4.}

Investment Dialogues

Accelerating Investment through Innovative Finance - Led by FAO the event allowed participants to discuss innovative financial mechanisms and instruments that can mobilize increased, targeted and better investment for agrifood systems transformation.

Increased and Targeted Investment through Public-Private Partnerships – Led by FAO the event explored the evolution of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in development finance. Among other things, the session also discussed how PPPs can be effectively scaled up and out to maximize resource use efficiency, share risk, and deliver greater impact by delivering multiple objectives and co-benefits at the same time, achieving economic and financial viability, social inclusivity as well as environmentally sustainability.

Field trips: school feeding and local markets in focus

During his visit to Ethiopia, the Director-General also visited three initiatives linking agrifood systems to nutrition and livelihoods. At the Lemi Kura Market Center, he saw how modern infrastructure is boosting farmers' incomes and food access in cities. He also visited the Dejazmach Wondirad Pre-primary School, where nutritious meals are provided through Ethiopia’s Home-Grown School Feeding Programme. Finally, at the Gulele Injera Bakery Center, he met women’s groups producing Ethiopia’s staple bread from teff, supporting school meals and local economies.