Governance and multistakeholder engagement at the heart of SDG progress

Transforming the world’s agrifood systems isn’t just about better crops or smarter technology. It's also about people, empowerment, and partnership. That’s the focus of the next FAO HASTEN Lecture Series event, Multistakeholder Engagement and Governance for Agrifood Systems Transformation – Advancing the SDGs, happening online on 25 November 2025 from 11:30 to 13:00 CET.

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The session will spotlight how inclusive governance and cross-sector collaboration can unlock the deep, systemic change needed to make agrifood systems more sustainable and resilient.

Strong governance is the backbone of any successful transformation. This lecture will explore how governments, farmers, youth, academia, and the private sector can jointly address today’s most pressing food challenges, from hunger and climate shocks to inequitable access and waste.

Opening the event, FAO Lead Technical Officer Hajnalka Petrics will set the scene for a deep dive by her FAO colleague Pramisha Thapaliya, an Agrifood Systems Specialist, who will outline actionable frameworks for building trust, coordination, and shared accountability across stakeholders.

Grounding these ideas in practice, speakers from South Sudan, Uganda, and Ireland will showcase how inclusive governance is driving progress in their national contexts, as follows:

• Dr. Florence Dwoki Lado, Evaluation and development consultant, South Sudan
• Edward Walugembe, Commissioner, Strategic Coordination and Implementation, Office of The Prime Minister, Uganda
• Dr Tom Arnold, Chair, Ireland Africa Rural Development Committee (IARDC), Ireland

Dr Florence Dwoki Lado, Edward Walugembe, and Dr Tom Arnold will share lessons on how multistakeholder processes can bridge divides and accelerate agrifood systems transformation, ensuring that all voices - especially those of local communities - help shape the future of food and agriculture.

Part of FAO’s wider HASTEN initiative to equip young leaders with systems-thinking tools, the lecture underscores a simple truth: the path to sustainable, equitable agrifood systems begins with collaboration. By reimagining governance as a shared responsibility, FAO aims to inspire a new generation of changemakers to build the partnerships that will power the 2030 Agenda forward.