About the Food Systems Summit (FSS)

The United Nations Food Systems Summit (FSS) to take place in September 2021, is seen as a critical contribution to the Decade of Action and Delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The FSS will raise global awareness to understand the food systems challenges we must solve, build a global conversation on the way in which we produce, process, and consume food, and galvanize global actions and commitments to change our food systems to provide safe, nutritious food for all within our planetary boundaries.

Business contribution to the summit

WBCSD is leading the private sector engagement in preparing for the FSS. WBCSD’s President and CEO, Peter Bakker, has been appointed as a Member of the Advisory Committee to the Food Systems Summit Secretariat. Together with the Private Sector Guiding Group, WBCSD has been supporting summit processes by mobilizing private sector solutions and actions.

Business expectations from the summit

WBCSD has a particular mandate to support business engagement in the FSS process and facilitate action in support of summit outcomes.

The FSS presents a unique opportunity to accelerate private sector action to transform food systems and encourage more companies to engage. By coming to the summit with defined policy asks, SMART commitments and clear pathways for scaling innovative initiatives – the business community can help build confidence among delegates to raise their level of ambition and catalyze the multi-stakeholder partnerships, policies and financing needed to deliver progress.

Through Science to Policy Dialogues, WBCSD will inform the development of a series of “Business Policy Asks”. This aims to create a unified business voice at the summit calling for progressive government action to help raise the ambition of policy makers. The Policy Asks is complemented by a Business Declaration that sets out the ambition of business in accelerating the transformation to an equitable, net-zero and nature-positive food systems that can nourish all people.

Upcoming FSS side events

Climate action to transform food systems: Linking the UNFSS and COP26 through initiatives that support greater resilience to climate change,

14 September 2021, 16:00 – 17:30 CEST. Please register via this link.

Fixing the business of Food: Private Sector Alignment with the SDGs and Accountability to Achieve Food Systems Transformation,

16 September 2021, 14:00 – 15:30 CEST. Please register via this link.

Investing in Food Systems Transformation: The roles of enterprise, community, finance and philanthropy,

16 September 2021, 16:00 – 18:30 CEST. Please register via this link.

Embrace the Earth – Soil health as a foundation to sustainable food systems,

17 September 2021, 15.00 – 16.30 CEST. Hosted by Rabobank, WBCSD and FMO. Please register via this link.

Good Food Finance High Level Roundtable, 20 September 2021, 14:00-15:30 CEST. Invite-only CEO level roundtable hosted by the Good Food Finance Network Core Partners. For further details contact Victoria Crawford.

Launch of the Zero Hunger Pledge, Nourish the Future,

21 September 2021, 10:00 – 11:30 EST/ 4:00 – 5:30 CEST. Please register via this link.

Launch of WBA’s Food and Agriculture benchmark,

21 September 2021, 14:00 – 15:30 CEST. Please register via this link.

Pathway to Net Zero Dairy,

22 September 2021, 15.00 – 16.00 CEST. Please register via this link.