UNFSS Independent Dialogues Forum
As UNFSS nears 1,000 Independent Dialogues, join a discussion to reflect on what’s been accomplished and a consideration of what’s next!
Over the course of 18 months, and during an unprecedented pandemic, hundreds of thousands of people have come together in nearly every country in the world to debate, collaborate and take action towards a better future through the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) Independent Dialogues. As UNFSS nears a milestone moment of 1,000 Independent Dialogues, participants are invited to join a discussion to reflect on what’s been accomplished and a consideration of what’s next.
The Summit has engaged people around the world in an ambitious effort to accelerate action to transform food systems to realize the vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In the context of the Decade of Action, the Summit has been a catalytic moment for global public mobilization and motivating actionable commitments by various stakeholders. Food Systems Summit Dialogues have a critical role in this process. The Dialogues Program has engaged more than 100,000 people around the world; people who have stepped forward to ensure that their perspectives would serve as direct input to the Summit and who are serious about taking real action towards positive change for food systems.
Independent Dialogues are one of three main components of the Food Systems Summit Dialogues, the other two being Member State Dialogues and Global Dialogues. Independent Dialogues can be convened by any interested group, anywhere. The Independent Dialogues have value in bringing diverse people together on a variety of issues to think about and build momentum for accelerated action in all contexts. People connecting and interacting around food systems issues has value in and of itself quite apart from the substance that emerges from the Dialogues. The feedback collected from Dialogues provide important and thoughtful guidance about how food systems transformation should be undertaken, and solutions implemented.
About the Event
The forum will take place in two sessions on November 29, 2021. The first session, from 2:00-4:00 AM EST, will have translation services provided in Russian, Chinese and Arabic. The second session, from 11:00AM-1:00PM EST, will have translation services in Spanish and French.
The goals of this event are to:
- Celebrate the Conveners and participants of this milestone number of dialogues and encourage continued dialogues between now and stock take on food systems summit in two years
- Discuss the findings of the third Independent Dialogue synthesis report with a wide range of stakeholders
- Discuss how the feedback from the dialogues influenced the Summit and how dialogues can be a mechanism of change
- Strengthen collaboration between Independent conveners and with Member State dialogues/conveners
- Share ideas for the future of the dialogues and engage with questions and comments about the anticipated journey.
The events will include remarks from:
- Dr. Agnes Kalibata, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to the 2021 Food Systems Summit
- Dr. Michael Quinn Patton, Founder of Blue Marble Evaluation and team lead for the synthesis of the Independent Dialogues
- Dr. David Nabarro, Strategic Director of 4SD and UN Food Systems Summit Dialogues Senior Advisor.
The event will also feature a panel of Independent Dialogue Conveners speaking to their diverse experiences with the Dialogues Program, and will close with an interactive Q&A session for all participants to engage in. To view the Event Program, click the link on the left-hand side of the page.