The world is rapidly urbanizing. The evidence suggests that this is typically accompanied by a rapid urban ‘nutrition transition’, fueled by shifts in urban lifestyles and diets with resultant over- and under-nutrition, obesity and increased incidences of non-communicable diseases, like diabetes. The magnitude of these trends, within the wider food system, is illustrated by the more than 70% volume of all food produced that is consumed in cities.
Moreover, urban food systems often lack resilience and contribute to climate change and unsustainable practices as evidenced by the large amounts of food waste characterizing urban food systems and the emission of almost 8% of the world’s greenhouse gases from human activity.
This side event aims to enable those making N4G commitments to better understand the added value of urban and local food systems governance in the formulation of commitments and their implementation and delivery. Key principles such as multistakeholder participation and partnerships in public policies and strategies constitute some of the underlying principles of involving sub-national actors. In so doing the organizer, the informal Urban Food Systems Working Group, strives to support those making N4G commitments to fully realize the N4G principles of engagement within the urban food systems context.
This event will focus on raising awareness of value and role of urban, local and regional governments in making food systems more inclusive, equitable, sustainable and resilient to advance healthy diets for all. Such awareness is most critical and relevant where commitments and actions that underline the transformation of urban food systems also robustly connect with the food systems at "higher levels" (regional, territorial, national and global).
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