Addis ababa: The United Nations has launched the Report of the Secretary-General for the Second Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4), calling for accelerated action to transform the world's food systems as a cornerstone of delivering the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report was officially unveiled on Monday during the UNFSS+4, currently underway at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
According to South African Government News Agency, the report outlines both growing global momentum and the urgent need to scale up inclusive, resilient, and rights-based food systems transformation globally, with a particular focus on SDG 2, which aims to end hunger and achieve food security by 2030. The United Nations emphasized that the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit marked a turning point by recognizing food systems as fundamental to achieving all 17 SDGs. Two years later, the first Stocktake (UNFSS+2) reaffirmed countries' commitments to this vision.
The UNFSS+4 Report highlights a more coordinated and diverse community of governments, including UN agencies, civil society, indigenous people, youth, farmers, businesses, and others, working together to align food systems pathways with broader national and global development goals. By 2025, 128 countries had developed national food systems transformation pathways, and 155 had appointed National Convenors. Of these, 39 countries revised and updated their pathways into more actionable implementation plans. In an increase in accountability, 112 countries voluntarily submitted progress reports in 2025, up from 101 in 2023.
Key trends in the report include the right to food gaining prominence in national strategies and legislation, deeper policy integration, improved governance mechanisms, expanding coalitions and partnerships, prioritization of inclusivity, intensified UN support, and increased investments in science, data, and technology. Despite mobilizing financing, challenges remain as countries reallocate budgets and engage with financial institutions through innovative instruments.
The report stresses the critical role of the multilateral system in delivering resilient food systems and identifies upcoming global events, such as the World Summit for Social Development and COP30, as key opportunities to build on the momentum of UNFSS+4. These summits are expected to link food systems transformation to broader priorities, including decent jobs, energy and affordability, digital connectivity, education, employment and social protection, and climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.