This report summarizes major outcomes of dialogues that were conducted by more than 26 local governments and brought together about 1,000 stakeholders under the partnership between the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability in contribution to the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021.
The purpose of holding the city-level food systems dialogues was to strengthen local multi-stakeholder engagement while collectively reinforcing the position of cities as a key driver of food systems transformation. Dialogue topics cover a wide spectrum of issues such as holistic food strategy (Nairobi, Kenya) and the importance of food governance (Kisumu, Kenya), policies on procurement (Copenhagen, Denmark) and strengthening application of hygiene regulations for improving food safety in markets (Dhaka, Bangladesh).
Sixteen dialogues took the form of in-depth multi-stakeholder engagement and were registered as the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) Independent Summit Dialogue. Important themes throughout all sixteen discussions included multi-level governance, equity, the necessity of systemic approaches, and vertical and horizontal integration.