In a concerted effort to address critical global challenges, the High Impact Initiative (HII) on food systems is set to champion an integrated vision outlined by the Secretary-General during the Food Systems Summit and reinforced in the UNFSS +2 Stocktaking Moment 2023. This initiative seeks to emphasize the interconnectedness of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a primary focus on eradicating poverty, advancing climate action and environmental protection, eliminating hunger, and enhancing nutrition and access to nutritious diets.
Leading and Collaborating Agencies: The initiative is a collaborative endeavor involving leading international agencies:
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
World Food Programme (WFP)
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
World Bank
The High Impact Initiative on food systems centers its efforts on mobilizing financial resources, scientific expertise, data utilization (including geospatial platforms), innovative solutions, and robust policy and governance mechanisms to facilitate the transformation of food systems. Its overarching goal is to provide means of implementation to assist nations in executing national pathways towards sustainable food systems, while also encouraging Member States to prioritize their journey toward food system transformation, thereby ensuring food security and the availability of healthy diets for all within sustainable frameworks that benefit both people and the planet. The initiative underscores the importance of holistic sustainability considerations among all stakeholders, with a focus on food systems that generate positive economic, social, and environmental impacts.
To enhance the impact of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit, the Secretary-General has initiated an SDG Action Weekend. This event will create opportunities for various stakeholders, United Nations entities, and Member States to convene within the United Nations Headquarters and articulate specific commitments and contributions aimed at driving SDG transformation from now until 2030.
The SDG Action Weekend comprises two key components:
1. SDG Mobilization Day (16 September): This day offers stakeholders from diverse sectors a platform to convene within the United Nations Headquarters and mobilize efforts for an ambitious SDG Summit and UN General Assembly High-Level Week.
2. SDG Acceleration Day (17 September 2023): This event is designed to propel stakeholders from aspiration to action, emphasizing the role of High Impact Initiatives, multi-generational campaigns like Generation Equality, and cross-SDG impact catalysts such as SDG Digital in accelerating collective achievements.
The upcoming SDG Summit on 18-19 September represents a crucial midpoint on the path to achieving the SDGs by 2030. Its success hinges on securing breakthroughs and sustaining momentum, and to this end, the Secretary-General’s SDG Action Weekend offers a platform for stakeholders, UN entities, and Member States to come together, articulate specific commitments, and chart a course for driving SDG transformation in the decade ahead.