Whole of Food System Governance in Practice: Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific

Across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, governments have set up councils, committees and working groups to bring the many sectors and actors that shape food systems to the same table. Their contexts differ widely, from fragile and conflict-affected settings to long-established welfare states. Yet they share the same underlying question: how can a multisectoral food system governance institution move beyond convening, so that it changes how actors work together and how policy is made and delivered? The Food System Governance Strengthening Framework offers a structured way to answer these questions. This session presents regional findings from its evidence base, which covers twenty-four countries examined, including six full assessments conducted with governments. Representatives from Somalia, Timor-Leste, Yemen and Zambia, all of which have completed a full assessment of their institutions, will then share what shaped the design of these institutions, how they have built working relationships across ministries and with non-state actors, and where coordination has translated into more coherent policy and action. The session also takes up questions raised by participants at the launch of the Framework on 7 October. Government representatives will speak to how their institutions are financed, how they work in fragile settings, which sectors, actors and levels of government take part, and how food system governance relates to existing nutrition coordination. Leading researchers and practitioners will then each respond to one of these questions, before an extended discussion with the audience. Objectives • To present regional findings from Africa, and from Europe, the Middle East and Asia • To hear directly from four governments on their experience of whole-of-food system governance and of assessing their institutions • To reflect on what these experiences mean for institutions working in different contexts • To respond to questions raised at the launch of the Framework, particularly on financing, accountability, participation and levels of governance