New York, United States of America, Sept. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The UN Global Compact brought together leaders from the private sector, governments, the United Nations, and civil society today to discuss and identify pathways for accelerating corporate action in transforming food systems. The gathering included over 60 representatives from diverse sectors and countries, all committed to driving progress toward more sustainable and equitable food systems.
The UN Global Compact Collective Action on Sustainable Food Systems was formed in response to the UN Secretary-General’s call to action made during the UNFSS+2 Stocktaking to foster increased corporate engagement in shaping sustainable food systems and enhancing accountability mechanisms ahead of the 2025 UN Food Systems Summit+4 and COP30.
Corporate action on food systems is critical because businesses play a key role in shaping global food production, distribution, and consumption. By adopting sustainable practices, corporations can significantly reduce environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and water use. Moreover, their engagement helps improve food security, promotes fair labour practices, and supports resilient supply chains, which are essential for addressing the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and global inequities in food access. Ultimately, these actions will make businesses more resilient and fit for the future.
Sanda Ojiambo, Executive Director and CEO of the UN Global Compact emphasized her commitment to leading this change: ‘’The UN Global Compact is stepping up its work on food systems to deliver on the ambitions of the UN Food Systems Summits. Today’s meeting marks the acceleration of the journey for companies and stakeholders to accelerate corporate action to transform our food systems.”
Mr. Yinjang Chen, CEO of Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp., said: ‘’Master Kong is honored to be a founding member of the Steering Committee of the UN Global Compact Collective Action on Sustainable Food Systems. I am looking forward to the journey ahead and building more resilient and equitable food systems’’.
Participants engaged in dynamic discussions aimed at identifying key levers to accelerate the corporate transition and accountability toward more sustainable and equitable food systems. The event also served as a platform to outline the ambitions of the UN Global Compact Collective Action on Sustainable Food Systems.
Working with the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, the initiative is driven by a working group consisting of 15 UN and non-UN organizations and will culminate in the launch of prioritized pathways for corporate action across key areas such as environment, social equity, nutrition, and finance. The program will also address significant challenges, by employing a regional approach, engaging SMEs and building more robust and sustainable food supply chains.
This collective action will be essential in guiding businesses and financial institutions to transform their operations in line with the SDGs and ensure accountability as they contribute to the global transformation of food systems.
Notes to Editors
About the UN Global Compact
As a special initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General, the UN Global Compact is a call to companies worldwide to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 20,000 participating companies, five Regional Hubs, 62 Global Compact Country Networks covering 78 countries and 14 Country Managers establishing Networks in 20 other countries, the UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative — one Global Compact uniting business for a better world. For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit our website at www.unglobalcompact.org.
