UNFSS+4 Independent Stakeholders Report

Abstract

This 2025 Independent Stakeholders Report for the UNFSS+4 shows growing emphasis on inclusive governance and stronger accountability mechanisms to challenge structural power imbalances and reaffirm the role of communities in shaping food systems. Multistakeholder platforms and coalitions are increasingly recognized as key avenues for collaboration, but stakeholders stress the need to move beyond participation toward rights-based co-governance - embedding formal roles for marginalized groups, particularly Women and Youth, in decision-making. They are calling for robust monitoring, transparency, and concrete accountability frameworks to ensure national commitments are met, as well as institutionalized participation, dedicated financing, and intergenerational equity strategies. There is also a clear demand for UNFSS+4 to enhance alignment of policies and financing across national, regional, and global frameworks—such as the SDGs, NDCs, and COP30—positioning food systems at the core of sustainable development.

Stakeholders in general call for more inclusive national food systems transformation pathways, including processes of pathway development and implementation. They expressed disappointment with what they described as often superficial or symbolic consultation processes. They underlined that without clear feedback loops, follow-up mechanisms and visible commitment from decision-makers, food systems strategies risk ending up being ineffective. Lack of meaningful inclusion is considered not as a technical oversight but as a matter of political will, calling for real joint decision-making.