The United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment, held in Addis Ababa from July 27 to 29, saw a large turnout of stakeholders in the global food value chain, including governments, civil society, the private sector, and international organizations. Member States presented their national pathways for achieving food security and building resilient food systems. Businesses highlighted the transformative policy measures needed to expand agricultural investment and enhance the capacity of small and medium enterprises. The role of youth as key drivers of agrifood systems transformation was also widely discussed.
A unified call and strong commitment to a future where no one goes to bed hungry was echoed by Heads of State and Government, leaders of international organizations, ministers, and private sector stakeholders.
The Summit also featured debates on the declining trend in development finance, which falls short of the USD 400 billion needed annually to implement the food systems agenda. Restrictions on technology transfer, stemming from intellectual property protections, were also discussed. The impact of the current geopolitical landscape and coercive measures on food trade, agricultural supplies, and the broader management of food value chains was examined. Discussions also covered the concept of food sovereignty, balancing the protection of smallholder farms with the interests of large agribusinesses.
Africa made its case anchored in Agenda 2063 and the Kampala Declaration on the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), which is set to enter into force in January 2026. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the AU’s Champion for Agricultural Development, highlighted Africa’s potential to feed itself and beyond, a message that gained broad consensus during the Summit. The continent’s goals to eliminate hunger, expand intra-African food trade, and boost agricultural productivity received strong support.
In the early years of the United Nations, Ethiopia stressed that the organization’s focus on collective security would fall short without coordinated efforts toward equitable development and poverty eradication. Since this 1953 call to action, the UN has advanced an extensive development agenda that has accelerated progress in poverty reduction and sustainable growth. Staying true to its tradition of advancing international cooperation on development, Ethiopia is working to place food security and poverty alleviation at the center of global discourse.
Seizing the opportunity presented by the Summit, Ethiopia showcased its national food systems roadmap through key initiatives such as Yelemat Tirufat, Green Legacy, and the summer wheat irrigation program. As part of this, 400 participants from around the world were taken on field visits to sites organized around various value chains, including “Avocado,” “Poultry,” “Livestock and Dairy,” “Research and Development,” “Wheat,” and “School Feeding.”
Ethiopia also co-hosted several side events, including a high-level panel on transforming the coffee value chain and a session on the role of art in mobilizing youth. The iconic Science Museum hosted the coffee panel, which featured dialogue between representatives of Africa’s two largest coffee producers, Ethiopia and Uganda, and one of the world’s largest coffee processing nations, Italy. The head of the International Coffee Organization presented recommendations to ensure fair trade and equitable benefits for producers. The Executive Director of the African Coffee Organization outlined the steps Africa must take to further develop its strategic crop and reduce exports of raw beans. Italy pledged USD 100 million from its climate action fund to support efforts to transform the coffee value chain in Ethiopia and Uganda.
The deliberations and debates in Addis will continue at key global platforms, including the 30th Climate Conference in Belém, Brazil; the UN Social Summit in Doha, Qatar; the Biodiversity Conference in Yerevan, Armenia; and the 2025 SDG Summit in New York.