Addis Ababa, July 29, 2025 (FMC) – The Second United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake (#UNFSS+4) concluded today in Addis Ababa, reaffirming the global commitment to transform food systems as a critical pathway toward sustainable development.
Co-hosted by the Government of Ethiopia, Italy, and the United Nations, the three-day summit served as a vital platform to assess progress on national and international initiatives launched since the inaugural Food Systems Summit in 2021.
Throughout the sessions, participants underscored the urgent need to scale up investments, implement inclusive policies, and strengthen accountability mechanisms to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The summit featured high-level plenaries, expert dialogues, and country-led field visits, showcasing Ethiopia’s pioneering efforts in climate-smart agriculture, wheat production, food value chains, and agro-processing industries.
In his closing address, President Taye Atske Selassie emphasized the summit’s significance and the collective resolve moving forward.
“We conclude this summit with a renewed aspiration and an accelerated determination,” President Taye stated. “We convened to take stock and advance a mandate for action at a critical juncture, as international challenges threaten to set back the implementation of Agenda 2063 and the SDGs by nearly 20 percent.”
He further highlighted the unprecedented progress made, noting the contributions of individual countries in reducing global hunger, improving access to safe water, conserving the environment through green initiatives, expanding social protection, and advancing infrastructure development within the agro-food sector.
“Yet, as we acknowledge these achievements, we must confront the difficult truth: in an era marked by cutting-edge technology, over two billion people still lack access to a healthy diet,” President Taye added. “The food systems agenda lies at the heart of human dignity, freedom, and justice.”
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed echoed the call for inclusion, innovation, and urgency to accelerate progress.
“This gathering has reminded us of the immense value in coming together as a global community, to learn from diverse perspectives and experiences, and to boldly pursue transformative action with courage as we move forward,” she remarked.