Addis Ababa, July 30, 2025 (FMC) – Held for the first time on African soil, the UN Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktaking Moment brought together over 3,000 participants from across the globe in Addis Ababa from July 27–29, 2025. The summit was hosted by the Government of Ethiopia in collaboration with the United Nations and the Government of Italy.
Across the three days, government leaders, UN agencies, development partners, farmers, youth, indigenous peoples, and civil society actors convened under the theme “Transforming Food Systems for People, Planet and Prosperity.” Discussions focused on reviewing progress since the original 2021 summit and charting future directions for accelerated action on food systems transformation by 2030.
Day 1: Action Day – Showcasing Ethiopia’s Food Systems Transformation
The summit opened with an immersive Action Day, featuring high-level field visits in and outside Addis Ababa to demonstrate Ethiopia’s integrated, multi-sectoral approach to food systems transformation.
Key highlights included:
- Yeka Bole Bulbula Integrated Agro-Industrial Park (IAIP): Showcasing Ethiopia’s agro-processing capacity to add value and link smallholder farmers to markets.
- Millennium Food Bank (Gulele Sub-City): Demonstrating solidarity-based food security programs targeting vulnerable populations.
- Abado Irrigation Scheme (Akaki): Climate-adaptive farming models supporting small-scale producers.
- Addis Ababa School Feeding Program: Government-led nutrition efforts improving child well-being and learning outcomes.
Other visits included nutrition centers, backyard farms, and cooperative enterprises in and around Oromia and Addis Ababa, highlighting community engagement, innovation, and local governance in food systems.
Parallel to field visits, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed held bilateral meetings with leaders including:
- President William Ruto (Kenya) — deepening regional food security and development cooperation.
- President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (Somalia) — focusing on regional stability and shared food systems goals.
- Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (Italy) — advancing Italy-Ethiopia agricultural collaboration.
- UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed — reaffirming partnership in sustainable food systems transformation.
- IFAD President Álvaro Lario — discussing climate-smart agriculture and rural livelihoods.
Cultural and thematic side events complemented the day, such as:
- A Coffee and African Indigenous Crops forum celebrating Ethiopia’s rich agricultural heritage.
- The Chef-led African Food Exhibition and African Food Systems Policy Convening, linking culinary heritage with policy dialogue.
On that day, Prime Minister Abiy also hosted a dinner reception at the National Palace for distinguished guests,
Day 2: High-Level Opening Plenary & Leadership Engagements
The second day marked the formal opening of the main plenary, with high-level leaders articulating commitments and urgent calls for action:
- Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed: Emphasized Ethiopia’s homegrown solutions, the transformative power of science, community ownership, and public-private partnerships.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni: Reaffirmed Italy’s support for African food sovereignty, agro-industry, and nutrition.
- UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed: Urged stronger national pathways and catalytic investments, warning the world is not on track to meet the 2030 SDGs.
- AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf: Called for protecting smallholder farmers, promoting intra-African trade, and investing in youth.
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres (video message): Stressed integrated food systems transformation linked to climate and biodiversity goals.
Heads of state and senior officials from Kenya, Somalia, Nigeria, Uganda, Cuba, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and others reinforced national actions and regional cooperation priorities.
Afternoon field visits to Jimma city and its surroundings in the western part of the country by PM Abiy Ahmed, Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni and other senior officials featured:
- Jimma Agricultural Research Center — climate-resilient crop research and seed development.
- Integrated agroecology and women-led poultry projects — supporting sustainable livelihoods.
- Local coffee cooperatives — enhancing value chains and market access.
Additionally, heads of state and government as well as other high-level partcipants of the summit planted tree seedlings in Addis Ababa, a tree planting campaign aligned with Ethiopia’s Green Legacy initiative.
Several thematic side events and bilateral engagements addressed:
- Nutrition financing and school meals.
- Youth and women empowerment in food systems.
- Digital agriculture and private sector investment.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also held bilateral meetings focused on mobilizing resources and aligning food systems with climate action and regional cooperation.
Day 3: Final Deliberations, Strategic Tools & Forward Agenda
The last day focused on detailed reflections, investment pitching, and concrete commitments:
- Ministerial roundtables and dialogues addressed nutrition financing, climate-smart agriculture, digital innovation, and inclusive empowerment of youth and women.
- These discussions aligned with Ethiopia’s EFSTN Convergence Action Blueprint, the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action, and continental priorities.
Key messages from closing speakers:
- President Taye Atske-Selassie (Ethiopia):
- Praised momentum with 130 countries adopting national food system pathways.
- Highlighted challenges: global SDG progress regression and 2 billion people unable to afford a healthy diet.
- Called for mobilizing at least one-third of the $400 trillion financing required.
- Announced a business compendium featuring 15 investment-ready SME models.
- Urged civil society and youth to champion innovation, fairness, and accountability.
- Reaffirmed Ethiopia’s commitment to UN-centred collaboration.
- Stefano Gatti (Italy, Special Envoy):
- Reiterated Italy’s co-host role and food security as a matter of sovereignty and stability.
- Highlighted the Mattei Plan for Africa and Italy’s multilateral support through Rome-based UN agencies.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed: - Recapped key figures: 130 country pathways, 168 climate-aligned NDCs, 170+ school meal programs, and alarming hunger statistics.
- Launched strategic tools: the Food Systems Accelerator, the 3FS Financing Framework, and the global youth declaration.
- Set six priorities including inclusive governance, technology-enabled investments, local context-driven policies, multi-stakeholder cooperation, debt and finance reform, and accountability.
Summit Outcomes and Announcements:
- Continued commitment from Italy and Ethiopia, including Ethiopia’s Green Legacy with over 40 billion seedlings planted.
- Endorsement of tools such as the Food Systems Accelerator (FAO, GAIN, UN Coordination Hub), 3FS Financing Framework (IFAD–World Bank), and the SME investment compendium.
- High-impact side events spotlighted youth- and women-led digital platforms, local production and nutrition value chains, and private sector dialogues.
Forward Agenda and Global Milestones:
- The summit emphasized transitioning from dialogue to measurable action, with upcoming milestones including:
- COP30 (Climate, Brazil)
- COP15 (Biodiversity)
- World Social Summit (Doha)
- SDG Summit (2030 Goals review)
- Africa Food Forum (Senegal)
- Regional integration, youth and women’s leadership, resilience-building, and scaling local-to-global innovation pipelines remain key priorities.