Arab Regional Preparatory Meeting of the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment

Organized in collaboration with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, the meeting took place on 13 March 2023 in Beirut, Lebanon.

The UN Food Systems Coordination Hub and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia were pleased to invite National Convenors to the Regional Preparatory Meeting for the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+2), which took place in Beirut, Lebanon, on 13 March 2023, on the sidelines of the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development 2023 (AFSD-2023).

At the end of the Food Systems Summit, the UN Secretary-General committed in his Statement of Action and Chair’s Summary to convene “a global stock-taking meeting every two years to review progress in implementing the outcomes of this process and its contributions to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.” The first of these Food Systems Stocktaking Moments will take place in July 2023. The UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+2) will primarily give space to countries to report on the progress they have made in the implementation of their national pathways and food systems transformation visions at the national and sub-national levels, maintain the momentum for acceleration and bold action signaling national ownership of the food systems agenda, as well as solidify the global understanding of the role of food systems in achieving the SDGs, especially in the current food and cost-of-living crisis context.

The regional meeting for the Arab region, organized as a technical-level workshop was designed to serve as a platform for the sharing of experiences, good practices, and lessons learned in national efforts to follow-up to the 2021 Food Systems Summit including through the operationalization and implementation of their National Pathways. Attending National Convenors were invited to identify priority actions and key messages for the Arab region to be synthetized in the form of a short technical report. The key messages will serve as the Arab region input for the planning of the UNFSS+2.