People’s Organisations Counter the UN Food Systems Summit

The UN Food Systems Summit will take place in September in New York during the UN General Assembly, preceded by a Pre-Summit in Rome from 26 to 28 July. The Pre-summit will be decisive for the final direction and outcomes of the summit. Currently,  the summit clearly ignores human rights, is permeated by corporate influence and tries to sideline and replace democratic multilateral institutions such as the CFS with multistakeholder spaces. More information can be found here.

The UN Deputy Secretary General claims that FSS will tackle corporate accountability  ‘in all action tracks’ and that ‘strong measures against conflict of interest have already been taken.’  These claims seem to be based on the fact that corporations are involved  not as individual companies but via trade associations, business groups and other front groups, often under a not-for-profit cover.  This gives them a strong opportunity to advance industry interests in a streamlined, powerful, and efficient way and makes it difficult to hold them accountable for their interference in public policy making.

See our Blog explaining how the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) global pledging initiative uses the same inadequate strategy: suggesting that business associations and front groups can safely infiltrate policy spaces, failing to warn that it will do untold harm to infant and young child feeding. Also see our Blog showing how the voluntary Guidelines wil undermine the Code.

You are invited to join forces in challenging the Summit and reclaiming food sovereignty and human rights in parallel to the Pre-Summit.  See the call for contributions for a peoples’ rally on Sunday 25 July

Please take a minute to share the call, which is also available here, in your network.