UNEA7 Side-Event: Better resilience through better consumption and production

Food systems are a major driver of the triple planetary crisis, responsible for roughly one third of global greenhouse gas emissions and posing the main threat to 86% of species currently at risk of extinction. At the same time, these systems are increasingly vulnerable to the accelerating climate crisis and related environmental shocks, which undermine food security, human health, and nations’ capacity to adapt. This event addresses the urgent need to break this harmful feedback loop by strengthening resilience and accelerating the transition toward sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns within agri-food systems.

Prevailing consumption trends—characterized by overconsumption in some regions and unsustainable production practices in others—have intensified agriculture’s environmental footprint. Through a diverse panel of experts and practitioners, the event will spotlight the transformations required to align consumption and production with planetary boundaries. Discussions will highlight how protecting, restoring, and sustainably using nature and biodiversity; reducing reliance on essential natural resources; lowering pollution; and ensuring equitable access to healthy, nutritious diets all form key pillars of a food systems transition that benefits both people and the planet.

The event’s co-organizers play central roles in initiatives aligned with the UNEA-7 theme, including the One Planet Network and its Sustainable Food Systems and Consumer Information Programmes. These initiatives provide insights, policy solutions, and practical approaches that advance sustainable production patterns and empower consumers to make informed, sustainable choices. Building on this experience, the event will showcase concrete measures already implemented across countries and regions, offering replicable models to decision-makers.

Speakers will share national policy experiences, practical tools, and science-based strategies—such as the Food Forward Tool and the Diets Toolkit—that support behavioural change and guide integrated policy design. By demonstrating how healthy diets from sustainable food systems can simultaneously improve environmental outcomes, biodiversity, food security, and public health, the event directly advances the global shift to SCP and reinforces resilience across interconnected systems.