This month, the UN Goal of the month is Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. By supporting education in schools and  within farming communities, enhancing access to training for youth and providing free education for all on sustainable food and agriculture, FAO recognizes and reinforces the critical connection between education, food security and sustainable agriculture and works to empower communities worldwide. 

“One of the founding principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the requirement for all implementation and follow-up processes to be participatory and inclusive,” emphasized Stefanos Fotiou, Director of the Office of Sustainable Development Goals at the FAO, during a recent c...

The UN goal of the month for January 2025 is SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is at the forefront of effort to integrate energy-smart solutions into agrifood systems, helping to enhance livelihoods, eradicate hunger and poverty, boost food security and build climate resilience. 

In 2024 FAO Regional Conferences took decisive steps to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These regional gatherings emphasized innovative solutions, inclusive approaches, and resilience-building strategies to address the urgent challenges of food security, climate change, and rural transformation. 

In 2024, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) continued its unwavering commitment to advancing the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Through strategic decisions made by its governing bodies including the FAO Council and Technical Committees, FAO reinforced its focus on sustainable, inclusive, and science-based solutions to ensure no one is left behind. 

At the 2024 Belgian SDG Forum, the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels held an event titled “Climate finance for agrifood systems as a tool to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda”, which gathered experts from FAO and its partners in Belgium to present the FAO report on Unjust Climate and discuss the urgent need for targeted investments and inclusive strategies to ensure no one is left behind.

Innovations from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) caught the attention of numerous international attendees at the 2024 World Food Forum. As part of FAO’s SDG Agrifood Accelerator Programme, which provides coaching to agrifood systems start-ups to help them develop their business while accelerating the SDGs, a few of the beneficiaries displayed in a stand in the atrium of FAO headquarters and shared how the Programme has helped them.

On 10 July, FAO, DESA and the European Union convened a side event at the UN Headquarters in New York,  “Uniting Forces: Integrating Science, Policy and Society to Achieve Zero Hunger" help in UNHQ.

The HASTEN Project, a joint initiative between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Governments of Rwanda, Lesotho and Sierra Leone, empowers young leaders to drive agrifood system transformations.

The HASTEN Project, a joint initiative between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Governments of Rwanda, Lesotho and Sierra Leone, empowers young leaders to drive agrifood system transformations.

The HASTEN Project, a joint initiative between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Governments of Rwanda, Lesotho and Sierra Leone, empowers young leaders to drive agrifood system transformations.

A two-day UN Expert Group Meeting (EGM) was held at FAO headquarters in Rome Italy from 26-27 March, organized by FAO, in collaboration with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), convening over 40 experts from around the world, to assess global progress towards targets under Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) and strategize recommendations to accelerate action to meet these objectives.

Insights from the FAO Agrifood Innovation Finance Debate 

The Agrifood Innovation Finance Debate provided a dynamic platform for small and medium-sized agrifood enterprises (SMEs) and investors to explore diverse perspectives on the financing obstacles and opportunities, with a particular focus on Africa and Asia. 

Participate in our online call for stakeholders to share examples of governance-related measures and interventions with transformative impact for agrifood systems. 

The 2024 ECOSOC Partnership Forum, held on 30 January, included a dedicated SDG Action Segment for Goal 2, co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN Major Group for Science and Technology, and the UN Major Group for Children and Youth. With the aim of providing inputs into the High-level Political Forum, which is this year conducting an in-depth review of SDG 2, the Segment shared good practices and innovative strategies to strengthen and facilitate meaningful multi-stakeholder partnerships to support agrifood systems transformation.