The UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) was convened in 2021 under the initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General, with the stated goal of transforming global food systems. However, the Summit is not an intergovernmental process; rather, it has been shaped and driven largely by powerful corporate actors and their vested interests under the banner of “multi-stakeholderism.” This approach risks advancing a corporate-controlled global food system while bypassing environmentally sound, equitable, and accountable processes for food system transformation.

Four years later, the initiative has failed to deliver any meaningful progress in addressing the global food crisis. Our collective assessment finds that since 2021, there have been no substantive changes in the Summit’s direction, governance structures, or safeguards against corporate influence.

“We believe the UNFSS legitimizes an agro-industrial model and prioritizes the financial interests of a few, to the detriment of peoples’ rights. This system — and the interests it serves — are at the heart of the problem.” — Pauline Verrière

At the time of the original Summit, Bangladesh developed a National Pathway Document under the UNFSS framework. Recently, on the occasion of the UN Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktaking Moment held in Ethiopia (UNFSS+4), the Bangladesh Food Security Network — KHANI and PRAAN conducted a comprehensive review of Bangladesh’s National Pathway Document. The findings are presented in our newly released report:
Beyond the Façade: A CSO Review of Four Years of the Bangladesh National Pathway of the UNFSS 2021.

Our review concludes that the document remains undemocratic, opaque, and unaccountable. It contains no baseline data, measurable benchmarks, or monitoring mechanisms to track progress. Farmers, food producers, and other key stakeholders have been entirely excluded from the process. Furthermore, since 2021, there have been no structural reforms to the UNFSS governance model, and safeguards against conflicts of interest remain grossly inadequate. Corporate actors continue to wield disproportionate influence over the Summit.