For more information on The Accountability Pact, click here.

An International Pact on Monitoring for Accountability for Action on Food Systems: ‘The Accountability Pact’

We, the undersigned scientists and food monitoring experts engaged in generating and translating evidence on progress towards healthy and sustainable food systems:

AGREE on the need for a fundamental reorientation of global, regional, national, and local food systems to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

RECOGNISE that

• Food systems are one of the strongest levers for achieving the desired outcomes of human health and wellbeing, ecological health and wellbeing, social equity, and economic prosperity;
• Many food systems interventions can improve more than one of those desired outcomes (‘double-duty’ or ‘triple-duty’ actions);
• Increased action to improve the healthiness and sustainability of food systems can be achieved by strengthening public sector governance, reducing the political influence of vested commercial interests, mobilizing civil society and investors, and strengthening accountability systems.

IDENTIFY the value of robust, independent monitoring of food systems as a catalyst within the Accountability Cycle (roles for monitoring systems shown in italics)

1. Setting the account: defining the objectives and targets for action (converting high-level commitments to measurable indicators);
2. Taking the account: measuring progress towards targets (monitoring food policies, actions, environments, systems, and consumption);
3. Sharing the account: communicating the results to decision-makers (translating the research into accessible evidence);
4. Holding to account: providing incentives and disincentives for those in power to act (supporting the voices of other actors, eg civil society groups and investors);
5. Responding to the account: taking action to improve food systems (supporting action with evidence and expertise).

ACKNOWLEDGE that

• The existing high-level United Nations (UN) statements regarding food systems, environmental sustainability, and human health are aspirational end-goals which still need concrete commitments, targets, actions and timelines for delivery;
• There is building momentum on the journey towards the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) in September 2021, and monitoring systems can support many of the emerging solution clusters, coalitions for action, and Member State commitments;
• There is also a growing groundswell of social movements for ethical eating, ethical farming standards, healthy and sustainable diets, and demands for action on reducing carbon emissions, water use, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss;
• There are several existing and emerging independent food system monitoring initiatives and platforms.

COMMIT TO expanding the application of our expertise to strengthening food systems monitoring for accountability through generating evidence, translating evidence, and advocating for applying evidence in food systems transformation.

Further Information:

Click here to visit The Accountability Pact website.

Register here for a free webinar on 1 September (13:00 CEST, 07:00 EDT, 21:00 AEST) for: UNFSS update, monitoring systems updates, launch of the Accountability Pact, and next steps.