Coalition of Action on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems for Children and All (HDSFS)

Background

Climate change and malnutrition are two of the greatest barriers to sustainable development. By 2030, impacts of climate change may contribute to more than 100 million additional people being pushed into extreme poverty and to an increase of 50% in humanitarian needs. Compounded by the climate change challenge, in 2022, 738.9 million people faced hunger, and over 3.1 billion lacked access to healthy diets. Poverty, hunger and malnutrition are intrinsically intertwined and share similar structural drivers and vulnerabilities, including vulnerability to impact of climate extremes. Food security and good nutrition are essential human rights and will not be achieved sustainably without climate action. Whereas the goals of climate action cannot be achieved without also addressing food security and good nutrition. The latest IPCC reports document that even if all climate commitments in sectors other than agrifood systems were reached, the goals of the Paris Agreement would still not be met, highlighting  the need to invest in agrifood systems solutions and underscoring the urgent need to empower all available climate solutions across all sectors.  Integrated actions that are nutrition-sensitive and climate-smart present an opportunity to accelerate progress towards SDG 2, SDG 13 and the 1.5 °C Paris Agreement Goal simultaneously.

Activities

Formed as an outcome of the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) held in September 2021, the Coalition of Action for Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems (HDSFS) brings together Member States, UN Agencies, Civil Society Organizations, Academic Institutions and social movements to deliver on the call for action to deliver healthy diets from sustainable food systems for all. People, policies, programs and practices typically focus on sector-specific goals, meaning fragmentation (siloed working) is the norm rather than the coordination and co-benefits of multi-duty action on diets for both nutrition and environmental sustainability goals. Healthy diets from a sustainable food system are diets that are health-promoting and disease-preventing; diets that are available, affordable, accessible, and appealing to all, diets that are produced and distributed using methods that ensure decent work and sustain the planet, soil, water, and biodiversity. The HDSFS works as a 'Coalition of the Willing' and strives to act as a mechanism for coordinated action on healthy diets from sustainable food systems to which countries can look to share experiences, champion policy actions and gain support, information and inspiration.

Impact

The intended outcome of the work of the Coalition is to accelerate a substantial increase of impactful actions by stakeholders across food systems, aligned for collective impact on healthy diets from sustainable food systems.