Advancing Sustainable Development through Agrifood Systems Transformation

New York - At the 2026 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will bring an agrifood systems perspective to global discussions on advancing the 2030 Agenda.

Convened at United Nations headquarters in New York from 7 to 15 July 2026 under the theme "Transformative, equitable, innovative and coordinated actions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for a sustainable future for all", the Forum will underscore the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This year, the HLPF will conduct in-depth reviews of SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation; SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities; and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.

FAO's contribution to the HLPF process

As agrifood systems transformation is relevant to all SDGs FAO has actively supported the preparatory process leading up to the HLPF by providing its technical expertise, through analytical inputs and evidence-based policy recommendations across multiple platforms.

The Organization has contributed to the UN System SDG Implementation Database, participated in the Regional Forums on Sustainable Development, provided intergovernmental inputs to the HLPF, and supported reporting on SDG implementation. FAO also contributed to Expert Group Meetings on SDGs 6, 7, 9 and 11, highlighting the cross-cutting role of agrifood systems across the Goals under review.

Through these engagements, FAO has emphasized practical and collaborative pathways to accelerate SDG implementation, including water-efficient agricultural practices, energy-smart agrifood systems, and greater integration of agrifood systems into urban and territorial planning.

High-level side events

On Tuesday, 14 July, FAO will organize a special event on the theme of the upcoming State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 (SOFI 2026) report, "Understanding and Addressing the High Cost of a Healthy Diet", ahead of its launch on 21 July in Rome. The event will examine the cost of a healthy diet, the factors driving these costs, and the implications for food security and nutrition, including progress towards ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030.

FAO will also host a high-level side event entitled Agrifood systems in the current global context: opportunities, risks and solutions, which will examine the impacts of the disruptions of energy and supply flows on development and food security, the vulnerability of agrifood systems given their dependence on fossil fuels, and the high probability of an El Niño event in the upcoming months, with possible extreme heat, drought and/or flooding in different regions.

Throughout the Forum, FAO leaders and technical experts will also contribute to a wide range of side events, sessions and discussions, bringing evidence, policy analyses and practical solutions to the global conversation on sustainable development.

Together, these contributions will underscore the role of an agrifood systems approach within the sustainable development discussion, and the Organization's steadfast commitment to supporting the 2030 Agenda through the transformation of agrifood systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.