The first Global Conscious Food Systems Summit took place in Bhutan from 31 August to 4 September 2026. Organized by the Royal Government of Bhutan, the Conscious Food Systems Alliance (CoFSA) and UNDP, the Summit addressed how food systems are being transformed around the world.
UNDP’s SDG Local Action organized the participation of local governments in the Summit, showcasing how cities are innovating food systems to reach the most vulnerable, protect the environment and stop food waste, among others.
The Summit agenda included plenary sessions with keynote speakers, parallel panel sessions and participatory workshops. Local governments, non-profit organisations, national governments, academic institutions, and international organisations participated in these sessions and shared their concrete experiences on sustainable and regenerative food systems.
Report
Read the report of the summit here.
Parallel session: “Skills clinic for conscious cities food systems“
On Thursday 3 September, the cities took centre stage in the session: skills clinic for conscious cities food systems. The conversation started from a premise: cities are where the food crisis is felt most acutely by vulnerable residents, and also where some of the most transformative solutions are taking shape.
The cities of Budapest (Hungary), Medellin (Colombia), Turku (Finland), and Toronto (Canada) presented real cases of how local governments are transforming food systems. From using digital technologies to improve food distribution for those in need to converting food surplus into healthier alternatives and connecting with residents, these cities are innovating in how they view food as a tool for inclusion, wellness, and community building.
Facilitated by Melisa Gorondy Novak (UNDP SDG Local Action) and Tom van den Steen (Rikolto), the session combined technical case-sharing with participatory roundtable discussions on leadership and inner challenges cities face in pursuing food-system transformation.
SPEAKERS
Cristina Zambrano Restrepo
Executive Director, Cooperation and Investment Agency Medellin, Colombia
Anett Lehóczki
Senior Project Manager, City of Budapest, Hungary
Sanna Paloposki
Program Manager, City of Turku, Finland
Shafeeq Armstrong
Senior Project Manager, Poverty Reduction Office, City of Toronto, Canada
Tara Galloro
Policy Development Officer, City of Toronto, Canada
FACILITATORS
Melisa Gorondy Novak
Learning and Knowledge Generation Analyst, UNDP SDG Local Action
Tom Van den Steen
Impact Coach, Rikolto.
Download the concept note from the parallel session here.
City voices across the summit
Beyond the UNDP SDG Local Action parallel session, city representatives actively contributed to the summit’s plenaries and parallel sessions, bringing local government perspectives into the Summit conversations.
- Turku participated in the workshop “Leadership skills for policy coherence and transformative governance”, where it presented the municipal perspective alongside national government and parliamentary voices, speaking about the challenges of driving food systems change.
Sanna Paloposki
City of Turku
Change at the local level depends on trust and on listening to the actors involved — not on top-down authority.”
- Toronto participated in the workshop “Dialogue and inner capacities for co-creation,” bringing its city-government experience to a workshop on the inner and relational skills needed to work across sectors.
Shafeeq Armstrong
City of Toronto
Transformation happens when people feel not like recipients but owners of the project.
- MedellÃn presented at the High-level panel “Creating an enabling environment: policy, governance and investments”. The city’s voice was part of the closing-day stage, sharing the Cero Hambre strategy with ministers, funders, indigenous leaders and academia, and showing how a local government works to sustain the right to food through concrete local policies.
Cristina Zambrano Restrepo
City of MedellÃn
An enabling environment for food systems is built where people live — with cities turning shared values into everyday practice.
The Summit online
The Global Conscious Food Systems Summit was broadcast online. Here you can watch the videos from main plenary sessions:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4