The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a new global dialogue on the Right to Food with a high-level hybrid event at FAO headquarters in Rome. This inaugural event, organized in collaboration with the Observatory on Food Insecurity and Poverty of Rome and the University Consortium for Socioeconomic and Environmental Research (CURSA), focused on urban food systems, marks the first in a global series aimed at promoting rights-based governance and inclusive, multi-level dialogue in cities around the world.
Urbanization continues to reshape food systems worldwide. Today, more than half of the global population lives in cities, a number expected to rise to 70 percent by 2050. Urban and peri-urban areas are increasingly recognized as critical fronts in the fight against food insecurity, as they concentrate both innovation and inequality.
Speaking at the event, FAO Deputy Director-General Maurizio Martina emphasized that inclusive and integrated food governance is essential to ensure that the right to adequate food becomes a reality for all. "Ensuring the right to adequate food in urban and peri-urban contexts requires inclusive, multi-level, multi-sectoral and multi-actor governance," Martina said. "Rome, as both a global city and FAO's home, has a unique opportunity to lead this movement."
The event brought together representatives from the Municipality and Metropolitan City of Rome, civil society organizations, academia, and the Rome Food Council to explore how human rights-based local governance can shape sustainable and resilient food systems. In recent years, the City of Rome has increased efforts to recognize the right to food by adopting a municipal food policy and establishing the Rome Food Council, which fosters collaboration between institutions and community actors. However, food insecurity remains a pressing issue: according to the Observatory on Food Insecurity and Poverty of Rome, between 2021 and 2023, 7.3 percent of the metropolitan population experienced moderate to severe food insecurity, and in 2022, 6.2 percent relied on food aid. For many children, free school meals remain the main source of adequate nutrition.
Participants also emphasized the importance of linking local food actions to global efforts. They highlighted two key initiatives: the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP)-a global agreement launched by the City of Milan during EXPO 2015 and now signed by over 250 cities to promote inclusive, sustainable urban food systems-and the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), the UN's top platform for coordinating global action on food security and nutrition. The CFS is currently developing policy recommendations to help cities and countries adapt their food systems in the context of rapid urbanization. Insights from the Rome dialogue will contribute to these global processes.
The Rome dialogue reflects FAO's growing efforts to promote the right to food in urban and peri-urban contexts. By fostering exchange between cities, institutions, and communities, the event underscored the importance of local governments in realizing this fundamental human right. It also reaffirms FAO's commitment to building inclusive, resilient food systems grounded in human rights principles.
