National Dialogue on Sustainable Food Systems in Mongolia

Mongolia’s key players in the food sector discussed how to make the national food system safer, stronger and more sustainable

The Government of Mongolia and the United Nations jointly convened a National Dialogue on Food Systems in Mongolia on 8 July 2021. Bringing together key players in the food systems in Mongolia, the Dialogue facilitated an open discussion on what it takes for Mongolia to sustainably transform its food systems that will accelerate progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Evidence, ideas, and commitments gained at the National Food Systems Dialogue in Mongolia will not only contribute to the Global Food Systems Summit to be convened by the UN Secretary-General in September 2021 but, most importantly, they will help Mongolia itself to unleash new actions and innovative solutions and strategies to rebuild the national food systems and leverage the shifts to deliver progress across all Sustainable Development Goals.

H.E Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai, the Prime Minister of Mongolia, sincerely thanked the participants of the National Dialogue on Sustainable Food Systems in Mongolia and stated: “Issues related to the food and health systems need to be addressed comprehensively. Creating sustainable food systems will improve human development and quality of life and make a significant contribution to the country's sustainable social and economic development. Having established sustainable food systems, Mongolia will achieve its goal of becoming a food exporter. In addition to mining, Mongolia has identified agriculture, tourism, energy, transportation and logistics as priority sectors. Therefore, multi-stakeholder participation, including the private sector and civil society organizations, and cross-sectoral collaborations are crucial. The government will provide all the necessary support to promote such engagement and cooperation.”

“Mongolia has a significant potential to transition to sustainable food systems, that is already underway,” said UN Resident Coordinator Tapan Mishra at the Dialogue. 

“This would require technological innovation, strategic use of economic incentives, cohesive and participatory governance, and behavioural changes. Most importantly, these reforms must contribute to resilient livelihoods and healthy and nutritious diets of all Mongolian.”

If Mongolia is to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, its food systems must change.

“We need to rapidly rethink how we produce, process, market and consume our food, and dispose of our waste. We should turn the COVID-19 crisis into the opportunity to rebalance and transform the food systems in Mongolia making them more inclusive, sustainable and resilient,” said FAO Representative in Mongolia Vinod Ahuja.

Leading up to this national dialogue, the food sector experts have convened six regional and thematic dialogues among specific groups such as the private sector, youth and civil society to hear their voices and concerns of all parties in the transformation of food systems.

These Food Systems Dialogues gave Mongolia an opportunity to address the current state of the food systems in the country, including challenges and opportunities and agree on actions and solutions to build a sustainable food system in the next 10 years and what can be done in the next 3-5 years.

The National Dialogue, therefore, discussed the following key thematic areas in the food systems:

• access to safe and nutritious food and promotion of sustainable consumption
• advance equitable livelihoods and value distribution
• boost nature-positive production and build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress.

Consolidated outcomes and policy recommendations from the pre-dialogue discussions by the experts and key players were presented to the high-level dialogue among the policy and decision-makers to stimulate further discussion for appropriate actions and solutions on the second day of the event.

The final outcomes of the National Dialogue on Food Systems will be presented at the UN Food Systems Summit in September by the Government of Mongolia.

To learn more about food systems, please visit: https://bit.ly/2T5RSUr