Hanoi (VNA) – The 4th Global Conference of the One Planet Network’s Sustainable Food Systems Programme (SFS Pro♕gramme) will be held from April 24 to 27 in Hanoi, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD﷽) announced at a press conference in the capital city on April 18.

The event, which will be co-organised by the MARD and the United Nations’ SFS programme, will attract the participation of 300 delegates, including about 200 international guests, the ministry said. The conference will look into barriers and challenges to the transformation of food systems, and study solutions and recommendations, focusing on global models/architecture of food systems, national and local policies and governance on food systems, consumption and production models of food systems, and food system transformation methods. The conference will also introduce outstanding models and initiatives regarding    the implementation of plans on food system transformation at both national and local levels, as well as initiatives of the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS). Apart from main sessions, there will be sidelines meetings and exhibitions showcasing Vietnam’s agricultural achievements, its food system, agricultural specialities, and products under the “One Commune-One Product” (OCOP) programme. The hosting of the conference comes as Vietnam's agriculture sector is carrying out a strategy on sustainable agricultural and rural development in the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, which is based on three pillars, namely ecological agriculture, modern countryside, and civilised and smart farmers. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep said Vietnam's agriculture sector is moving towards a multi-value integrated growth model in the direction of high technology, diversity, sustainability, low emissions, rational use of resources, protection of the ecological environment and biodiversity conservation. The conference aims to convey the message of Vietnam's agricultural brand to the world as a transparent, responsible and sustainable food supplier, adding it also shows that Vietnam is a responsible member in global issues including food and energy security, climate change and emerging pandemics, he noted. The first edition of this event took place in June 2017 in South Africa, the second in February 2019 in Costa Rica, and the third was held online in November - December 2020. The One Planet Network is an open partnership chaired by the United Nations Environment Programme, aiming to promote sustainable consumption and production. The Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) is a global partnership programme aimed at accelerating the process of transforming food systems towards sustainability by building capacity, creating synergies, and enhancing cooperation among partners at all levels. The programme was initiated in October 2015 by Switzerland, Costa Rica, and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Vietnam, with the support of the Multi-stakeholder Advisory Committee (MAC) comprising 20 members from different stakeholder groups. Since 2021, the MARD has been a member representing the Asian region in the MAC./.