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Public-private partnerships for a more sustainable future and a new phase of global cooperation were in focus when leaders of global society gathered in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting last week.
At its final session in Davos this year, the SAP Next-Gen program shared a call-to-action, inviting leaders to partner on a global agenda that aims to harness the creativity and passion of citizens, the disruptive innovation of startups, and the resources of corporates, philanthropists, and governments to scale solutions to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including securing access to sustainable and healthy food systems for all.
Partnerships to Advance Solutions for Zero Hunger and Responsible Consumption and Production
Current food systems present challenges as well as opportunities for forward-thinking organizations to join public-private partnerships aimed at ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture. A 2014 report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency highlighted that agriculture, forestry, and other land use contribute 24 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. And, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that one-third of all food produced annually for human consumption in the world is lost or wasted.
The good news is that public-private partnerships are already leading the way for governments, corporates, startups, and non-profits to work together in addressing these and other challenges linked to the SDGs. In just one example, P4G is teaming up with the Food and Land Use Coalition to demonstrate how partnerships can scale the impact of food systems initiatives. The result—The Food Loss and Waste Action Partnership—aims to build a cross-sector program to reduce food loss and waste in Indonesia by 50 percent by 2030.
Let’s Work Together to Solve Food Systems Challenges
During the final SAP Next-Gen session at the Davos House on January 25, which convened leaders from business, citizen advocacy, non-profits, and philanthropy, Ann Rosenberg, senior vice president and global head of SAP Next-Gen shared that, “SAP is committed to helping our customers, who produce 78 percent of the world’s food, innovate so together we can be part of accelerating solutions to the SDGs including Goal 2 – Zero Hunger and Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production.”
“Partnerships among nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), governments, and business have the potential to help many people through improved supply chains and better functioning markets,” said Corinne Woods, who heads the Campaigns arm of the World Food Programme. “To make food systems fairer, we must insure against the devastating effects of ‘bad year’ crops; tackle the ‘good year’ curse, where poor storage turns surplus into waste; and create market access for impoverished, smallholder farmers.”
“Food has the power to transform societies, from increasing social mobility and providing job opportunities to reducing hunger and malnutrition,” said David Hertz, founder, Gastromotiva. “Through ‘social gastronomy,’ a human-centered solution that uses the power of food and the tools of gastronomy, we can address some of the most complex issues in our society, including poor nutrition and food waste.”
Following Davos, SAP Next-Gen aims to continue mobilizing an agenda to bring together leaders around the world in business, technology, civil society, and policy to collaborate on addressing food systems and supply chain challenges to ensure a sustainable and healthy food system for all.
