From March 3 to 5, 2025, the Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for the 2nd UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+4) took place at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand. Organized by the FAO Food Systems Coordination Hub, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the event focused on evaluating regional progress in transforming food systems, enhancing accountability, and mobilizing investments for sustainable development.

From February 16 to 21, 2025, the Future Forum: Sustaining Food Systems – “Securing Futures; Bridging Nations, Transforming Nutrition” is held in Siem Reap province and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The event, organized by the Council of Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) of Cambodia, the GIZ Cluster Climate, Agriculture, and Food System in Cambodia, with the support of the Partner for Change Network of the Federal Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ), fostered intersectoral and multi-disciplinary collaboration. Around 120 partners and experts from Southeast Asia and Africa have participated, including representatives from government institutions, private sector, civil society, and development organizations. Under the scope of the Forum, the participants discussed strategies to bridge food system transformation with climate change mitigation, agriculture, and nutrition, emphasizing social behavior change as a critical element in achieving sustainable food systems.

Diets across Asia are undergoing significant changes due to various factors such as increased dietary energy supply, rising costs of healthy diets, and the growing availability of processed foods. These shifts have contributed to the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) while undernutrition continues to persist in some regions.

Transforming food systems is key to ensuring healthier diets for all. A new research brief from the Centre for Food Policy outlines 42 evidence-based policies and actions that can help improve food availability, affordability, and appeal while reducing the consumption of unhealthy processed foods.

As part of Component 2 on "Nutrition-Secured Food Systems" under the initiative "Protecting Food Systems in Major Asian Deltas for Livelihoods and Climate Adaptation (AMD)," the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), in collaboration with the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) and other partners, organized the consultation meeting on "Developing the Food System Profile for the Mekong Delta Region (MKD)" at CIAT's office on November 27, 2024.

Continuing a series of activities to promote the implementation of the “National Action Plan for Transforming the Food System towards Transparency, Responsibility, and Sustainability in Vietnam by 2030” (NAP-FS) under Decision No. 300/QĐ-TTg of the Prime Minister at the provincial level, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Đồng Tháp, in collaboration with the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD), the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, organized the meeting on “Identifying Priority Issues, Implementation Partners, Activities, and Resources in the Food System in Đồng Tháp Province.” The meeting aimed to:

On November 19, 2024, a meeting titled "Consultation on the Current Status of the Food System in Son La Province" was organized by the Son La Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the inter-agency task force (Biodiversity Alliance and CIAT, Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agricultural and Rural Development, National Institute of Nutrition). This event is part of a series of consultation activities aimed at developing the profile of the current status of the food system in Son La Province.

In a coordinated effort to promote the implementation of the “National Action Plan for a transparent, responsible, and sustainable transformation of the food system in Vietnam by 2030” under Decision No. 300/QD-TTg by the Prime Minister in 2023, an inter-agency working group consisting of the Bioversity and CIAT Alliance, the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, and the National Institute of Nutrition, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Sơn La, organized a consultation meeting on the current status of the food system in Sơn La Province on November 7, 2024, in Sơn La City.

Under the framework of the initiative “Sustainable Healthy Diets through Food Systems Transformation” (SHiFT), the Bioversity International Alliance and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (Bioversity & CIAT Alliance), in collaboration with strategic partners including the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD), the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), and other stakeholders, organized the “Workshop on the Progress Review of the SHiFT Initiative.” The workshop aimed to:

Specialized meeting "Sharing research results related to the food environment in Vietnam" on September 16, 2024, at the meeting room of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agricultural and Rural Development. As part of the CGIAR initiative on Healthy and Sustainable Diets through the Transformation of Food Systems (SHiFT), the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agricultural and Rural Development (IPSARD) coordinated with the Bioversity International Alliance and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (Bioversity-CIAT Alliance) to organize a specialized meeting to share research results related to the food environment in Vietnam, thereby raising awareness and knowledge about the food environment for SHiFT's partner agency staff and research organizations and universities.

The year 2023 marked significant strides by CGIAR in its mission to transform food, land, and water systems amidst the global climate crisis. This year’s report emphasizes nutrition, health, and food security, highlighting numerous innovations and collaborations that have driven positive change. The report also underscores the critical need for increased investment in agricultural research to achieve sustainable and scalable results.

From May 14-16, Danish Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Jacob Jensen led a high-level delegation to visit and work in Vietnam. The goal of this visit focuses on promoting high-level policy dialogue with Vietnamese partners on sustainable food production and the development of efficient, resource-saving supply chains.