UNESCO organizes world forum on how food culture contributes to attaining SDGs

10 / 09 / 2019

By Marwa Nassar - -

UNESCO will hold the World Forum “Culture and Food: Innovative Strategies for Sustainable Development” in Italy on September 12 with an aim to expound the linkage between food, culture and society and means of benefiting from this linkage to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event – organized in tandem with the Italian government and the Emilia Romagna Region and the Municipality of Parma – will also tackle the evolving landscape of food security and food systems, and their pivotal role for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The get-together will also highlight the role of food in shaping people’s relationship with the environment, from the first agricultural communities to the fully-fledged industrial societies of the twenty-first century. Transmitted from generation to generation, the long-established processes of food collection, preparation and service are part of people’s cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, and are a source of cultural identity and pride, where each cuisine reflects a unique history, lifestyle, values and beliefs. Yet culinary practices have not remained static. Instead, they have crossed continents and acted as gateways to cross-cultural dialogue. Nowadays, food culture continues to spark encounters, communication and exchange, adapting and innovating.

Cities today are living environments, where traditions, cultures and behaviors influence one another, where intangible cultural heritage and creativity blend to give birth to new social practices around food. Popular media also sparks new ideas around food, healthy lifestyles and local produce through a multitude of food blogs, culinary festivals and celebrity TV chefs. Food culture can provide solutions for the overlapping challenges of population growth, climate change, and offer a platform for dialogue in increasingly diverse societies.

It provides inspiration to tackle challenges related to sustainable agricultural and fishery practices; education for behavioral changes and food security. Promoting food diversity, behavioral change to ensure sustainable consumption and waste practices and lifestyles are key components of the global strategy to achieve the SDGs.

The forum will bring together over 150 participants – including practitioners, international experts, government representatives, IGOs and NGOs – to explore innovative pathways to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals through panel discussions which will address several themes. The first panel will tackle the theme of “Cultural Heritage and Food: the foundations of cultural identity.” Culture and food are a source of collective identity through cultural and natural heritage carried by traditional knowledge and practices. Eating habits are a product of the codes of conduct and social relations structure of the society in which they occur and represent a nonverbal way of sharing meanings with others.

Yet, food practices do not remain static with increasingly diverse populations, ingredients, dishes and food practices have crossed borders, blending and transforming. As such, food is a unique vector for intercultural dialogue and exchange. It has given rise to new creativity in the form of fusion food. In this panel, participants are invited to explore the linkages between food, cultural heritage and identity, and adaptation to emerging trends. The discussion will focus on the challenges and opportunities of reinventing traditions in a creative and innovative way, while still preserving local identity.

The second panel will focus on the theme of “culture for the socio-economic development of urban and rural areas: new cultural policies.” The world is increasingly urbanized – over 50% now live in cities – which has an impact on socio-economic development both for cities and for the surrounding territories. Food culture has become an integral part of cultural policies and cultural diplomacy worldwide. The food sector is an engine for social and economic development. It provides new impetus for agricultural production and exports, as well as generating whole new industries from audiovisual and printed media, to new types of jobs and cultural tourism. In this context, increased cultural tourism and food-related tourism is creating new opportunities and challenges.

Food related industries – while posing issues with regard to food consumption habits and food waste – is a vector for poverty reduction and improved well-being. New social habits related to food generate new modes of communication and social engagement, inclusion and integration through enhanced forms of cultural diversity and creativity. Economic investment in food systems strengthens agriculture, industries and improves territorial integration by intensifying the links between urban and rural areas and populations, knowledge of territories and cooperation.

For the past 30 years, civil society groups have advocated to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions, and educate on how our food choices affect the world around us. As such, they play an important role in designing new socio-economic strategies. This Panel will examine the socio-economic strategies that combine food and culture to stimulate development within rural areas, as well as in cities.

The third panel will address the theme of “education and sustainability: vocational training and new jobs.” The food people eat and the ways they consume can exacerbate unsustainable – and unhealthy – lifestyles. Notably, one third of all food produced globally is wasted and single-use plastics often end up in the ocean. Education for sustainable development can encourage individuals to make more responsible choices. Learning sustainable behavior can take place in diverse contexts from the classroom to cookery school, the hospitality sector, or even to a wider public through the media, via celebrities and chefs. Ensuring awareness of these dimensions amongst the wider public to is crucial.

Trends suggest that the food and beverage industry is growing worldwide, offering more employment opportunities and technical and vocational education and training. This training should be flexible to take into account local knowledge systems that can lead to more sustainable food production and consumption, as well as the latest trends in culinary creativity such as fusion food or street food. This panel will explore the opportunities for new employment in the food industries; strategies for education for sustainable development; investment in informed communication and awareness raising builds on local cultures with a view to influencing social transformations for more sustainable food practices.

The fourth panel will review the theme of “science and research: biodiversity, food security and innovation for the planet.” By 2050, there will be 9.8 billion people on Earth. In addition to population growth, climate change is threatening food security. According to the latest UN figures, it is estimated that already over 2 billion people do not have regular access to safe and nutritious food in sufficient quantities. The expansion of agricultural land is also the largest factor for deforestation. These trends threaten biodiversity, which is decreasing at an unprecedented rate. Investment in research and innovation makes it possible to combine work that reinforces agricultural biodiversity and resilient ecosystems, with cultural identity.

New technology and knowledge development can address the global issues and urgent challenges facing the world today, such as climate change, disaster risk reduction, water management and the growing competition for natural resources. Culture can play a pivotal role in promoting a sustainable approach to food that places at the heart of its concerns respect for the health of the consumer and the environment, as well as the protection of producers. Innovative methodologies for preserving sustainable agriculture and healthy diets, ensuring sustainable management of natural resources while meeting food demand are necessary.This panel will examine how local knowledge and traditional practices can contribute to enhancing the knowledge base by building on the latest science and innovation.

The fifth panel will highlight “the example of UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy.” The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), set up in 2004, is a platform for promoting cooperation between cities that have placed creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level. They share this common vision for local sustainable development and actively cooperate at the international level.

The 180 cities that currently make up this Network have opted to pursue cultural policies based on seven different areas of creativity, one of which is gastronomy, gathering 26 cities. Most of these cities of gastronomy have joined the network since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Agenda in 2015, reflecting a growing interest on the part of Member States in harnessing gastronomic creativity, as well as food related intangible cultural heritage, as a driver for local development, creativity and innovation. The UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy are committed to promoting gastronomy and food practices to stir global action and youth engagement in support of values of global citizenship, respect for human rights, cultural diversity, intercultural and intergenerational dialogue towards peaceful coexistence around food.