Embarking on Growth: Key Takeaways from the 2025 IAFN and PSM Annual General Meetings
The International Agri-Food Network (IAFN) and the Private Sector Mechanism (PSM) convened their 2025 Annual General Meetings on July 1 and 2 in a dynamic hybrid format. The in-person gathering was held in the heart of Rome at the Hotel Capo d’Africa, where members, partners and stakeholders came together to reflect, plan, and deepen engagement on key global food systems issues.
This year’s meetings came at a pivotal moment for the agri-food community, as the world prepares for the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktake (UNFSS+4), and anticipates significant multilateral milestones such as the 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and the 53rd Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS53).
Over the two-day programme, IAFN and PSM members reviewed progress against the 2025 workplans, adopted a PSM Position Paper on Resilient Food Systems, and laid out an ambitious roadmap for 2025. Key priorities discussed included the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) negotiations on Strengthening Urban and Peri-Urban Food Systems, preparations for CFS53, continued engagement on climate and nutrition issues, and strategic input into the World Food Forum and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) processes.
Additionally, delegates engaged in a series of high-level bilateral meetings with global food and agriculture leaders. These included discussions with Mr. Vincent Martin, Director of Innovation at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Ms. Laura Delamonica, Deputy Coordinator General for Food and Nutrition Security at Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The engagements deepened understanding of emerging priorities in innovation, governance, and international cooperation on food security.
The PSM also appreciated the opportunity to raise key private sector issues directly with H.E. Nosipho Nausca-Jean Jezile, Chair of CFS, and Ms. Adriana Herrera Moreno, CFS Secretary – reinforcing the growing importance of inclusive dialogue between the private sector and multilateral food security institutions.
The AGMs culminated in a vibrant cocktail reception hosted on the evening of July 2, generously sponsored by Rabobank with guests from FAO Member States, Permanent Representations, and the private sector for an evening of exchange and celebration. In her remarks, H.E. Ambassador Jezile underscored the importance of sustained private sector engagement to meet global food system challenges, while IAFN Chair Mary Boote reaffirmed the sector’s continued commitment to working collaboratively with the FAO and the CFS.
This AGM also marked an important transition for IAFN as it was the last formal engagement with Emerging ag serving as Secretariat. While stepping down from this position, Emerging ag will continue to contribute to the network’s work on climate, nutrition, resilience, and urban-peri-urban food systems through the end of 2025. IAFN expressed deep gratitude for their dedicated service.
As 2025 unfolds, the AGMs provided not just a moment of reflection, but a powerful launchpad for collective action. With renewed energy and shared purpose, IAFN and PSM look forward to advancing sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food systems together.
