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Civil society is not waiting for transformation – it’s already driving it. From budget tracking and rights-based advocacy to gender equality and local food production, organisations across the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network (SUN CSN) are reshaping food systems every day. As governments and stakeholders meet in Addis Ababa for the UN Food Systems Summit +4 (UNFSS+4) early next week, the SUN CSN brings forward seven key recommendations. These principles are not abstract; they are grounded in the daily work of our more than 5,000 members and reflect what’s already working: rights-based approaches, climate-smart practices, gender equity and strong accountability mechanisms. So, here is what we believe should shape that conversation:

1. Putting rights at the heart of food systems

Food is not merely a product to be distributed – it is a right to be protected. In Namibia, the SUN Civil Society Alliance (CSA) is linking nutrition to broader equity efforts, such as the push for a universal minimum wage. In Malawi, the CSA is tracking national and district budgets and advocating for a food and nutrition bill to reinforce the right to food through legislation. In Uganda, SUN CSN members are contributing to national policy platforms that embed rights-based and equity-focused approaches into food and nutrition strategies. 

At UNFSS+4, we look forward to discussions that recognise the right to food as a legal, social and political imperative – and reflect on ways to strengthen governance mechanisms that uphold this right at all levels.

2. Prioritising agroecology and food sovereignty

Across SUN countries, SUN CSN members are advancing agroecological practices that prioritise local knowledge, environmental health and community-led solutions. In the Philippines, for example, civil society is implementing agroforestry, home and school gardens, and crop conservation to strengthen local food security and resilience. In Sri Lanka, the SUN CSA promotes locally grown vegetables in school feeding programmes, linking nutrition with support for smallholder farmers. 

We need to see a Summit that offers a platform for agroecological and food sovereignty approaches to be considered more centrally within investment, research and policy priorities.

3. Linking climate and nutrition

The links between climate change and malnutrition are increasingly evident. Many SUN CSN members are working at this intersection, integrating solutions that serve both people and ecosystems. In Ghana, civil society has facilitated dialogues on climate-resilient food systems, linking local experiences to national planning. In the Philippines, community initiatives focus on conserving climate-resilient, nutrient-dense crops while promoting sustainable farming practices. 

We encourage UNFSS+4 stakeholders to further explore how climate and nutrition agendas can be aligned – especially through support for local, integrated approaches that build resilience from the ground up.

4. Advancing gender justice in food systems

Women play a vital role across food systems – including breastfeeding, which is the central pillar of food security and the first food system. Yet too often, women are denied agency, recognition and resources. Our Alliances are actively tackling this injustice. In Madagascar, SUN CSN members work with women and girls to promote behaviour change and food preservation activities that generate income and build agency. In Uganda, our CSA engages parliamentarians and communities to ensure women’s perspectives shape food and nutrition policy. And in Sierra Leone, the SUN CSA has championed workplace lactation support as a concrete step toward advancing gender equality and increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates – a practical policy solution now under national review.

UNFSS+4 should move beyond rhetoric and commit to embedding gender-transformative approaches across food systems reform – centring care work, redistributing power, and ensuring women’s leadership is not just acknowledged, but resourced and implemented.

5. Enabling access to healthy diets

From policy advocacy to grassroots awareness-raising, SUN CSN alliances are actively promoting healthier, more affordable diets. In Zambia, civil society engages duty-bearers and communities in campaigns that promote local, nutritious foods. In Malawi, media platforms are used to raise awareness around culturally relevant, nutrient-rich diets. Across countries, our members also champion breastfeeding as a critical component of food systems resilience and child nutrition. In Laos, for instance, the SUN CSA launched a “Scaling Up Workplace Breastfeeding Advocacy for Impact” campaign, which led to a 32% increase in breastfeeding at work.

We call on UNFSS+4 to place greater emphasis on how food environments and public policy can shape healthier outcomes through stronger regulation, smarter procurement, targeted taxation and institutional support for breastfeeding. These levers are essential to making nutritious diets the simplest and most natural choice.

6. Strengthening inclusive food systems governance

Governance remains a critical yet under-addressed area of food systems transformation. While UNFSS+4 promotes multi-stakeholder engagement, the conditions under which different actors participate remain uneven. Civil society representation in high-level decision-making remains limited, while the private sector enjoys prominent access with few checks and no shared framework to guide its role.

At the global level, there is an urgent need for clear and public Principles of Engagement to guide how all actors participate in food systems policy (particularly those with significant financial and political power). Without such standards, the risk of unchecked influence grows, and efforts to build inclusive governance remain compromised. These principles should be grounded in transparency, equity and the primacy of the public interest.

UNFSS+4 is a key moment to move beyond broad calls for “inclusion” and to set concrete expectations around participation, influence, and accountability in food systems governance – at both national and global levels.

7. Reinforcing Accountability

Accountability is often mentioned in food systems discussions, but meaningful structures to uphold it – especially for private sector actors – are still missing. At UNFSS+4, there is a real opportunity to change this. There is currently no shared mechanism to track whether stakeholders, including governments and businesses, are delivering on their food systems commitments. A transparent, independent accountability system, like the Global Nutrition Report used for the Nutrition for Growth Summit, could help close this gap. It would allow the public to monitor progress, assess alignment with equity and rights, and apply consistent scrutiny across all actors.

Civil society is already modelling what this can look like at the national level. In Panama, SUN CSN developed an open-data platform to track food systems indicators and support citizen engagement, especially among young people. In Peru, a national observatory was created to monitor UNFSS government commitments.

UNFSS+4 is the moment to go beyond principles and put real accountability tools in place – especially where private profit-driven interests intersect with public health and public policy.

Looking Ahead

The above examples are just a small sample of all the tested solutions already shaping more just, sustainable food systems across our 5,000-member network. Transformation is already underway, from the ground up. 

As the global community assesses progress and sets direction for the years ahead, SUN CSN urges UNFSS+4 to fully recognise civil society not just as implementers, but as political actors, knowledge holders and accountability drivers. This is a moment to rebalance participation and ensure all stakeholders, especially those closest to the challenges of food insecurity, have an equitable role in shaping solutions. 

Critical measures involve securing meaningful space for civil society in decision-making, establishing public Principles of Engagement for the private sector, investing in rights-based, locally led action, and building independent accountability systems to track progress across all stakeholders. Global leaders must recognise these necessary shifts at UNFSS+4. But progress won’t come from statements alone. We know what structural changes are needed, but the momentum to deliver them remains too weak. Until real action follows, SUN CSN will continue to demand accountability, elevate community-driven solutions, and push for fair representation of civil society and the communities most affected by hunger and malnutrition.