Hosted by: Global Action Network Sustainable Food from the Oceans and Inland Waters for Food Security and Nutrition, led by Norway under the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition and cohosted with Angola, Brazil, Tanzania, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) / The EAF Nansen Programme, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (TAFIRI), Institute of Marine Research, Norway (IMR), Mauritius Oceanography Institute (MOI), University of Bergen, University of Pretoria, Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA), and European Bureau for Conservation and Development (EBCD)
This side event will bring together participants from across regions, including governments, UN agencies, research institutions, private sector actors, and young and local voices from Africa and beyond. The event will highlight the importance of integrating food security and nutrition into ocean governance and development cooperation, as well as the importance of aquatic food systems for food security, supporting livelihoods, improving diet quality, and building resilience. This initiative aims to strengthen coordinated action at the ocean–food–nutrition nexus through improved data-sharing, enhanced regional collaboration, and stronger science–policy integration.
Aquatic food systems play a critical role in food security and nutrition, yet their full contribution remains underutilized due to persistent gaps in nutrient and contaminant data, which constrain evidence-based fisheries management and nutrition policymaking. Within the framework of the UN Decade of Ocean Science and the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition, there is a strategic opportunity to strengthen knowledge systems linking ocean and inland water resource management with health and nutrition objectives.
A key outcome will be the launch of a regional African working group on food composition data under the Global Action Network. This initiative aims to strengthen coordinated action at the ocean–food–nutrition nexus through improved data-sharing, enhanced regional collaboration, and stronger science–policy integration.