This is an official side-event of the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit, hosted by France.
Date: 26 March 2025
Time: 11:00 AM -1:15 PM CET
Location: Salle IV, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France
As part of the official programme of the Nutrition for Growth Summit hosted by France, UNEP joined forces with UNESCO and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to spotlight how education and youth leadership can revolutionise food systems.
The message was clear: well-nourished children learn better, and schools are ground zero for the food revolution. Yet, education is too often overlooked in nutrition strategies—despite its power to shape healthier choices, reduce food waste, and instill lifelong habits that benefit both people and planet.
Food is more than nourishment—it’s an opportunity to:
- Boost learning and cognitive development
- Engage deeply with food systems by growing vegetables in school gardens
- Promote biodiversity through local, sustainable food choices
- Empower young people to lead change in their communities
- Preserve cultural heritage and indigenous food knowledge
- Align policies across education, health, environment, and agriculture
This vision directly supports UNEP’s recently launched Food Waste Breakthrough—a global effort to cut food waste by 50% and methane emissions by 7% by 2030. By embedding food literacy and sustainable consumption into education systems, we can activate the next generation of climate leaders and turn classrooms into catalysts for systemic change.
As Ambassador Kano Takehiro, Permanent Delegate of Japan to UNESCO, shared "We hope that, in tackling food waste, the spirit of "Mottainai", or not wasting resources, will be shared with people all over the world".
