Global leaders have initiated the process for the Global Conscious Food Systems Summit 2026, a pioneering international effort to place values, culture, happiness, and consciousness at the center of food systems transformation. The high-level online launch, convened by the Royal Government of Bhutan and the Conscious Food Systems Alliance (CoFSA) in partnership with UNDP, engaged over 500 participants worldwide and set the stage for the Summit in Paro, Bhutan, scheduled from 31 August to 4 September 2026.
Speakers at the launch included Bhutan’s Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay, UN Under-Secretary-General Haoliang Xu, former Irish President Mary Robinson, Indigenous leader Hindou Ibrahim, and experts such as Nana Woo from SEKEM Group, Egypt. They emphasized that Bhutan provides a unique environment where policy, culture, and lived experiences can converge to foster meaningful collaboration and conscious approaches to food systems.
The Summit aims to expand the understanding of food systems transformation beyond technology, policy, and finance by highlighting culture, values, wellbeing, and inner development as essential drivers. Participants will explore practices that integrate traditional knowledge, regenerative farming, farmers’ wellbeing, and mindful consumption, fostering a holistic approach to tackling global challenges such as climate change, poverty, biodiversity loss, and land degradation.
The event also announced a participatory global process to develop a Framework for Conscious Food Systems. This framework will include guiding principles, case studies, lessons learned, and recommendations to support collective action, ensuring that food systems transformation is inclusive, culturally aware, and socially responsible.
Leaders highlighted the importance of centering women, youth, and indigenous communities in these efforts. By promoting consciousness and values in decision-making, the Summit seeks to inspire a shift in mindsets that complements technological and policy innovations, unlocking the transformative potential of global food systems.
Registration for the Summit is now open, and stakeholders worldwide are invited to contribute to the program, shaping a collaborative and inclusive path toward sustainable and conscious food systems.
