ProVeg UN Policy
Content
What we do & why
What
Engaging with international institutions to bring food system transformation and sustainable diets to the heart of the global policy agenda.
Why
Since 2017, ProVeg has increasingly engaged with international organizations, with a specific focus on UN institutions. ProVeg has received the United Nations’ Momentum for Change Award and works closely with key UN food and environment agencies. We have observer status with the UNFCCC and the IPCC, special consultative status with ECOSOC, are member of the CTCN and are accredited for UNEA. Furthermore, we are an official partner of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030). This allows ProVeg International to increase its impact while advocating for a shift towards more plant-rich food systems in international meetings and negotiations.
By engaging with international organizations and building long-term relationships with UN institutions specifically, we aim to mainstream a shift towards plant-based diets as a proven climate change mitigation and adaptation solution.
Our approach
UN Working Groups
- Co-chair of the 50by40 UNFCCC Action Group
- Involved with WFA’s UNFCCC Working Group
- Involved with the Official Children and Youth Constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), also known as YOUNGO through our Youth employees and our Youth Board
- Member of Climate Action Network, and through them, the official Environmental NGOs Constituency of UNFCCC (ENGO)
- Member of the Global School Meals Coalition from the UN Food Systems Summit process
- Member of the Beans is How Coalition
- Member of the UNEP’s NGOs Major Group
- Member of the High Level Political Forum’s NGO Major Group
Collaborations with NGOs
- Joint campaigns including open letters, joint statements, social media actions
- High-level meetings and negotiators dinners
- Side events and press conferences at UN Conferences
- Food4Climate Pavilion at COP27 and COP28
- Action On Food Hub at COP29
- COP30 Food Coalition
Our policy demands
- The transition from animal husbandry to plant production should be made possible by bonuses and retraining.
- The subsidies for animal products through a reduced VAT should be discontinued and socially cushioned.
- Plant-based alternatives are to be promoted through a reduced VAT rate of 7%.
- An information campaign about healthy, plant-based nutrition is to be launched.
- In community catering, plant-based dishes should be offered daily as standard.
- Alternative sources of protein (vegetable and cell cultured) should be promoted.
Food4Climate Pavilion
The launch of the Pavilion at COP27 last year, alongside other food system Pavilions, was groundbreaking because it signified recognition at UN-level of the relationship between climate change and food production.
ProVeg International is gearing up to build on the success of COP27 and further emphasize the need to make the shift towards plant-rich diets, adopt sustainable and resilient agricultural practices, and reduce food loss and waste.
A total of 15 partner organizations have already signed up to join ProVeg at its Pavilion, including: World Animal Protection, A Well-Fed World, Humane Society International, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, Four Paws, Food Tank, Mercy For Animals, the Jeremy Coller Foundation, Compassion in World Farming, Upfield, Impossible Foods, the MENA Youth Network, Young Professionals for Agricultural Development, the International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences, and the YOUNGO Food and Agriculture Working Group.
ProVeg UN Youth Board
The ProVeg International UN Team is proud to present the Youth Board, comprised of 20 outstanding young people from around the world. These global youth activists advise our UN team and spread the message in the lead-up to COP29, this year’s edition of the annual UN Climate Change Conference, which takes place in Baku, Azerbaijan.
About the ProVeg UN Policy Team
The current team is made up of a group of devoted policy experts who work tirelessly to achieve our mission to replace 50% of animal products, globally, with plant-based and cultivated foods by 2040. Read their bios to know more about them and their work within ProVeg International!