The process sought to support the Food & Nutrition Division clarify its collective ambition, strengthen internal coherence, and move toward a more demand-driven and integrated way of working. Key objectives of this process included breaking down internal silos, sharpening the Division’s strategic positioning within FAO, and laying the groundwork for a refreshed vision, strategy, and roadmap aligned with the global “Better Nutrition” priority.

Convene designed and facilitated a dialogue process centered on a two-day in-person Nutrition Division Retreat in January 2025. Preparation included intelligence gathering, internal sense-making, and a Reflect-Share-Blend process prior to the Retreat to surface shared priorities, tensions, and opportunities for change. The Retreat combined structured dialogue, collective reflection, and strategic framing to support alignment on ambition, ways of working, and future direction, followed by consolidation of outcomes to guide next steps through to end 2025.

The process resulted in an improved shared vision for the Division's goals, such as positioning healthy diets as both an outcome and a driver of agrifood system reform. It increased internal alignment, highlighted critical obstacles to address (such as evidence, collaboration, and preparedness for change), and developed tangible directions for a 2025 roadmap. The discussions also emphasized the Division's role in mainstreaming nutrition across FAO and working more effectively with regional, national, and external/ international partners.