The Netherlands Food Partnership Shared Messages on Biodiversity and Food Systems - 2025/2026

Between late 2025 and spring 2026, Convene is working alongside the Netherlands Food Partnership and their Biodiversity and Food Systems Community of Practice (CoP) to co-create shared messages that articulate the interlinkages between biodiversity and food systems. The process responds to a clear call from members of the CoP for common language, evidence, and narratives that can support more coherent engagement across policy, practice, and advocacy, and strengthen collective positioning that inform and influence key fora, including COP17 for the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD).

  • The purpose of this project is to create a shared reference point that reflects the diversity of perspectives across the CoP while strengthening coherence and collective agency.

    The Shared Messages aim to:

    • Articulate biodiversity–food systems linkages through clear, nuanced, and evidence informed messages;

    • Support alignment across advocacy, communication, and programme design among partners;

    • Provide a common foundation for engagement with policymakers, practitioners, private sector actors, research organisations, and civil society;

    • Enable strategic and coordinated engagement with national, regional and global processes.

  • The development of the Shared Messages is structured as a participatory, multi-stakeholder co-creation process that is designed and facilitated by Convene in close collaboration with the Netherlands Food Partnership.

    The process includes:

    • Synthesising existing inputs, studies, and dialogue outcomes to establish a shared baseline of narratives and evidence;

    • Convening and facilitating a dedicated working group from the CoP representing public, private, research, and civil society actors;

    • Iterative drafting and refinement of the Shared Messages through facilitated dialogue and written consultation with the CoP;

    • Validation moments with the wider CoP to ensure relevance, ownership, and legitimacy;

    • Co-design of an accessible and visually coherent document, alongside the NFP communications team:

    • Development of a communication uptake strategy to support use and amplification of the Shared Messages towards CBD COP17.

  • Results will be shared upon completion of this project (March 2026).