FAO promotes Food Systems-Based Dietary Guidelines to advance healthier diets and sustainable agrifood systems in Near East and North Africa – Food and Agriculture Organization

©FAO / Ahmed Al-Basha
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), brought together policymakers, nutrition experts, researchers, and development partners from across the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region for a regional webinar on Food Systems-Based Dietary Guidelines (FSBDGs).
The webinar highlighted the potential of FSBDGs to help populations adopt healthier and more sustainable dietary patterns while supporting improved nutrition outcomes and sustainable agrifood systems transformation.
The webinar introduced FAO’s new innovative FSBDGs methodology, which supports countries in developing dietary recommendations that not only promote healthy diets but also consider environmental sustainability, and socioeconomic equity. The event also explored how dietary guidelines can serve as a practical policy tool to strengthen coherence across agriculture, health, education, and socioeconomic sectors, supporting more integrated approaches to improving diets and transforming agrifood systems.
“Transforming agrifood systems is essential to ensuring that healthy diets become accessible, affordable, and sustainable for all,” said Ahmad Mukhtar, Senior Economist at the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa. “Food Systems-Based Dietary Guidelines provide countries with a powerful framework to connect nutrition objectives with broader food systems policies, helping to address multiple challenges simultaneously while supporting long-term resilience and sustainability.”
The discussion comes at a critical time for the region. According to FAO’s Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2025, hunger reached its highest level in more than two decades in 2024 among Arab States. At the same time, nearly 38 percent of the region’s population could not afford a healthy diet, while countries continue to face the triple burden of malnutrition, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and rising rates of overweight and obesity.
Opening the webinar, experts from FAO and WHO emphasized the need for integrated approaches that address both nutrition and food systems challenges. Participants learned about the evolution of dietary guidelines, the principles underpinning the FSBDGs methodology, and the opportunities for translating dietary recommendations into coordinated actions across food systems.
The webinar featured technical presentations from FAO and WHO specialists, as well as insights on country experiences in applying dietary guidelines as a strategic entry point for food systems transformation. Interactive discussions enabled participants to exchange knowledge and identify opportunities for adapting food systems approaches to national contexts.
By fostering dialogue among countries and partners across the region, the webinar reinforced the role of Food Systems-Based Dietary Guidelines as a key tool for advancing healthier diets, improving nutrition outcomes, and building more sustainable and resilient agrifood systems throughout the NENA region.

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