Advancing to a global and sustainable bioeconomy requires international coordination and common metrics, with food security at the center
The Expert Panel focuses on advancing global bioeconomy development through international cooperation, with food security at the center, and addressing key challenges such as uneven access to resources, science, technologies, and innovation, differing institutional capacities, and diversity of bioeconomy strategies, approaches and metrics across countries, sectors, and government levels. These issues highlight the need for greater coordination and collaboration around key issues such as bioeconomy strategies, objectives, criteria and indicators.
The panel emphasizes the importance of creating common metrics, which particularly address food security and nutrition, and learning from national experiences. Topics include global bioeconomy visions, harmonizing measurement approaches, developing common standards, promoting knowledge and technology transfer, ensuring policy coherence, and enhancing access to finance. The role of platforms like G7 and G20, as well as the UN, in fostering multilateral initiatives will be explored, with a special focus on improving food security and nutrition outcomes.
Speakers will examine strategies to maximize opportunities and overcome challenges in global bioeconomy development, aiming to contribute to a cohesive global governance framework that fosters social, economic and environmental sustainability, and improved food security through enhanced international collaboration.
After the opening of the session by the Moderator, Fabrice Nimpagaritse, Deputy Director at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), there will be two introductory remarks and a panel discussion.
The first introductory speech will be given by Carina Pimenta, National Secretary of Bioeconomy at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Brazil, about the importance of financial instruments and investments in the bioeconomy to achieve sustainability. Then, Gregory Jaffe, Former USDA Senior Advisor and bioeconomy expert of The US, will provide a keynote intervention on how bioeconomy matches environmental with socio-economic sustainability in agrifood systems.
Then, the four panellists will emphasize the importance of creating common metrics, which particularly address food security and nutrition, each providing lessons learned from experiences in different countries, sectors and levels. Christine Lang, Co-chair, International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB), will provide the perspective of STI driving global bioeconomy development. Kaveh Zahedi, Director at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) will speak on the role of agrifood systems and the need to build capacities and knowledge sharing by international organisations. Then, Tilman Schachtsiek, Responsible of implementation of the German National Bioeconomy Strategy at BMEL, will explain how to achieve policy coherence to reach national priorities and meet international targets. Lastly, Ben Durham, Chief Director of Bio-innovation at the National Department of Science and Innovation of South Africa, will examine current global initiatives and the importance of the Global South in growing the bioeconomy, including within the G20.
The session will end with a moderated discussions among panellists and with the audience aim at identifying opportunities and overcoming barriers to global cooperation on bioeconomy.
Panelists
Keynote Speakers

Carina Pimenta
Secretary
National Secretary for Bioeconomy. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Brazil

Gregory Jaffe
Former USDA Senior Advisor and Bioeconomy Expert
The US
Moderators & Panelists

Fabrice Nimpagaritse
Director
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)

Christine Lang
Co-chair
International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB)

Kaveh Zahedi
Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment
Food and agriculture organization of the United Nations

Tilman Schachtsiek
Responsible for the implementation of the German National Bioeconomy Strategy
German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture

Ben Durham
Chief director on bio-innovation
National Department of Science, Technology and Innovation in South Africa (DSTI)