MADRID IS INTERNATIONAL

• First Plenary Session of the Madrid Healthy and Sustainable Food Forum as part of the Strategy to improve food systems in the capital.

•  The Delegated Area for Internationalization and Cooperation of the Madrid City Council presents the functioning and composition of the Madrid Healthy and Sustainable Food Forum.

On Thursday, April 27, the first session of the Madrid Healthy and Sustainable Food Forum took place, a space for collaboration and coordination between the Madrid City Council and different stakeholders in the field of healthy and sustainable food in the city. This forum is part of the Madrid Healthy and Sustainable Food Strategy 2022-2025, with the aim of improving food systems in the capital.

The first session of the Forum was held online and had the main objective of initiating this food governance space in the city, explaining its functioning, and introducing the people and entities that will be part of it. A total of 25 entities, including professional associations, economic agents, universities, research centers, regional administration, and municipal political groups, will participate in this multi-stakeholder dialogue on the food systems of Madrid.

Santiago Saura, Councilor of the Delegated Area for Internationalization and Cooperation of the Madrid City Council, welcomed this new governance space and highlighted the significant increase in participating entities compared to the previous Monitoring Committee, going from 5 to 25 entities. Cecilio Cerdán Carbonero, General Director for Cooperation and Global Citizenship of the Delegated Area for Internationalization and Cooperation, emphasized the positive response of the entities to the Forum's call, in line with the cultural change related to food that is taking place in the city.

During the session, Sara Gutiérrez Olivera, senior advisor of the General Direction for Cooperation and Global Citizenship, briefly presented the structure of the Madrid Healthy and Sustainable Food Strategy 2022-2025 and delved into the exposition of the governance and coordination spaces of said strategy, with special emphasis on the Healthy and Sustainable Food Forum, explaining its functions, composition, participation criteria, and operating model.

In addition, an introduction round was conducted in which representatives of the entities presented the scope of their organizations' work in relation to the Strategy and indicated the priority topics for collaborating with Madrid City Council. During these interventions, the extensive experience and diversity of topics covered by the entities in their daily work were highlighted, as well as their keen interest in collaborating with the municipal government.

After the presentations, questions about the functioning of the Forum were clarified, and the possibility of creating a working group dedicated to food waste reduction was raised. Additionally, "Barrios Productores" project was presented, which seeks to generate a new sector of economic activity aligned with the European Green Deal and the Milan Pact.

With the start of this Forum, a working space is consolidated that will allow for the improvement of the food systems in the city of Madrid. The Delegated Area for Internationalization and Cooperation thanks all participating entities for their interest and collaboration in the Madrid Healthy and Sustainable Food Strategy.