Methodology & Selection Criteria
The aim of this compendium for UNFSS+4 is to highlight the main successes achieved to date and catalyze further investment, action and impact. A set of criteria formally approved by the 14 organizations* brought together to form the UNFSS+4 Business Engagement Group anchored the selection methodology. This has ensured a transparent and collectively endorsed framework for evaluating and selecting submissions.
Criteria used to identify and include initiatives:
- Demonstrated impact
- Novelty since/for UNFSS 2021
- Alignment with national pathways and UNFSS Action Tracks
- Replicability or scalability
- Private sector engagement and innovation in finance, partnerships, governance or data
Each Business Engagement Group partner and members of the wider community suggested examples. The collection of these cases took place through a structured survey to ensure consistency.
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) jointly coordinated the final selection process. The prioritized cases met the following criteria: initiatives launched from 2021 onwards; those that were coalition-led; and cases that demonstrated innovative and impactful co-investment methods.
The final selection covers developing and emerging economies around the world. The types of stakeholders span multinational businesses to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises, development banks and for-profit banks, investors, governments – all the way down to localities, NGOs, international organizations and more. And the thematic areas follow the FAO Global Roadmap’s domains.
The compilation process remained pragmatic throughout, carefully balancing the need for both quality and diversity against the realities of time and resource availability. Ultimately, this methodology has enabled the creation of a transparent and inclusive compendium that shows collective achievements and encourages further action and investment.
FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations UNGC – United Nations Global Compact WBCSD – World Business Council for Sustainable Development AGRA – Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa Ambition Loop EAFF – Eastern Africa Farmers Federation GAIN – Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition GIGA GrowAsia IFAD – International Fund for Agricultural Development PSM – Private Sector Mechanism of the Committee on World Food Security UNIDO – United Nations Industrial Development Organization WEF – World Economic Forum WFO – World Farmers’ Organisation
In the spirit of transparency and inclusivity, additional case submissions that were not selected for inclusion in the final compendium have been made available in an online repository. These cases, while not featured in the final compendium, offer valuable insights and contributions aligned with the compendium’s overarching goals. The repository can be accessed here, and will be updated in the future to reflect new cases.
