United Kingdom

Helping the UK food system achieve global environmental goals with the Courtauld Commitment

The OWSD General Assembly and international conference will be held entirely online for the first time in OWSD's 28-year history, allowing as many of OWSD's 7600+ members to participate as possible.

The conference theme is 'Women, science and development', exploring three areas of relevance: 1) the importance of basic sciences for development; 2) the impact of applied sciences on development and 3) including sex and gender as variables in scientific research.


**Keynote speakers include:** 
* Fabiola Gianotti, Director-General of CERN; 
* Bina Agarwal, an internationally celebrated economist specializing in the political economy of gender, poverty and inequality; and 
* Angela Saini, award-winning author of Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong and the New Research That’s Rewriting the Story, Superior: The Return of Race Science, and other books. 

OWSD members will present their own research in the three themes during poster sessions throughout the conference. In addition, members will also present their own scientific and personal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. All members will also have the opportunity to take part in a workshop on increasing their visibility and impact as a scientist, with a session on using podcasts for storytelling by Joy Owango and Adelle Onyango of the Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa), followed by a session on filmmaking for impact by Nicole Leghissa, OWSD video consultant.

The conference will include a handover of the previous OWSD Executive Board to the new members, elected in June-July 2021. On the last day of the conference (19 November), the OWSD Italy Country Network will be launched. **This will be an in-person event in Trieste.** Italian government representatives and donors are invited to attend. The Trieste event will be coordinated with similar in person events being held in OWSD countries throughout the developing world and streamed online. At least 2,000 OWSD members, women scientists from developing countries around the world, are expected to participate online in the General Assembly and conference.

 

**ABOUT THE PROGRAMME**

In order to approach the complex and wide-ranging challenges of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, societies around the world must access and harness all the talent and experience available to them. The concerns and perceptions of the greatest number of all possible actors and recipients must be considered in order that the most relevant issues and effective solutions are found. Women are considerably underrepresented as researchers in STEM subjects around the globe; according to UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) data, in 2019 the global average percentage of women researchers was still below 30%. Yet women typically have first hand specialist knowledge of the day-to-day challenges diverse individuals face within communities, and can be key informers in the design and development of their solutions. Moreover, since women are most often the providers of informal community support, if they are not fully informed—and if solutions are developed without their consultation—it may be the case that products, services and solutions are not relevant or appropriate. Technological advances may mean improved machines on large farms, for example, potentially increasing food production, but since the key points of food insecurity in the world are on small-scale farms managed by women throughout the Global South, such capital investments will have little impact in the areas where food production is most critical—and where women’s knowledgeable implementation of appropriate innovative technologies could make the most difference.

 
 


**Keynote Speakers:**
* Fabiola Gianotti, Director-General of CERN; 
* Bina Agarwal, an internationally celebrated economist specializing in the political economy of gender, poverty and inequality; and 
* Angela Saini, award-winning author of Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong and the New Research That’s Rewriting the Story, Superior: The Return of Race Science, and other books. 

**Eminent Guests:**
* Elena Bonetti, Italian Minister for Family and Equal Opportunities
* Maria Cristina Messa,	Italian Minister of Universities and Research
* Shamila Nair-Bedouelle,	Assistant Director General for Natural Sciences, UNESCO
* Maria Chiara Carrozza,	President, National Research Council of Italy
* Kerstin Jonsson Cisse,	Head of Unit for Globally Sustainable Economic Development, Sida - Sweden
* Naser Faruqui,	Director of Education and Science at IDRC - Canada
* Ylann Schemm,	Director, Elsevier Foundation
* Alberto Quadrio Curzio,	President Emeritus of the Italian Academy of Sciences and Humanities 
* Mohamed Hassan,	President, TWAS the World Academy of Sciences

**Chairs, panelists, interviewers and other speakers:**
Jennifer Thomson, Tonya Blowers, Rana Dajani, Shobhana Narasimhan, Joy Owango, Elizabeth Pollitzer, Kausila Timsina, Elizabeth Bandason, Susana Arrechea, Reinabelle Reyes, Dorine Odongo, Elizabeth Pollitzer, Adelle Onyango, Nicole Leghissa, Jana Rodriguez Hertz, Maryse Nkoua Ngavouka, Kate Shaw, Chao Mbogo, Prativa Pandey, Edna Patricia Matta-Camacho, Amira Shaheen, Wezi Nyambili, Ana Lucía Martinez Abarca, Mashura Shammi, Therese Umuhoza, Dionica Gamboa, Marian Nkansah, Babalola Olubukola Oluranti, Esi Awuah, Fortunate Farirai, Atya Kapley, Hasin Anupama Azhari, Huda Basaleem, Nashwa Eassa, Shymaa Enany, Kleinsy Bonilla, Patricia Castillo-Briceno, Fang Xin

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OWSD 6th GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

The conference theme is 'Women, science and development', exploring three areas of relevance: the importance of basic sciences for development; the impact of applied sciences on development, and including sex and gender as variables in scientific research.

webinar

### WELCOME

The facts about our food system are stark: 

* 30% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are created by global food production.
* 8 out of the top 10 countries that the UK sources fruit and vegetables from are drought-prone. 

In UK households, we throw away 6.6 million tonnes of food a year; almost three quarters is food we could have eaten. The Courtauld Commitment is a great British success story, with collaborations and partnerships developed under the agreement benefitting signatories and the sector more widely. [Our 2015-2018 results](https://wrap.org.uk/resources/report/courtauld-commitment-2025-milestone-progress-report) showed a 7% reduction in food waste (nearly half a million tonnes), a 7% reduction in GHG emissions (over seven million tonnes CO2e) and collective action projects targeting water scarcity.

We’re now at a critical point on our journey to net zero, with UK food and drink businesses increasingly under pressure to demonstrate leadership in helping deliver global targets such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate action. The Courtauld Commitment is stepping up a gear to meet these new demands; re-aligning and reframing our targets to emphasise the interconnected nature of the GHG, water, and food waste challenges for the global food system.

[![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/347f06a66167bf388565a971b8555441.jpg)](https://wrap.org.uk/taking-action/food-drink/initiatives/courtauld-commitment-2025) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [ ![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/bc385c6de9d21046e3d30db3a5a683fe.png) ](https:///twitter.com/WRAP_UK) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/dd99b9cb214673dba6004dd203f31b33.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrap/?trk=affiliated-pages_result-card_full-click)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/d459a183bc6bd809a57bdfdb6d37a616.png)](mailto:courtauld2025@wrap.org.uk)

&nbsp;



### SPEAKERS


![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/9218d64e146d6caebc28acaa297f9ea2.png)

Bio: **Dr David Moon** is Head of Business Collaboration at WRAP (Waste &amp; Resources Action
Programme). A materials scientist by training, he has over 25 years&#39; experience of delivering
collaborative programmes for Government and industry to achieve environmental objectives.
His team delivers three voluntary agreements to tackle major environmental issues in the
UK, working with leading businesses, trade associations, Governments and local authorities:
* the Courtauld Commitment 2025 in the food & drink sector
* Textiles 2030: the UK Sustainable Textiles Action Plan (which succeeds the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan 2020 Commitment)
* The UK Plastics Pact.
 
 
 
![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/f79de1c3d36953500b09a7995f647b6e.jpeg)

Bio: **Karen Fisher** is a Special Advisor WRAP, with nearly 20 years experience in the field of food
systems sustainability and appraisal. She is currently leading a number of workstreams with
the food &amp; drink sector focused on tackling the significant challenge of measuring and
reducing supply chain GHG (scope 3) emissions. This work involves organisations that span
the whole of the food chain, including farming bodies, manufacturers &amp; processors, retailers,
hospitality &amp; food service businesses, government representatives and other stakeholders.
The aim is to use the Courtauld Commitment as a platform for collaboration to make faster
and more effective progress towards reducing GHG emissions in food &amp; drink supply chains,
addressing barriers to action, such as measurement &amp; reporting inconsistencies, which need
a whole supply chain approach. She also leads WRAP’s programme of work on water
stewardship, focused on tackling water stress in food supply chains and convening collective
action to help build supplier resilience and secure sustainable water management in the
most ‘at risk’ areas that the UK sources key food &amp; drink products and ingredients from.
 
 
 
![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/408bec01c34469cdcc498d0531c1ac1b.jpg)

Bio: Dr **Andrew Parry** is WRAPs Special Advisor on farm to fork food waste prevention. Andrew has worked at WRAP for 15 years, leading the team that launched Love Food Hate Waste in 2006, and working on initiatives ranging from quantifying food surplus and waste on farm to developing the UK Food Waste Reduction Roadmap. Andrew advises WRAP on food waste prevention strategies and the monitoring of progress, and works closely with UK government policy colleagues, the European Commission and other international organisations.
 
 
 
![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/725e24002ce68a090495cc38bd6b0f29.jpg)

Bio: **Paul Wilkinson** is the Senior Business Account Manager in WRAP focused on developing
the Courtauld Commitment and WRAP’s approach to Client Relationship Management. With
a degree in Molecular Biology, Paul began his career in the Life Sciences industry for 5
years before moving into the Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector. For the next twenty
years he worked in Client Management roles for leading companies such as Mars Inc, Boots
and as an Account Director for Management Consultants, Capgemini, who are specialists in
delivering Collaborative Business projects.
Over the last 10 years, Paul had been striving to support the development of the leadership
and management capability of UK plc before Covid intervened. He believes all this
cumulative experience was preparing him for his most important role working for WRAP at
this critical time for the sustainability of the Global Food System.

In UK households, we throw away 6.6 million tonnes of food a year; almost three quarters is food we could have eaten. The Courtauld Commitment is a great British success story, with collaborations and partnerships developed under the agreement benefitting signatories and the sector more widely. [Our 2015-2018 results](https://wrap.org.uk/resources/report/courtauld-commitment-2025-milestone-progress-report) showed a 7% reduction in food waste (nearly half a million tonnes), a 7% reduction in GHG emissions (over seven million tonnes CO2e) and collective action projects targeting water scarcity.

We’re now at a critical point on our journey to net zero, with UK food and drink businesses increasingly under pressure to demonstrate leadership in helping deliver global targets such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate action. The Courtauld Commitment is stepping up a gear to meet these new demands; re-aligning and reframing our targets to emphasise the interconnected nature of the GHG, water, and food waste challenges for the global food system.


Helping the UK food system achieve global environmental goals with the Courtauld Commitment

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