The Painful Truth About Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with Stefanos Fotiou

Why do millions still suffer from hunger despite the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and decades of promises?

In this episode, Suman Roy and Stacia Neale sit down with Stefanos Fotiou, a global force in sustainable development and Director at the UN FAO, to ask the hard questions about the SDGs. He’s here to break the silence on why the world is failing on its most ambitious goals and shares why, if we stay on the current path, most SDG targets will remain out of reach. 

They also dig deeper truths behind food waste, market imbalance, and why only 7.8 cents of every dollar in food value goes to farmers in the U.S.

You’ll walk away with one thing: this isn’t a resource problem; it’s a systems problem. Fixing it starts with changing how we think, act, and hold power accountable.

▶️ The Painful Truth About Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

 

Key Points:

00:00 Introduction

03:53 What SDGs are and why they matter.

05:14 How far off track we are.

06:55 The physics of failure: momentum, inertia, friction.

11:57 Rethinking sustainable development systems.

13:09 The role of ideology and short-term thinking.

16:54 True cost of food systems.

17:53 Power imbalance in the food value chain.

20:08 Overconsumption and food waste crisis.

 

Stefanos Fotiou is a global leader in sustainable development with 30 years of experience across the UN system, private sector, and research institutions. He currently serves as Director of the SDG Office at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and leads the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub. Stefanos plays a pivotal role in helping countries drive SDG-based agrifood transformations. His leadership was instrumental in the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking, dubbed the “UN Assembly for Food Systems.” Through strategic coordination and bold action, he continues to challenge the status quo of global development systems.

 

Website: https://about.me/stefanos.fotiou

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanosfotiou/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stefanosfotiou/

 

Suman Roy is a globally recognized leader in food security, poverty reduction, and community resilience. As the founder of Feed Scarborough and a key force behind Hunger-Free Canada and the Zero Hunger Project, he is dedicated to ensuring no one goes to bed hungry. He played a pivotal role in crafting Toronto’s first Food Strategy and has represented Canada at the United Nations and FAO to champion sustainable development goals. With multiple global leadership awards, including CEO of the Year (NGO) and Visionary of the Year, Suman is a sought-after expert on global food security. His mission is clear: to create a hunger-free, resilient future for all.

 

Website: https://sumanroy.ca/
https://feedscarborough.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roy4ward20#  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chefsuman/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefsuman/ 

X: https://x.com/chefsuman 

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