The Summit’s online component was offered in partnership with Alef Trust
9:15 am Bhutan | 5:15 am CEST(11:15pm EDT on 31st August)
Facilitated by Pema Choden Tenzin and Jo Confino
• Marchang ceremony
Speakers:
Beate Trankmann, Deputy Regional Director, UNDP Regional Bureau of Asia and the Pacific & Director of Bangkok Regional Hub — Welcome Address
H.E. Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of the Government of Bhutan — Keynote Address
Ban Ki Moon, 8th Secretary-General, United Nations
10:15 am Bhutan | 6:15 am CEST | 12:15 am EDT
Facilitated by Jo Confino
This session explores how we can rise to the defining challenges of our time by expanding our consciousness, strengthening collective leadership, and embracing new ways of thinking and acting in the face of the polycrisis.
Speakers:
H.E. Harini Amarasuriya, Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Otto Scharmer, Founder & Director, Presencing Institute (Video Message)
Panel Conversation:
Introductory Keynote Remarks: Mary Robinson, Former President, Ireland & Co-Founder, Project Dandelion
Toko Tatung, Member of the Legislative Assembly, Yachuli, Arunachal Pradesh, India
Mara Lisa Arizaga, Head Well-being Unit, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Chizuru Aoki, Manager Multilateral Environmental Conventions and Funds, Global Environment Facility
Amma – Mata Amritanandamayi, Spiritual Leader (video message)
11:45 am Bhutan | 7:45 am CEST | 1:45 am EDT
Facilitated by Pema Choden Tenzin
The Summit will close this part of the programme with a moment of gratitude and contemplation, inviting participants with food.
Programme:
Mindful Eating Practice guided by Thomas Legrand, CoFSA Team Lead, UNDP
Prayer guided by Bishop Allwyn D’Silva of Mumbai, on the occasion of the International Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
2:00 pm Bhutan | 10:00 am CEST | 4:00 am EDT
Facilitated by Jo Confino
This session will explore conscious leadership and its role in facilitating transformation. The session will feature a video message from Christiana Figueres, followed by a panel conversation bringing together political leaders, Indigenous voices, and food systems pioneers.
Panel Conversation:
H.E. Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of the Government of Bhutan
H.E. Harini Amarasuriya, Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Prasiddhi Singh, Youth Climate Advocate & Founder, Prasiddhi Forest Foundation
Godfrey Nzamujo, Founder & Director, Songhaï Center
Conclusion with introduction to the “CoFSA conscious ways of working” by Charlotte Dufour, Senior Practice Advisor, CoFSA, UNDP
4:00 pm Bhutan | 12:00 pm CEST | 6:00 am EDT
Facilitated by Pema Choden Tenzin
This session will celebrate and honour the seeds of an emerging global movement for conscious food systems. Speakers from across the food, sustainability, academic, business, and culinary communities will share their perspectives on the opportunities to cultivate more conscious, regenerative, and resilient food systems.
Speakers:
Christine Wamsler, Professor of Sustainability Science, Lund University
Andrew Bovarnick, CoFSA Founder & Director, UNDP
Dilhan C. Fernando, CEO & Chairman, Dilmah Tea
Helmy Abolish, Director, SEKEM
Bleu Dorji, Chef & Founder, The Secret Garden Restaurant
5:30 pm Bhutan | 1:30 pm CEST | 7:30 am EDT
Facilitated by Jo Confino & Pema Choden Tenzin
The Summit will conclude with a moment of gratitude, reflection, and collective recognition of our deep connection to Mother Earth and the food systems that sustain us.
Ritual of Gratitude to Mother Earth offered by Indigenous Peoples’ representatives:
Mindahi Bastida, Americas
Moko Morris, Oceania
Gratia Dkhar, Asia
Dalmas Tiampati, Africa
Ignacio Packer, Europe
Official Closing
The Summit will officially close with remarks by H.E. Younten Phuntsho, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Government of Bhutan
The Summit was livestreamed and recorded on the official CoFSA YouTube Channel, allowing participants worldwide to follow the conversations at their convenience. Watch the recordings here.
In addition, in collaboration with Alef Trust, a global leader in transformative education, CoFSA will host five regional online gatherings during the Summit days (1–4 September) to create an inclusive space for people around the world to connect, reflect, and engage meaningfully with the conversations taking place in Bhutan.
Our regional gatherings will take place across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America. Conversations will be held in English, French and Spanish. Participants are welcome to watch the Summit livestreams or recordings before joining their regional online gatherings. Subtitles will also be available in multiple languages.
Daily regional 75-minute online gatherings that include:
Each gathering invites participants to reflect on the Summit’s themes through
the realities of their own landscapes, cultures, and communities.
Find your region below and register for its session.
The online component of the Summit is made possible through the generous collaboration and support of Alef Trust.
What are our hearts longing for when it comes to food systems? Begin with our guided meditation, then reflect on questions of gratitude, heartbreak, aspiration, and commitment. Share your offering—through stories, reflections, poems, artworks, music, videos, or other creative expressions—on our Padlet platform. Selected contributions will be showcased through our official channels and woven into a collective artistic expression that will accompany the Summit.
