The 2025 AGA opens at a time when the global need for agrifood systems transformation remains as urgent as ever, even as fundamental changes reshape the financing environment. Official development assistance (ODA) is under pressure, new financing mechanisms are emerging, and the boundaries between public, private and philanthropic finance are becoming increasingly blurred. Recent milestones – including the outcomes of the Financing for Development Conference (FfD4) and the UN Food Systems Summit +4 – highlight both opportunities and risks in this evolving landscape. Against this backdrop, the GDPRD Co-Chairs will welcome participants and offer opening remarks to frame the discussions ahead.

The keynote address, “Prioritizing agrifood systems amid upheaval in development finance,” will further explore these shifts and what they mean for keeping agrifood systems at the centre of the development finance agenda. This will be followed by scene-setting inputs on donor coordination and multilateralism in agrifood systems financing, drawing on the work of the GDPRD High-Level Advisory Group and the White Paper on “Financing Agrifood Systems for People, Planet and Prosperity.” Together, these perspectives will outline why a fresh rethink is needed, and how aligning strategies and strengthening coherent agrifood financing mechanisms can help donors and partners better leverage new financing options and support national investment priorities.