Paul Newnham

Paul Newnham is a food systems advocate and executive leader with a career dedicated to addressing hunger and transforming global perspectives on food. He founded the SDG2 Advocacy Hub, a secretariat that connects NGOs, advocacy groups, civil society, the private sector, and United Nations agencies around Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger. The SDG2 Advocacy Hub coordinates global campaigning and advocacy to achieve SDG 2, focusing on ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

Newnham joined the SDG2 Advocacy Hub after 15 years at World Vision International, where he was responsible for campaigning, advocacy, communications, and youth mobilization. He developed an approach to tackling hunger that emphasized youth and livelihoods in East Africa, bridging the gap between programs and mobilization, and this approach has been implemented in multiple countries. Newnham has more than 25 years of experience managing complex stakeholder relationships, designing campaign strategies, and working within the not-for-profit sector.

Under Newnham's leadership, the SDG2 Advocacy Hub has become a significant force for global food systems change. The Hub facilitates the "Chefs' Manifesto," a community of more than 1,250 chefs from 93 countries, providing a set of actions to advance sustainable food systems. The Hub also led the development of the "Good Food For All" campaign, which was adopted by the UN Food Systems Summit to drive public engagement. Newnham has served as Chair of the Public Engagement Taskforce for the UN Food Systems Summit and Vice Chair of the Food System Champion Network.

The SDG2 Hub creates a platform for open dialogue and knowledge sharing, encouraging collaboration between nutrition, farming, and sustainability groups, and fostering connections between grassroots organizations and large corporations. This approach supports necessary conversations to advance food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture.

Newnham hosts "Future Fork," a show that explores food systems and the decisions shaping the future of food. The podcast discusses sustainability, food security, nutrition, and innovative solutions to global challenges such as climate change and malnutrition. It features guests including chefs, agricultural experts, and policymakers, and addresses topics such as the influence of chefs as advocates for sustainability, the empowerment of farmers, and the role of public policy in shaping effective food systems.

Through his work at the intersection of advocacy, communications, and global policy, Newnham is recognized as a credible voice in the effort to achieve a world free from hunger.