The global community mourns the sudden passing of Sir David Nabarro, the distinguished British physician and global health diplomat, who died on 25 July 2025 at the age of 75. His contributions spanned from leading UN responses to health crises including COVID 19, Ebola and bird flu, to advocating for food security, nutrition and sustainable development. Knighted in 2023 and co-recipient of the 2018 World Food Prize with Dr Lawrence Haddad, Sir David was admired for his mentorship, systems leadership and unwavering commitment to equity.

At the Forum for the Future of Agriculture, David was a recurring voice, bringing his deep expertise in global health, food systems and systems leadership to shape its dialogue and direction.

During our 2021 Annual Conference, he spoke about aligning agricultural policy with public health priorities, advocating for holistic frameworks that treat food systems as interconnected, living systems rather than segmented domains. His remarks reflected a broader approach: food security is inseparable from nutrition, climate resilience, and long-term human wellbeing.

David emphasised that agriculture cannot be isolated from its impacts on climate, health, and vulnerable communities. His leadership in the Food Systems Dialogues brought together diverse stakeholders to co-create actionable strategies aimed at advancing sustainable development goals.

Beyond the Forum, Sir David’s impact reached far across global institutions:

As the WHO Special Envoy on COVID 19 (2020–2023), he pushed for international alliance-building and stronger support for poorer countries facing the pandemic’s brunt.

As the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative on Food Security and Nutrition (2009–2017), he orchestrated multi-agency coordination on hunger and nutrition, including leading the High-Level Task Force on Global Food Security and the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement.

Through his stewardship of the 4SD Foundation, David mentored emerging leaders to harness “living systems” leadership, collaborative, adaptive, and grounded in real-world complexity, to tackle global challenges.

Sir David’s presence at the Forum for the Future of Agriculture catalysed meaningful dialogue about the intersections of agriculture, health and climate change. He challenged participants to embrace system thinking and inclusive leadership in shaping food system transformations. His legacy remains embedded in the ongoing mission of sustainable agriculture and global health. May his example continue to inspire generations working at the intersection of food, climate and wellbeing.

Janez Potočnik, Chair of the Forum for the Future of Agriculture, shared:

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Sir David, a valued friend and influential voice at the Forum. His clear vision linking food, health, climate and compassion inspired our discussions and strengthened our shared purpose. We will honour his legacy by continuing our work towards sustainable and fair food systems that serve both people and the planet.”