Karel Callens is an international expert with more than 35 years of leadership in agrifood systems transformation, nutrition and One Health. He holds master’s degrees in bio-engineering from University of Ghent, Belgium, and in business administration from Open University, U.K. As a former deputy director at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, he has played a leading role in shaping global agendas on food security; nutrition and sustainable agriculture; microbiome science and innovation; sustainability governance and standards; and systems-based monitoring, evaluation and learning. His work bridges science, policy and implementation, combining strategic foresight with partnership-building across UN agencies, governments, academia, civil society and the private sector.

Callens led corporate initiatives including the joint FAO/European Commission’s FIRST Policy Assistance Facility, the Joint SDG Fund food systems portfolio, the Belgium Fund for Food Security portfolio and collaborations with the Integrated Policy Practitioners Network. As deputy director of FAO’s Strategic Program on Zero Hunger, he guided development and implementation of global strategies to address hunger and malnutrition and policy support across more than 35 countries. Earlier in his career, he held leadership and technical positions across Africa, Asia and Latin America, including award-winning work in Zambia.

Callens is currently engaged in several international food systems initiatives, including with FAO; Asian Development Bank; OECD; Joint SDG Fund; UNDP; Microbiomes for One Health Initiative and the International Bioeconomy Forum. He also serves on the leadership teams of the Global Initiative of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment and the Consortium for Sustainable Agrivoltaics.