This study assesses the integration of gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in food systems transformation commitments in five Eastern African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The food systems transformation pathways (FSTPs) of all five countries acknowledge the existence of vulnerable groups affected by inequality. Women and youth are consistently identified as vulnerable across all FSTPs and the transformation commitments contain key GESI provisions that, if effectively implemented, have the potential to enhance gender and social equality within food systems. However, while the diagnosis is generally present, the FSTPs rarely set out specific commitments to address the underlying social and institutional norms that restrict women and youth, for example, from accessing productive resources and finance. 

Based on these findings, the study makes the following recommendations:

• Strengthen the inclusiveness of GESI commitments. Governments should enact strategies that address all forms of inequality within their food systems, and explicitly specify the vulnerable groups targeted by each commitment, so that the most marginalised populations are not excluded during implementation.
• Invest in evidence on persons with disabilities (PWDs). Research should identify the context-specific challenges that PWDs face in Eastern Africa and that hinder their full participation in, and benefit from, food systems. Findings should then inform targeted strategies for the inclusion of PWDs in food systems.
• Address the root causes of gender and social inequalities by fostering cultural transformation
• Ensure consistent and accountable implementation of all GESI commitments