In August, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems. The report was prepared by more than 100 leading scientists from 52 countries.  

Among the many findings and recommendations, this special report describes critical response options for sustainable land management, food security and support of adaptation and mitigation processes in the face of climate change and disasters.

What are the findings and how do they impact the Asia-Pacific region?

Authors of this IPCC special report will convene in Bangkok, Thailand, next Monday (28 Oct) to discuss the main findings and the impact these will have, specifically, on the Asia-Pacific region, whose countries are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of severe weather related events and food insecurity. The region is home to nearly half-a-billion undernourished people – more than half of the world’s total.

The report warns that, in Asia-Pacific, food security will be increasingly affected by climate change through yield declines – especially in the tropics – increased food prices, reduced nutrient quality and supply chain disruptions. Tackling land degradation in Asia will be critical, while access to, and competition for, fresh water will be another major challenge.

Correspondents and editors are cordially invited to attend the one-day event

Who? Experts/authors of the IPCC Special Report; senior officials and experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); UN Environment, UN ESCAP and ITU in Asia-Pacific

What? Asia-Pacific call to action on key findings of IPCC Special Report on Climate and Land (agenda here)

Where? UN Conference Centre (UNESCAP), Bangkok, Conference Room 4, Level 1.

When? Monday, 28 October 2019 – registration from 8:00 AM; Event begins 9:00 AM

To pre-register – contact Ena Shin at FAO [email protected] (Tel: +66 02 697 4168) and Aziz Elbehri [email protected]

For further information, or to pre-arrange media interviews, contact:

Allan Dow, FAO Regional Communication Officer [email protected] (Tel: +66 02 697 4126; +66 81 899 7354)