The Bonn Climate Change Conference and the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture workshops
The Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB50) was held from 17 to 27 June 2019 in Bonn, Germany under the aegis of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). SB50 hosted a wide range of events, meetings, and negotiating sessions that set the stage for raising ambition to curb greenhouse gas emissions, accelerate resilience-building efforts, and ensure that climate policy is built on a solid foundation of the best available science and knowledge. SB50 is the preliminary step towards a successful COP25 in Chile in December 2019.
Among them, the following two workshops involved directly FAO and the Global Soil Partnership in the framework of the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture:
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“Methods and approaches for assessing adaptation, adaptation co-benefits and resilience”, held for two half-days on the afternoon of Monday, 17 June and the morning of Tuesday, 18 June.
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“Improved soil carbon, soil health and soil fertility under grassland and cropland as well as integrated systems, including water management”, held for two half-days on the afternoon of Tuesday, 18 June, and the morning of Wednesday, 19 June.
Background information
Through the ‘Koronivia joint work on agriculture’ the COP requested the Subsidiary Body on Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI) to jointly addressed issues related to the food security‐agriculture‐climate change nexus, including socio economic and food security aspects. Parties set out a road map including six workshops to be held sequentially up until COP 26 (November 2020).
During the second Koronivia workshop “Methods and approaches for assessing adaptation, adaptation co-benefits and resilience”, held in conjunction with SBSTA/SBI 50 with constituted bodies under the Convention, FAO presentation provided a balanced overview of existing methods and approaches for assessing adaptation and resilience in agriculture, including at the country-level.
The outcomes of the workshop helped Parties in advancing the Koronivia joint work on agriculture.
During the third Koronivia workshop, “Improved soil carbon, soil health and soil fertility under grassland and cropland as well as integrated systems, including water management”, held in conjunction with SBSTA/SBI 50 with constituted bodies under the Convention, two keynote presentations set the scene and highlighted latest research results as well as trends in implementation and assessment of soil carbon activities:
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Ms. Claire Chenu delivered a keynote on ‘Soil carbon: key to address vulnerabilities of agriculture to climate change and food security issues’
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Mr Ronald Vargas, Secretary of the Global Soil Partnership on ‘Sustainable soil management: is it a feasible contribution to the climate change agenda? Challenges and prospects of SOC (from measuring to sequestration)’
The outcomes of the workshop will help to pave the way forward and support Parties in advancing the consideration of issues as well as identifying the key elements and potential modalities for implementation of related activities.
USEFUL LINKS
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Koronivia road map, as contained in annex I of FCCC/SBI/2018/9 and FCCC/SBSTA/2018/4