In a historic move, the COP28 Presidency announced the ground-breaking Partnership on building water-resilient food systems, which was launched at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai, UAE, in an event organized in collaboration with FAO and other partner organizations.

Recognizing the intricate links between the Earth's water and agrifood systems, the two-year partnership, hosted by the UNFCCC's Climate-Resilient Food Systems (CRFS) Alliance, will seek to address the critical interdependencies between soil health, water cycles, and food production, processing, and transportation.

Despite the undeniable correlation between water and food systems, international discussions on the future of food systems in the context of climate change have largely overlooked the central role of water. COP28 has taken a decisive step to bridge this gap with the first-ever COP Ministerial Dialogue dedicated to building water-resilient food systems. This dialogue provides high-level political recognition of the water-food nexus in the context of climate change.

The partnership being launched complements this Ministerial Dialogue. It will support countries to integrate water and agriculture considerations into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and other national climate strategies - crucial step towards elevating the water-food nexus in climate discussions.

The partnership plans to develop an interactive toolkit showcasing best practices in food and water management in NDCs. Several partners have come together for this initiative, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP), the International Water Management Organization (IWMI), the World Economic Forum (WEF), the World Farmers Organization (WFO), the NDC Partnership and more are joining.

As the global community grapples with the multifaceted challenges of climate change, the launch of this partnership represents a concerted effort to foster resilience in water and food systems, setting the stage for a more sustainable and climate-resilient future.

Watch the recording HERE.