“Time for implementation”
Bonn, June 2022, Mid-way between two major climate conferences COP26 and COP27, this year’s Bonn Climate Conference, also known as the 56th sessions of the UNFCCC’s Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) marked another milestone in climate negotiations for the full achievement of the Paris Agreement.
As observers, FAO was present, leading and contributing to events, giving a voice to partner countries and organizations and showcasing the technical support and knowledge FAO provides.
“We’re here to make sure agrifood systems are an important part of the solution to the climate crisis”, said Zitouni Ould-Dada, Deputy Director of FAO’s Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment who led the FAO delegation, “our new Strategy on Climate Change will help to implement innovative solutions for mitigation, adaptation, and to build resilience.”
High expectations
The current crises, from climate to the Covid pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, have revealed the fragility of our agrifood systems but also their potential to bring about change and build resilient communities that are food, livelihood and economically secure.
As a specialized UN agency leading international efforts to defeat hunger, governments and countries are looking to FAO for answers because now is the moment to act. But the variety and complexity of our agrifood systems means that transforming them to become tools of climate change adaptation and mitigation is no easy task. It requires commitment, planning and coordination, and the availability of adequate resources.
Over the 10-day conference FAO were involved in a number of events including the Egyptian COP27 Presidency Initiative “Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST).” FAO supported the Presidency in organizing and co-hosting this global agriculture initiative that is built on concrete deliverables with a strong focus on governance. It is based on three pillars of action: knowledge, access to finance and policy dialogues, and will be a major opportunity to highlight the importance food systems at COP27.
The FAO side event co-organized by IFAD and WWF International “Make it or break it: what next for the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA)” drew a large audience of negotiators and observers expressing their hopes for the KJWA. The KJWA was established at COP23 in Fiji in 2017. It was through this decision that the world finally placed agriculture on the table in efforts to tackle the climate crisis and for the last five years FAO has been committed to supporting its development and implementation.
FAO also joined observers, UN agencies and negotiators in events that looked at a range of new and innovative ways to ensure more sustainable agrifood systems, from radically transforming how we produce protein to ensuring findings from the International Panel on Climate Change Working Group II become tangible actions.
COP27 will take place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt from 7-18 November. With priority areas relevant to FAO’s mandate high on the agenda, FAO has an important role to play, identifying opportunities for innovative collaboration and partnerships to support the implementation of its new Strategy on Climate Change at global, regional, country and local level.
COP27 will be preceded by two Regional Climate Weeks. The Latin America and the Caribbean Climate Week, 2022 is scheduled from 18-22 July in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and Africa Climate Week 2022 is scheduled to take place from 29 August to 1 September in Libreville, Gabon.