FAQs
What is the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture?
What is the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture?
The KJWA is a landmark decision recognizing the role of agriculture in tackling climate change. Decision 4/CP.23 requests the two Subsidiary Bodies under the Convention, namely the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), to jointly address issues related to agriculture, taking into consideration the vulnerabilities of agriculture to climate change and approaches to addressing food security.
This includes workshops and expert meetings, working with constituted bodies under the Convention, to address issues related to soil, livestock, and nutrient and water management, as well as the food security and socio-economic impacts of climate change across the agricultural sectors.
The KJWA represents an important step forward in the negotiations on agriculture with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and emphasizes the importance of agriculture and food security in the climate change agenda. By mainstreaming agriculture into the UNFCCC processes, the KJWA can drive transformation in agricultural and food systems, and address the synergies and trade-offs between adaptation, mitigation and agricultural productivity.
When was the decision adopted?
When was the decision adopted?
At the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC held in Bonn, Germany in November 2017. The agreement is the first substantive outcome and COP decision on agriculture, which has been under negotiation since 2011.
Why is the decision called Koronivia?
Why is the decision called Koronivia?
In honor of Fiji which held the COP23 Presidency, the decision was symbolically named after the Koronivia Research Station, Fiji’s only agricultural research institution.
What are the constituted bodies under the Convention that will contribute to the KJWA?
What are the constituted bodies under the Convention that will contribute to the KJWA?
Decision 4/CP.23 requests the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) to jointly address issues related to agriculture, working with constituted bodies under the Convention. The following constituted bodies will contribute to the KJWA:
Constituted Body | Mandate |
|---|---|
Consultative Group of Experts on National Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention (CGE) | Support developing countries in preparing their NCs/BURs |
Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) | Support LDCs on NAPAs and NAPs, and on accessing financing of the LDCF |
Technology Executive Committee (TEC) | Enhance climate technology development and transfer to developing countries |
Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) | Support countries’ initiatives by mobilising a network of climate technology centres |
Adaptation Committee (AC) | Enhance action on adaptation in a coherent manner under the Convention |
Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) | Supervise the activities and the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism |
Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage | Support the mechanism for Loss and Damage |
Paris Committee on Capacity Building (PCCB) | Address needs in implementing capacity-building activities in developing countries |
Facilitative Working Group of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform | Operationalize the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform |
Katowice Committee on Impacts (KCI) | Support the Forum on the impact of the implementation of response measures’ |
Which topics are included under the KJWA?
Which topics are included under the KJWA?
Under this landmark decision, countries agreed to work together to make sure that agricultural development ensures both increased food security in the face of climate change and a reduction in emissions. The joint work will address six topics related to soil, livestock, and nutrient and water management, as well as on the food security and socio-economic impacts of climate change across the agricultural sectors.
The decision lists elements to be included in the joint work of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), starting with but not limited to the following six:
(a) Modalities for implementation of the outcomes of the five in-session workshops on issues related to agriculture and other future topics that may arise from this work;
(b) Methods and approaches for assessing adaptation, adaptation co-benefits and resilience;
(c) Improved soil carbon, soil health and soil fertility under grassland and cropland as well as integrated systems, including water management;
(d) Improved nutrient use and manure management towards sustainable and resilient agricultural systems;
(e) Improved livestock management systems;
(f) Socioeconomic and food security dimensions of climate change in the agricultural sector.
The decision itself recognizes that other priority topics may be identified and discussed along the way.
How does the Koronivia road map foresee the organization of this joint work?
How does the Koronivia road map foresee the organization of this joint work?
The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), initiated their joint consideration of the KJWA at their 48th session, held in Bonn, Germany, in April-May 2018. Prior to the session, Parties and observers were invited to make submissions sharing their views on the elements to be included in the joint work. On this basis, a road map to guide the KJWA was adopted at SB48. It provides for in-session workshops to be held on each of the six topics listed in Decision 4/CP.23, starting at SB49 in December 2018 and ending in 2021.
The Koronivia road map provides a timeline of the in-session workshops (organized by the Secretariat of the UNFCCC) and determines how the joint work will be organized. Workshops for each of the six KJWA topics will be held during the 2018-2021 SB sessions, which take place twice a year: in May/June in Bonn and in conjunction with the Conferences of Parties (COP), in November/December.
Between each session, Parties and observers have the opportunity to submit their views (UNFCCC submission portal) on how this work should take shape. They are invited to provide their views on the forthcoming workshop items through submissions. Finally, by September 2020, Parties and observers are invited to submit their views on the progress of the KJWA overall and on further topics beyond those listed in the decision. These submissions will be taken into consideration by the SBs in their report on the outcomes of the KJWA to COP 26 in 2021.
At SB48, the SBSTA and the SBI took note of the importance of issues, including farmers, gender, youth, local communities and indigenous peoples, and encouraged Parties to take them into consideration when making submissions and during the workshops.
How does the KJWA relate to the Paris Agreement and NDCs?
How does the KJWA relate to the Paris Agreement and NDCs?
The Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture is not formally linked to the Paris Agreement or the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). However, the adoption of the KJWA can be seen to demonstrate the increasing importance the international climate community has been placing on agriculture in recent years, including through the Paris Agreement and the NDCs.
FAO undertook an analysis of the first round of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), representing 189 countries submitted by 29 July 2016. When considered together, 89 percent of these countries include agriculture and/or Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) in their mitigation commitments. Ninety-three percent of countries that included an adaptation section in their INDC included adaptation in the agricultural sectors.
Some countries may choose to draw on the ongoing KJWA discussions to inform their NDCs in the agriculture sectors.
How is FAO supporting the KJWA?
Working in close collaboration with UNFCCC and other actors at international and national level, FAO is committed to supporting the development and implementation of the KJWA. FAO supports countries by providing technical support to adapt to and mitigate climate change through webinars, workshops and knowledge products allowing agriculture experts under the UNFCCC to prepare their submissions and informally share their views on how to develop and implement the decision.
The Koronivia decision resonates with FAO’s core mandate to eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, reduce rural poverty, and make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable.
How does the KJWA relate to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
How does the KJWA relate to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
The link between the UNFCCC and the SDGs is clearly stated in SDG 13 on Climate Action, which acknowledges “that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.” Furthermore, the KJWA directly supports the objectives of a number of SDGs, including SDG1 (end poverty), SDG2 (zero hunger), SDG12 (sustainable production and consumption), and SDG15 (life on land).
What does the KJWA mean for farmers?
What does the KJWA mean for farmers?
In time, the KJWA could mobilize political will and commitment to provide targeted support to farmers on climate action in the agriculture sectors. Enhancing farmer’s knowledge on climate change and its impacts is an important first step. They need support to identify, select and apply locally-appropriate, sustainable management practices that help them build the resilience of their livelihoods.