The need to address climate change impacts in agrifood systems has never been clearer. In the face of increasing extreme climate events around the globe, including extreme precipitation, heatwaves and droughts, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report “Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis” warns of unequivocal, unprecedented, irreversible trends which increasingly put the planet and humanity in peril. Urgent action is required now by all nations if we are to keep warming within 2 ºC or, if still possible, within 1.5 ºC. At the same time, we need to make our systems resilient to the climate changes that are already unavoidable in coming years. Action at global, regional, national and local levels in agrifood systems, including in crops, livestock, forests, fisheries and related value chains, is a fundamental component of climate action because agrifood systems are heavily affected by climate change and at the same time, could be responsible for 21-37 percent of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (IPCC).

FAO needs to strengthen its contribution to the global climate agenda and support countries in transforming their agrifood systems, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including eradication of hunger.

The implementation of the existing FAO Strategy on Climate Change (2017) and FAO’s general contribution to climate action (SDG 13) were subject to an evaluation whose recommendations were approved at the 166th Session of the Council. As per Recommendation 2 of the Evaluation, the development of a new FAO Strategy on Climate Change has been launched and an informal consultation with Members was organized on 8 September 2021, where they reiterated the urgency to act and confirmed their commitment to the Strategy development process.

The development of the new Strategy will be a stepwise process building on the 2017 FAO Strategy on Climate Change and the latest scientific ev