Amidst Criticism, COP28 in UAE Shows Promise for Food and Agriculture
We had the honor of attending COP28 in Dubai as observers, and despite initial skepticism, we came away impressed by the positive tone and the tangible progress made on food and agriculture.
Despite the host country’s controversies, the conference brought together over 100,000 people from diverse sectors, including governments, corporations, NGOs, indigenous communities, and a notable increase in farmer participation compared to last year. This unique gathering provided an invaluable platform for collaboration and action.
Key Food and Agriculture Achievements:
🌍134 countries pledged to set food-based targets in their NDCs, demonstrating a strong commitment to addressing food system challenges.
🌱Over 150 non-state actors united behind a shared agenda to transform food systems, recognizing their crucial role in achieving climate goals.
🥕Significant financial commitments totaling over $2.5 billion were pledged to support the implementation of the Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action.
🍏Twenty-five leading philanthropic organizations issued a joint call for increased funding for #regenerative and #agroecological approaches.
♻️The Green Climate Fund announced a $100 million initiative to support 10 African countries in reducing post-harvest losses.
🌳COP28’s Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes was launched, providing a platform for corporate partners to align their efforts with regenerative practices.
👩🌾Regen10 unveiled its Zero Draft Outcomes-Based Framework, which will guide a year-long consultation process with stakeholders to ensure their active participation in the regenerative transition.
It took 27 COP’s event to start talking about food and agriculture. To our critical perfectionists minds it is never enough and never good enough. But the moves are happening.
And these are just a few of the commitments made!
These commitments and initiatives represent a promising beginning, but translating them into concrete actions is essential. We must ensure that the allocated resources are effectively utilized and that ongoing consultation processes involve ALL relevant stakeholders.
Few moments from one of our events at COP28 food4climate pavillion.
