High-level side events continued at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 28) held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).of Global Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) highlighted selected events that took place on 2 December, highlighting, among other things, the role of partnerships, cooperation and food system transformation in achieving climate goals.
The event on International Cooperation for Successful Net Zero Transformation in 2050, hosted by the Marshall Islands and the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), will explore technologies to achieve net zero and develop solutions for transforming energy systems. In developing countries, we emphasized best practices for establishing a cooperative and international approach.
Participants watched a film titled “Melt Greenland, Save the Marshall Islands.” The film depicts how Greenland’s ice is melting at an “alarming rate.” 10,000 tons of ice will be lost every second, threatening to submerge the Marshall Islands, whose average elevation is just 2 meters above current sea level. Marshall Islands Minister of Natural Resources and Commerce John M. Silk described the pain of potentially having to decide which islands to save and which to “give up to sea.”
The panel discussion discussed ITRI’s efforts to develop sustainable offshore wind farms in Taiwan, among other matters. ITRI ​​has developed a ‘Single Serve Window’ to ease the administrative aspects of wind energy development, including obtaining necessary permits and consents. A project to help households in the Marshall Islands install solar power systems. Other projects in the Marshall Islands demonstrate the potential for circular agriculture, low-waste farms, and plastic waste recycling.
An event on the power of partnership platforms to achieve the COP 28 food systems and agriculture agenda was hosted by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Recently launched a $200 million partnership for food systems and agriculture. Innovation and climate action. The event consisted of three panels.
The first panel focused on supporting the work CGIAR does, including developing technology solutions that can provide smallholder farmers with the tools, data, and technology they need to support their crops and livelihoods. Participants emphasized:
- The United States has made good on its $250 million commitment to CGIAR and announced it will contribute an additional $100 million over the next two years.
- The Netherlands has pledged $110 million to CGIAR, in addition to the $150 million pledged to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).and
- The World Bank has provided CGIAR with a US$1.5 billion grant and plans to provide an additional US$100 million over the next two years.
The second panel discussed the Agricultural Innovation Mechanism for Scale (AIM4Scale) initiative. The third panel saw the launch of the Food Systems Technology Cooperation Cooperative. Both of these were announced at COP 28.
The high-level event highlighted the need for system-wide transformation of UN partners to avert the triple global crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, and to achieve the SDGs. . It was organized by the United Nations Environmental Management Group.
Inger Andersen, Executive Director and EMG Chair of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), highlighted the findings of UNEP’s 2023 Emissions Gap Report, stating that the first global stocktake at COP 28 will lead to a new nation in 2035. It will inform emissions targets, he said, and the need to bring emissions to a certain level. Consistent with 2°C and 1.5°C paths. Daniele Violetti, UNFCCC Secretariat, said the 2022 NDC Synthesis Report shows that achieving the 1.5°C pathway is hampered by the lack of adequate national financial capacity to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change. explained that it is shown.
Other EMG members highlighted, among other things:
- The role of the private sector in providing technical assistance and innovation to help countries address climate-related challenges.
- The need to break down silos and collaborate rather than compete.
- COP 28 Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action. It incorporates sustainable agriculture and food systems as a key element in addressing climate change.
- Interactions between climate change and chemicals and their effects on food systems and human health.
- Satellite imagery as a means of interpreting and predicting the main drivers of environmental loss such as deforestation and chemical pollution.and
- The need to enable UN representatives to localize UN functions in a more cohesive manner.
Another event hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) highlighted the role of agricultural systems in mitigating climate change, protecting and conserving biodiversity, and building inclusive and resilient livelihoods. . FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said the Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action aims to scale up action to: Promote food security and nutrition. Strengthen integrated water management. Maximize climate and environmental benefits through agricultural systems.
Speakers highlighted that smallholder farmers produce up to 70% of food in developing countries, receive only a small portion of climate finance, and are central to food system transformation. They mentioned, inter alia, the Doha Action Plan for 2022-2031. , calls for the development of food stockpiling mechanisms for least developed countries (LDCs). African Rural Climate Adaptation Financing Mechanism launched at COP 28. Sovereign sustainability-linked bonds link a country’s sovereign debt financing strategy to its climate change goals.