COP28's Food Day

10 December 2023. COP28's Food Day highlighted the essential link between food systems and climate action, emphasizing diverse stakeholder involvement and urging private sector contributions to sustainable food systems.

The global recognition of food as a vital component in the fight against climate change is evident at COP28.. Acknowledging the indispensable role of farmers and Indigenous peoples in food system transformation, the recently signed Emirates Declaration on sustainable agriculture by 152 countries marks a significant achievement.

10/12 AIM for Climate: Scaling Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems Innovation

Key announcements on food systems transformation during Food, Agriculture and Water Day:

COP28's Food, Agriculture, and Water Day witnessed significant global initiatives addressing water scarcity and food security, notably the endorsement of the COP28 UAE Declaration on Agriculture, Food Systems, and Climate Action by 152 countries, mobilizing over $7.1 billion for climate-positive measures in the food sector.

The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4Climate) The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4Climate) announced an increased $3.4 billion in aggregated funding for climate-smart food systems and agriculture, as well as 27 new innovation sprints. Launched by the UAE and US at COP26, AIM4Climate has evolved into the largest advocacy and coordination platform for increased investment in dual climate-food investment. Philanthropic funders announced USD $389 million to support food producers and consumers. The funding will help to drive ambitious implementation of the objectives that leaders agreed in the Declaration. 

Technical Cooperation Collaborative (TCC) Building on a USD $200 million commitment from the COP28 Presidency and a group of international organizations and governments to support the TCC, Italy pledged a further commitment of up to EUR €10 million to be made available over the next two years, and the United Kingdom announced a new commitment of GBP 45 million over the next five years which will be channeled through the World Bank's Food Systems 2030 Trust Fund.

Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) Partnership Over 200 diverse non-State actors – including farmers, cities, businesses, financial institutions, civil society and philanthropies – have signed the Call to Action for Transforming Food Systems for People, Nature, and Climate
Convergence Initiative on Food Systems and Climate. This will support countries in their efforts to integrate agriculture and food systems into their climate action plans and help drive momentum towards the objectives of the Declaration. The initiative is supported by the UN/FAO Food Systems Coordination Hub. 

Agrifood Sharm-El Sheikh Support Program. FAO, the World Bank, CGIAR and IFAD announced the creation of the Agrifood Sharm-El Sheikh Support Program, a three-year program to facilitate dialogue and knowledgesharing amongst global and regional policymakers. The program aims to drive consensus within the UNFCCC process and ultimately enable countries and regions to unlock finance and support for farmers, food producers, small agribusinesses and local communities.

Food-Agri-Climate National Action Toolkit for National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally
Determined Contributions (NDCs) A taskforce comprised of the FAO, WWF, the NDC Partnership, Climate Focus and the Global Alliance for the Future of Food launched the Toolkit. Created in collaboration with the German government, the toolkit will provide guiding principles for governments to enhance their climate policy frameworks and represents a vital resource for countries as they implement the Declaration.  See also: WWF Pavilion at COP28

Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF) A new coalition was formed by Brazil, Cambodia, Norway, Cambodia and Rwanda and Sierra Leone aimed at helping reorient policies, practices and investment priorities to deliver better food systems outcomes for people, nature and climate.

COP ministerial dialogue on building water-resilient food systems Ministers from more than 25 countries convened the first-ever COP ministerial dialogue on building water-resilient food systems, co-convened by the UAE and Brazil. A two-year partnership was also launched under the UNFCCC to assist countries with integrating water and food into their NDCs and NAP, targeting COP30, noting that agriculture accounts for 70 percent of freshwater consumption. 

Water and Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Investment Strategy USD $100 million was announced by Water Equity, raised as part of their Water and Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Investment Strategy.

Urban Water Catalyst Initiative (UWCI) At COP28, EUR 42 million in funding was announced for the UWCI including EUR 32 million from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and EUR 10 million from the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Freshwater Challenge  Thirty-three countries signed up to The Freshwater Challenge, which aims to ensure 300,000 kilometers of degraded rivers and 350 million hectares of degraded wetlands are committed to restoration by 2030. Stuart Orr, WWF Freshwater Lead said: "the climate crisis is a water crisis and the COP28 Presidency has ensured that water is higher up the agenda than ever before. We urgently need to protect and restore our rivers, lakes and wetlands, which are central to mitigation and adaptation.”