On December 9th, 2023, together with the German Ministry for Food & Agriculture, the Ban Ki-Moon Centre for Global Citizens organised the COP28 side event “Joint work for climate action in agriculture and food systems” to highlight how transforming agriculture and food systems benefits the most vulnerable. The COP28 side event at the German Pavilion, emphasised the pivotal role of international collaboration for knowledge exchange, research, and innovation in accelerating agricultural mitigation and adaptation.
The panel discussion welcoming Claudia Müller, Parliamentary Secretary of State of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Maria Helena Semedo, FAO Deputy Director-General, Harry Clark, Special Representative Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) and Elizabeth Nsimadala, smallholder farmer from Uganda and President Eastern Africa Farmers Federation showcased the critical need for balancing adaptation and mitigation in agricultural practices to achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement and increasing resilience of smallholders to climate change. Collaboration, innovation, targeted finance and access to resources were identified as key enablers for transforming agri-food systems to become more sustainable while empowering smallholder farmers with the necessary tools to sustain their livelihoods.