UNCCD COP15 | Conflict, Covid and climate change
Bouncing back from crisis through an Agriculture Breakthrough. An in-person UNCCD COP15 side event hosted by AICCRA, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Clim-Eat.
What is UNCCD COP15?
The fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will take place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from 9 to 20 May 2022.
The COP15 theme, ‘Land. Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity', is a call to action to ensure land, the lifeline on this planet, continues to benefit present and future generations.
COP15 will bring together leaders from governments, the private sector, civil society and other key stakeholders from around the world to drive progress in the future sustainable management of one of our most precious commodities: land.
Confirmed speakers
- Robert Zougmoré, West Africa Lead, Accelerating Impact of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA)
- Nahla Noobi, Head of Terrestrial Biodiversity at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates
- Helena Owen, Development Counsellor, British Embassy, Côte d'Ivoire
- Sebastian Lesch, Head of Division 122, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
- Joost Nelen, Global Expert on Pastoralism, SNV
- Nora Kaoues, Program Manager, World Bank
- Representative of the FACT Dialogue [TBC]
- Christophe Kouamé, Country Director, Côte d’Ivoire, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and Convenor, Humid West Africa
This event is in-person only and open to all attendees of UNCCD COP15
- 11 May 2022 | 18:00 GMT
- Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Sofitel Abidjan Hôtel - Room MET-08
Unfortunately, livestreaming of this event is not possible.
We must help farmers and their communities to survive and thrive under pressure from climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and global conflicts.
The world has changed dramatically since 45 world leaders backed the Breakthrough Agenda at COP26, including in agriculture as one of five priority areas of action.
But new supply challenges make the need for such breakthroughs more urgent than ever.
So the objectives of this event are to:
- Prioritise agricultural innovation as a tool to make communities more resilient against the triple challenge of climate change, COVID-19 and conflict.
- Establish closer bonds between climate champions calling for a Breakthrough in agriculture and the those who work to reduce land degradation and support biodiversity through influential processes like UNCCD.
- Highlight key initiatives that can make a ‘breakthrough’ possible for climate-resilient, sustainable agriculture.
- Identify priorities for the Breakthrough Agenda, especially in agriculture as one of five priorities ‘breakthroughs’ agreed by 45 world leaders at COP26.
- Highlight agroecological and climate-smart innovations that respect and enhance nature’s ability to help tackle the climate challenge, and secure more resilient livelihoods for smallholder farmers.
- Highlight the specific challenges and opportunities for transforming agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa.
Program
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18:15 - 18:20 |
Welcome remarks Chair: Robert Zougmoré, West Africa Lead, Accelerating Impact of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) |
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18:20 - 18:30 |
Introducing the Agriculture Breakthrough Helena Owen, Development Counsellor, British Embassy, Côte d'Ivoire |
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18:30 - 18:40 |
Key priorities and steps to address the interrelated challenges of conflict, Covid-19 and climate change Sebastian Lesch, Head of Division 122, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) |
| 18:40 - 19:10 |
Panel discussion Advancing the Agriculture Breakthrough in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities Moderator: Robert Zougmoré, West Africa Lead, Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) Panelists:
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19:10 - 19:30 |
Live Q&A and discussions |
| 19:30 - 19:35 |
Closing remarks Nahla Noobi, Head of Terrestrial Biodiversity at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates |
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19:35 - 19:40 |
Way forward Helena Owen, Development Counsellor, British Embassy, Côte d'Ivoire |
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19:40 |
Closing by Chair |
Background
At the UNFCCC COP26, 45 countries representing 70% of global GDP launched the Breakthrough Agenda and committed to work together this decade to accelerate the development and deployment of the clean technologies needed to meet the Paris Agreement goals, ensuring they are affordable and accessible for all.
A critical sector for the Breakthrough Agenda is agriculture, where around USD, 60 billion is spent every year on agricultural research and innovation. However, despite this investment, land degradation and desertification, together with conflict, COVID and climate change are threatening lives and livelihoods of small-scale farmers.
It has been estimated that to turn the tide on these issues, current investments will need to be realigned and new investments to the tune of USD 15 billion a year mobilized. The Agriculture Breakthrough seeks to bridge the innovation gap in agriculture, and has the goal of making climate-resilient, sustainable agriculture the most attractive and widely adopted option for farmers everywhere by 2030.
This side-event will introduce the Agriculture Breakthrough and bring together action-oriented stakeholders to: build support for the Agriculture Breakthrough and 2030 vision and identify the collective action and partnerships needed to deliver the Breakthrough goal.