COP27: FAO to Convene Local, Global Actors for Agrifood Transformation

Gilbert Ekugbe

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has announced that it would convene local, national and global actors in its quest to seek solutions that would transform agri-food systems and make them more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable to ensure that no one is left behind in the efforts to eradicate hunger and malnutrition.

In a statement obtained from its website, the UN food body said that it would be having its first ever food and agriculture pavilion jointly hosted with the Rockefeller Foundation at COP 27 that is scheduled to hold from November 6 to 18 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

The FAO Director-General, Mr. QU Dongyu, said: “We are proud to have our first ever Food and Agriculture Pavilion at COP27, which is timely with the launch of the two new thematic FAO Strategies on Climate Change, and on Science and Innovation, to be implemented in synergy.”

As world leaders gather for COP27, communities around the world are grappling with the compounded impacts of a global pandemic, growing pressures from the climate crisis, high energy and fertilizer prices, and protracted conflicts, which have disrupted production and supply chains and dramatically increased global food insecurity, especially for the most vulnerable.

The Executive Managing Director, CGIAR, Claudia Sadoff, said: “Supporting the transformation of food, land and water systems in a climate crisis is CGIAR’s mission and the stakes have never been higher. Millions more people are on the brink of food insecurity and threats to the livelihoods of smallholder farmers are increasing. We are honored to collaborate with FAO and The Rockefeller Foundation to ensure that these important issues are firmly on the agenda of this year’s COP.”

On his part, the President of The Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, said: “Climate change is a singular threat to humanity, and we cannot fully address it without building equitable, resilient, and sustainable food systems that nourish both people and planet. Good ideas and actions for transforming our food systems can come from anyone, and we are proud to support a space where knowledge can be shared.”