UAE climate minister calls on African leaders to support food system change

Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, has galvanised support for global food system transformation with African ministers and leaders at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AGRF).

She took part in a round table discussion focused on sustainable food system transformation and highlighted the importance of the COP28 Food Systems and Agriculture Agenda – which she launched at the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment in Rome in July.

She reiterated the central aims of the agenda - galvanisng national leadership, encouraging involvement from non-state actors, innovation scaling, and finance.

She also called upon African nations to signal their commitment to working towards adaptation and mitigation across food systems by signing the Leaders Declaration on Food Systems, Agriculture and Climate Action.

At a presidential session entitled The Great Debate: Can Africa Feed Itself?, she made a compelling speech, in which she addressed African nations and called on them to sign the Leaders Declaration on Food Systems, Agriculture and Climate Action.

She reminded those gathered that signing the Leaders Declaration is a powerful way to commit to wholesale food system transformation

The forum took place during a historic week for UAE – Africa relations, after the UAE pledged $4.5 billion in support of clean energy projects at the Africa Climate Summit.

I concluded my participation in @TheAGRF with a keynote Speech on the Journey Towards COP28; Adapting Africa’s Food System to Climate Change.

This week has been a truly pivotal and historic moment for the African continent.

The #UAE pledged $4.5 billion, in an announcement… pic.twitter.com/kq4kal9lEz

— Mariam Almheiri | مريم المهيري (@mariammalmheiri) September 8, 2023