World leaders endorse COP28's Food & Agriculture Declaration

The COP28 Presidency announced that 134 world leaders have signed up to its landmark agriculture, food and climate action declaration.

Also announced was the mobilisation of more than $2.5 billion in funding to support food security while combatting climate change and a new partnership between the UAE and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for food systems innovation in the fact of climate change.

The ‘COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action’ (the Declaration) was announced at a special session of the World Climate Action Summit (WCAS), led by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Samoan Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa and US Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken.

"The Declaration addresses both global emissions while protecting the lives and livelihoods of farmers who live on the frontlines of climate change.

“There is no path to achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and keeping 1.5C within reach, that does not urgently address the interactions between food systems, agriculture, and climate,” said Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment and COP28 Food Systems Lead.

“Countries must put food systems and agriculture at the heart of their climate ambitions, addressing both global emissions and protecting the lives and livelihoods of farmers living on the front line of climate change. Today’s commitment from countries around the world will help to build a global food system fit for the future,” she added.

The 134 signatory countries to the Declaration are home to over 5.7 billion people and almost 500 million farmers, produce 70 per cent of the food we eat, and are responsible for 76 per cent of all emissions from global food systems or 25 per cent of total emissions globally.

134 world leaders have endorsed the ‘COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action’, announced H.E. Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment and COP28 Food Systems Lead, during the World Climate… pic.twitter.com/4nw3nbBEkt

— COP28 UAE (@COP28_UAE) December 1, 2023