Technical Group To Boost COP28 UAE Declaration On Agriculture And Climate

The COP28 Presidency has announced the launch of the Technical Cooperation Collaborative (TCC) to support the implementation of the COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action. This announcement was made during the Bonn Climate Change Conference, held from 3rd to 13th June, at an event titled ‘Mobilising for Climate Action and 2025 NDCs through Sustainable Agriculture and Resilient Food Systems’.

The launch of the TCC marks a significant milestone in advancing the Declaration’s goals to adapt and transform agriculture and food systems to address climate change challenges. The TCC, initially announced during COP28, is a coalition of partners collaborating to offer countries quality technical cooperation and help deliver on the objectives of the Declaration.

Adnan Amin, Chief Executive Officer of COP28, stated, "COP28 delivered the strongest political signal to date on climate, food, and agriculture. The Declaration has now been endorsed by 159 countries, accounting for over 80 percent of agricultural-based GDP, 70 percent of the world’s farmers, and 80 percent of emissions from agriculture."

The Declaration stresses the need for common action to address the relationship between food systems and climate change. It mandated an initial review of collective progress at COP29, ensuring a pathway for continued country progress through COP29 and COP30. The event at Bonn marks the beginning of intensive efforts to help countries realise the objectives of the Declaration.

Countries must now make good on the promises made at COP28 and develop climate plans which deliver action for food, families, and future generations. The Declaration is the first of its kind for the COP process and aims to update Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to include food systems.

Collaborative Efforts and Future Plans

The TCC follows intensive efforts by founding members to develop principles and working methods for collaboration. In the coming months, TCC partners will begin responding to country requests by developing deeper collaboration among each other. This includes ensuring that national priorities are covered, identifying gaps and opportunities, and harmonising scaling up of technical cooperation.

The founding members of the TCC include COP28 UAE, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), AGRA, CGIAR, GAIN, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

With inputs from WAM