Annual Meeting of the Thematic Working Group on Agriculture, Food Security and Land Use

Safeguarding food security, ending hunger, and the particular vulnerabilities of food production systems are recognized by the Paris Agreement as fundamental priorities in the response to climate change. Through their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), countries have reflected the vital role of the agricultural sectors in mitigating and adapting to the impacts of a changing climate. As the COVID-19 crisis highlighted the need to build back better through greener, more equitable and more resilient agriculture and land use, the 2020-21 process of enhancing NDCs offers opportunities for policymakers to take stock of their initial commitments and identify meaningful, novel ways to enhance climate action and ensure food systems are resilient to future shocks and stresses.

In May 2017, the Thematic Working Group on Agriculture, Food Security and Land Use (TWG) was established as a pilot thematic working group under the NDC Partnership. In light of the special nature of the agricultural sectors, the TWG aims to facilitate a peer-to-peer network for countries and international organizations to exchange knowledge, experiences and needs on climate change impacts and challenges. Annual workshops were convened in 2018 and 2019, where participants agreed on yearly work plans and took stock of the activities implemented. Following the cancellation of the 2020 in-person meeting due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TWG Secretariat is pleased to invite members to an entirely virtual annual meeting on 26-30 April 2021.

The objective of the meeting is to take stock of progress made so far by the TWG and provide a space to reflect on the NDC enhancement process and opportunities for increased ambition and action in agriculture and land use, both globally and on a regional level. At country level, there will be the opportunity to share country cases of promising and effective solutions to achieve higher climate ambition as well as low-carbon transformation and adaptation solutions. Discussions on climate finance will also take place. This meeting aims to respond to members’ request to strengthen their knowledge and capacity to take action for more effective and ambitious NDC implementation and to design the next generation of NDCs.

The workshop and activities of the TWG are kindly supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

For more information on the Thematic Working Group on Agriculture, Food Security and Land Use, visit the webpage.