As you might expect, there is continuing pressure from some quarters to focus on livestock as a source of emissions, and the same organisations that have always campaigned for a reduction in meat consumption will continue to do so.
Important points for GRSB are that although submissions are not yet open for side event applications, it is already known that there will be a very short window for submitting them, so proposals need to be under development now.
As usual, once they have been submitted, there will be a process to combine proposals so that there are a manageable number. It helps to have a member country support at a side event, although we have succeeded in the past without such support.
This year the number of people at COP will be lower, and likely there will be efforts to increase the proportion of badges going to Lower Income Countries to make attendance more balanced. These factors mean that GRSB will plan on submitting a joint proposal for a side event with the Dairy and Rice sectors, with the support of Kenya and Uruguay and involving the Global Methane Hub on tackling agricultural methane emissions.
This might complement some of the focus of the Azerbaijan presidency on Agriculture. There will also likely be a focus on methane, but more from industrial sources.
Registration applications for attendees are now open. We will likely receive a low number of badges as in previous years, but may be able to secure some additional ones through other members who are not planning on being there.
To summarize Fabio's report:
While there were blocks to making progress on climate finance (the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance) which is supposed to provide funds from Higher to Lower Income countries. Also on mitigation efforts, which certainly lower the chances of the world being able to meet the Paris targets. There was some progress on Agriculture, with a roadmap for the Sharm El Sheik Joint work, and Azerbaijan announced (yet another) initiative on Agriculture.
The overall thematic program for the Baku COP is not fully agreed upon.
The climate finance (NCQG) ran into problems in both the amount and the quality of finance, with developing nations not surprisingly wanting more bilateral grant finance, and wealthier nations looking to include loans and private sector investment in an overall lower amount.
No progress was made on mitigation as Arab states and China disagreed with other countries including the small island nations on fossil fuel reductions. Once again, there was no agreement on the definition of "Just Transition" and what that should include. There was no focus on agriculture in those discussions, although there are those who believe that food systems should be included within the definition.
Some key issues in the discussions on Carbon Markets (article 6) remain unresolved, which hinders progress on implementation of such trading mechanisms.
For the Sharm El Sheik roadmap: Two workshops are planned in June 2025 and 2026. The June 2025 meeting will require our particular attention as EU countries will advocate for discussions on leveraging consumption to mitigate food system emissions, including dietary changes.
We need to submit our views by March 2025 to influence the workshop's design, suggesting specific topics and potential speakers. An online portal for sharing best practices and resources related to climate action in agriculture will be created by the Secretariat, currently allowing contributions only from intergovernmental bodies.
We will closely monitor the discussions at COP29 for further clarification on the elements for sharing information through the portal. This might provide an opportunity to share information on our climate efforts and progress.
On the adaptation stream, there is work to create indicators, which are planned to be adopted at COP30 in Brazil. The agriculture-related goal includes achieving climate-resilient food and agricultural production, ensuring the supply and distribution of food, increasing sustainable and regenerative production, and providing equitable access to adequate food and nutrition for all.
Given this focus on agriculture and nutrition, we will need to submit views on potential indicators that could be used, such as those with an established methodology under SDG2. The deadline for submissions is July 31.
As mentioned above, Azerbaijan will focus on agriculture at COP29 with the launch of the "Harmoniya for Climate Resilience: Empowering Farmers, Villages, and Rural Communities" initiative, co-led by Azerbaijan and the FAO. This will be the main framework for agricultural discussions at COP29, aiming to clarify existing efforts from previous COP presidencies, increase climate finance for agriculture, and support climate-resilient communities, particularly empowering women and young farmers. One of the main focuses of the initiative is to bring back the farmers at the centre of the discussion.
Find the full report here.
