BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 19. The ministerial meeting of the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) partnership was held within the framework of COP29, Trend reports.
Azerbaijani Agriculture Minister Majnun Mammadov said during the meeting that the Baku Harmoniya Initiative is an important addition to the FAST partnership.
He noted that FAST is an important platform aimed at addressing urgent challenges in agriculture through mobilizing financial resources to support small farmers and rural communities most vulnerable to climate change.
“Through FAST, we are creating a holistic approach so that climate solutions in agri-food systems are not only impactful but also inclusive. And today we launched the Baku Harmoniya, a climate initiative for farmers, at COP29, demonstrating our commitment to addressing climate challenges and building resilience in agricultural communities,” he said.
The minister noted that the goal of the Baku Harmoniya initiative is to create a new avenue for cooperation, which contributes to the harmonization of existing initiatives.
“We see the Baku Harmony initiative as an important complement to the FAST partnership, a unifying platform that makes climate finance more accessible and effective to increase the resilience of rural communities,” Mammadov noted.
According to him, during each COP, the parties build on previous commitments and learn from the experience of past initiatives.
“Baku Harmoniya will become a specialized platform for cooperation, ensuring not only coexistence but also coordinated work of climate initiatives in the field of agri-food finance to achieve maximum effect and prevent duplication,” he said.
In turn, New Zealand Ambassador for Climate Change Stuart Horne noted that New Zealand supports Azerbaijan's Harmoniya initiative, which was developed in partnership with the FAST coordination structure.