BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 19. The event “Launch of the Baku Harmony Climate Initiative for Farmers: Strengthening Farmers for Climate Resilience” was held within the framework of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) taking place in Baku, Trend reports via Azerbaijan's Ministry of Agriculture.
The event, a real team effort with the COP29 Chairmanship, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), dove into the nitty-gritty of how global climate change is shaking up food security, agriculture, and water resources. The event saw a gathering of bigwigs from international organizations and a smattering of experts hailing from all corners of the globe.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources and COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev stated that agriculture accounts for 36 percent of total employment.
“The issues of sustainable transformation and transition are important here. The main goal is to sustainably realize the transformation of agriculture at a high level and to interact. Through this initiative, cooperation will be strengthened, investment in the agricultural sector will increase, and private banks will be involved. Another main goal is to strengthen the position of farmers, especially women farmers,” he noted.
Addressing afterward, Mammadov emphasized that agriculture is one of the most important sectors of the economy in the world.
“However, farmers, those involved in agricultural production, are the most affected by climate change. They feel the effects of climate change firsthand. The impacts include high temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, land degradation, and water scarcity, which seriously undermine farmers' livelihoods. However, they have received less attention in global climate dialogues. Farmers who are the first to feel the effects of climate change are the last to receive support. The main goal of the Baku Harmony Climate Initiative is to change this,” the minister emphasized.
The Regional Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Europe and Central Asia Viorel Gutu stressed that in recent years climate change has affected many areas of the economy, including agriculture.
He said it was important to emphasize support for rural communities, women, and youth, as well as climate finance, as part of the measures to combat it.
“Over the past 10 years, initiatives, coalitions, networks, and partnerships related to the agri-food system, climate change, and finance have developed significantly. At the same time, coordination needs to be strengthened to deliver more effective climate action and a more rapid transformation of agri-food systems. The Harmony Initiative is very important in this context,” he added.
Participants of the event and local and international experts assessed the significance of the Baku Harmony Climate Initiative as an important step for global cooperation in combating climate change.
The event continued with discussions,” the information notes.
The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) opened on November 11. COP29, which is being held at the Baku Olympic Stadium, will continue until November 22. It is the largest event organized by Azerbaijan to date, and the first time in the region that it is being held in Azerbaijan.
The key expectation from COP29 is to agree on a fair and ambitious New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance.
A total of 14 initiatives have been put forward by the COP29 Chairmanship.
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