CGIAR's Role in Shaping Climate Action at COP29: Key Tracks and Contributions

The UNFCCC 29th Conference of the Parties will be held from November 11 to 22, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. Focused on advancing the goals of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29), will discuss the efforts to limit global warming, adapt to the impacts of climate change, and mobilize financing for these activities. The event will encompass several key meetings: the 29th COP session, the 19th meeting of the COP as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 19), and the sixth meeting of the COP as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris  Agreement (CMA 6).

At the Food & Agriculture Pavilion, CGIAR and FAO will create a platform for collaborative dialogue, knowledge sharing, and decision-making on the unique role of agriculture and food systems in the fight against climate change.

In 2024, CGIAR has prioritized seven crucial tracks within the UNFCCC process. These include engaging with the COP Presidency, addressing the new collective quantified goal (NCQG) on climate finance, setting the global goal on adaptation (GGA), enhancing agriculture and food security, promoting gender equality, developing non-market approaches, and addressing loss and damage.

At COP29 we will continue to monitor and contribute to these seven tracks, so far we have made 10 submissions to the UNFCCC, including;

1. The New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance: We made submissions ahead of TED9and TED10and participated actively in TED9. TED10 will be held during SB60, where CGIAR will continue its active engagement, focusing on the structure of the goal, the sources of finance, and key timelines.
2. Global Goal on Adaptation: In response to requests for submission under the UAE Belem work programme, CGIAR made a submissionand contributed to one led by partnersthrough IWMI, and contributing to the GGA Submission_Target in 2_CMA.5 Paragraph 9(b) submission.
3. Agriculture and Food Security : .CGIAR is also participating in The Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation. This high-ambition coalition on food, led by Norway, Brazil, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, and Cambodia, aims to drive ambitious implementation of the food systems agenda in those countries, working across ten priority intervention areas. Under this track CGIAR has led and contributed to 3 submissions; Joint Submission FLW_SSJW (2023)​ ;Joint submission - Elements of the SSJW_27 03 23​ ; Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems Submission (2023)

1. Gender: Kenya made a submission and recognized CGIAR Gender Impact Platform for its contributions to the country's progress toward priorities laid out in the GAP including establishing gender and climate change platforms and support to negotiators to engage in UNFCCC processes and knowledge exchange forums.

1. Non-market approaches: We made a submission in March 2024, which highlighted the opportunity for NMAs to can accelerate action at scale for climate-resilient low emissions food systems and sustainable agricultural consumption and production. Following the submission, CGIAR's Eliza Villarino from the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT received an invitation from the UNFCCC to make a presentationat an SB60 in-session workshop; in August CGIAR made another submission in this track.
2. Loss and Damage: In October 2024, ahead of COP29, CGIAR Climate Impact led the developmentof a 9- series Issue Brief to inform COP29. This includes a brief on Loss and Damage looking at how science can be deployed to inform the loss and damage fund, how to ensure sufficient focus is given to food systems issues, and what kind of evidence will be helpful to the loss and damage fund board in its discussions and decision-making processes.
3. Just Transitions: CGIAR made ajoint submissionwith the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to submit views on opportunities, best practices, actionable solutions, challenges and barriers relevant to the topic of the second dialogue on "Ensuring support for people-centric and equitable just transition pathways with a focus on the whole of-society approach and the workforce", under the United Arab Emirates Just Transition Work Programme.

We will continue to provide updates on the status of these tracks through COP29, so stay updated sign up here to our daily briefs.