Brazil

On September 22 and 23, representatives from 32 countries of the Americas met face to face at IICA headquarters in Costa Rica to discuss the strategic role of the region’s agriculture sector in tackling climate change and to coordinate regional positions leading up to the Conference of the Parties (COP27) in November. The session also encouraged the sharing of information and experiences that will support the countries’ climate action. Participants included more than 20 Ministers of Agriculture, the CEOs of the main global climate funds, and authorities of institutions with great influence on regional and global politics and development. Attendees recognized the threat that climate change poses to food security and the important role that the agricultural sector plays in responding to climate change, and they called for a larger platform to discuss these issues at COP27. They also called for increased access to climate financing that will help ensure an ambitious and fair transition towards a climate-resilient, low-emission agriculture sector. Read more here and here.

As a follow-up to the event in Costa Rica, IICA joined forces with IFPRI to host a webinar titled “Agriculture in the Americas on the road to COP-27: Public policy challenges and opportunities.” The event featured panelists from IFPRI, the FAO, and USAID among others, and created a space for inter-agency dialogue and discussion on the changes and continuities in regional public policy regarding the contribution of agriculture to face the climate crisis. Read more here, or watch the recording on YouTube.