This side event at the COP28 Climate Change Conference in Dubai, organized by FAO, put a spotlight on the role of agrifood systems in mitigating climate change, protecting and conserving biodiversity, and building inclusive and resilient livelihoods.

The Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management (CPW) has launched a two-year roadmap aimed at sustainable using and conserving wildlife while ensuring benefits for local people and their livelihoods. The CPW Secretariat is hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and comprises 13 international organizations working to support the sustainable use and conservation of wildlife.

From November 22nd to 24th, FAO, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Environment Programme will be co-hosting a significant workshop focused on developing a roadmap for supporting ecosystem restoration under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at FAO headquarters in Rome.

FAO headquarters is the venue of a week-long global gathering of over 600 participants, including national delegates, diplomats, policy-makers, plant genetic experts, researchers, international organizations, NGOs, seed sector representatives, and civil society organizations from around the world. They have come together for the Tenth Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, to deliberate on policy issues regarding the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), which comprise the building blocks of the world's food basket.

Launched at the 5th International Congress on Planted Forests, co-organized by FAO, the latest issue of the FAO forestry journal Unasylva #254, entitled Towards more resilient and diverse planted forests highlights how well designed and sustainably managed planted forests have a vital role to play in meeting Sustainable Development Goals.

You are invited to attend a webinar on 17 November 2023 13:00-14:30 CET. The webinar aims to present the results of a global survey on the status of the world’s soil biodiversity metrics, methods and related initiatives. In addition, proposed metrics and methods for the Global Soil Biodiversity Observatory (GLOSOB) will be presented to the International Network on Soil Biodiversity (NETSOB) for community input. Please take a minute to register for the webinar HERE; If you are not a member of NETSOB, please join the network HERE.

The Secretariat of the International Treaty released a study, The plants that feed the world – Baseline data and metrics to inform strategies for the conservation and use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, bringing together crucial data on over 350 food and agricultural crops, made possible in collaboration with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and the Global Crop Diversity Trust. This is the first time that databases from various global sources have been pooled to create a comprehensive set of metrics to help inform decision-making in managing plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. Read more here.

World Food Day 2023 shines a spotlight on water as the foundation for life and food. Water is vital to all species and to all ecosystem functions and services which are essential to food and agriculture. In turn, a myriad of species and ecological processes influence the quality and quantity of water.  Read more here.

FAO took part in the World Biodiversity Summit to highlight the importance of tackling the interconnected challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change and food security through comprehensive and integrated approaches in the framework of sustainable food systems. Scaling up biodiversity-friendly practices in crop and livestock production, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture can help to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, and adapt to and mitigate climate change; thus contributing to food security and nutrition for all. Maximizing these opportunities depends on financial, human and infrastructure capacity. Public-private partnerships can play a key role in enhancing this capacity.

Sept 20, Rome-New York – Kaveh Zahedi, leading FAO’s Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment is attending high-level events at the UN General Assembly and events in partnership with businesses, climate philanthropists and other stakeholders, as part of Climate Week NYC. He bears a clear message for countries and leaders that FAO will carry to COP28 in Dubai and beyond: Agrifood system solutions are critical climate and biodiversity solutions that are often overlooked. “Agriculture and food systems hold a range of solutions, from agroforestry to tackling food loss and waste, and from sustainable livestock management to decarbonizing aquatic food value chains,” said Zahedi. “These solutions are the essential thread that binds together action on biodiversity, climate, resilience and food security.”