PreCOP 27: Paving the way for stronger global policy to combat climate change

Director of the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels Raschad Al-Khafaji was invited to participate in a panel discussion on “Sustainable Agriculture and the Food Crisis” during the PreCOP 27 conference in Katowice, Poland. The two-day event preceded the UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (COP 27) that takes place in Sharm el-Sheikh Egypt, from 6 to 18 November.

Al-Khafaji reminded the audience of the need to make agriculture part of the solution when addressing climate change and explained the challenges that centre around the three dimensions of food crises: the availability, accessibility and affordability of food.

“The importance of tackling food loss and waste will be key in the fight against food crises,” Al-Khafaji told the audience. Food loss and waste accounts for approximately 8 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. “We urgently need a holistic approach to transform the agrifood systems of tomorrow, to make them more efficient, inclusive resilient and sustainable thereby ensuring that we leave no one behind,” he added.

Delegates discussed the outcomes of the previous Climate Summit (COP 26), held in Glasgow, the United Kingdom in November 2021, as well as issues that the upcoming COP 27 will need to address. Attending the PreCOP 27 conference were representatives from the United Nations, the European Commission, the Government of Poland, the private sector and academia.

You can read more about the conference here.

You can read more about FAO’s work on climate change here.