In December, ProVeg International, together with the public-policy organisation Brighter Green, submitted key recommendations for an urgent shift towards sustainable food systems to the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA), organised by the UNFCCC during the organisation’s Climate Dialogue sessions. By adopting the KJWA as a landmark decision, COP23, held in Bonn in 2017, recognised the role of agriculture in tackling climate change.
International bodies responsible for developing and implementing the KJWA
In order to do this, the two subsidiary bodies under the convention, namely the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) are both required to address climate-change issues. In the meantime, UN agencies such as the FAO are supporting the development and implementation of the KJWA by providing technical support for climate-change adaptation and mitigation, through webinars, workshops, and publications, as well as numerous other channels.
Accelerating the shift towards more plant-rich diets
For this year’s workshop, we insisted on the need to raise ambitions and move towards transformative actions in order to accelerate the shift away from intensive livestock production and towards more plant-rich diets. This is also a key condition to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris agreement.
Read our submission
The submission was supported by A Well-Fed World, Better Food Foundation, Four Paws International, Global Forest Coalition, Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN), True Animal Protein Price Coalition (TAPP), and Zero Hour.
“Policy coherence at all levels (local, national, regional, and global) is the only way to achieve the Paris Agreement targets and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Policies working across the food system – including shifting dietary choices and reducing food loss and waste – can also improve land-use management, food security, and the ability to reduce emissions. Sustainable food policies can also increase climate resilience, help eradicate poverty, protect biodiversity, and improve public health.”
2020 and beyond
Participants from all the world’s countries took part in this year’s four-day workshop. The outcomes of these workshops should help countries to identify key elements and potential approaches in moving towards sustainable agriculture and food security by improving livestock management systems, including agropastoral production systems (in which the growing of crops and the raising of livestock are combined). In addition, these four days showcased positive examples such as farming funds and programmes which encourage innovation and support agricultural activities.
We are looking forward to the upcoming discussions between UN member states at the fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly, which will take place online in February, as well as the Convention on Biological Diversity, which will take place in Kunming, China, in the second quarter of 2021, and the UN Food System Summit at COP26. 2021 also marks the start of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which ProVeg has joined as a partner.
