COP28 sets unprecedented commitments for nature and livelihoods
THE recently concluded COP28 marked a historic moment as policymakers and financial leaders from both public and private sectors joined forces to place nature, lives and livelihoods at the forefront of the global climate agenda.
This collective effort aimed to humanise and strengthen the response to the Global Sustainability Transition (GST).
In a ground-breaking move, food security took centre stage as a top priority at COP28.
A total of 159 heads of state and governments endorsed the COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action.
This declaration addresses the vulnerability of food to climate impacts and its role in emissions.
Notably, companies and philanthropies pledged substantial support, backed by $3.2 billion in financing, for regenerative agriculture and climate-food innovation initiatives aligned with the declaration.
Under the guidance of the High-Level Champions, over 200 stakeholders, including farmers, cities, businesses, financial institutions, and civil society, rallied behind the Call to Action for Transforming Food Systems for People, Nature, and Climate.
The commitment involved 10 priority actions to revolutionise food systems, urging the establishment of time-bound, holistic, and global targets by COP29.
This initiative aims to support farmers, frontline food system actors, and other affected groups while recognising and valuing the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples.
Water security played a significant role during the summit, with the announcement of a US$150 million (FJ$339.41million) investment in new financing for innovations tackling water scarcity.
Additionally, there is a commitment to doubling the portfolios of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) within three years, an event that has occurred only twice during the history of COP.
Two new topics were also introduced to the global climate agenda: Health and Relief, Recovery, and Peace.
In a significant development, 144 countries, with support from the World Health Organization, endorsed the COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health with the initiative mobilising an initial tranche of $2.9 billion for climate and health solutions.
COP28 furthermore witnessed the first-ever climate-health ministerial with ministers and senior representatives from over 110 health ministries outlining plans to address various health issues, such as air pollution, infectious diseases and mental health. Frontline communities, particularly in the leastdeveloped countries and small island developing states, gained high political visibility at COP28.
The COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery, and Peace, endorsed by 80 governments and 43 organisations, brought nations and entities together to narrow the gap in these contexts.
Moreover, the Charter on Finance for Managing Risk: Getting Ahead of Disasters was signed by 39 countries and partner agencies, aiming to release resources before, rather than after, a climate disaster.
The Sharm El Sheikh Adaptation Agenda introduced new goals and targets to increase resilience in the health sector.
The Race to Resilience initiatives mobilised hundreds of companies, cities, and regions across 164 countries, collectively pledging to enhance the resilience of 3.17 billion people and conserve 5.48 million hectares of nature by 2030.
These efforts have attracted substantial financial resources, totalling nearly $40 billion.