Scaling up integrated actions to address malnutrition and climate change

Pavilion Event focusing on actions that can achieve co-benefits across nutrition and climate mitigation and adaptation.

Organizer: FAO

Location: Food & Agriculture Pavillion

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FAO is collaborating with partners to present the advances of the Initiative on Climate Action and Nutrition (I-CAN) and its work to catalyse integrated actions that address the challenges of climate change and malnutrition simultaneously. The event will also illustrate the progresses made by the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) Initiative and its operationalization into the FAST Partnership. The session will present youth-led country examples of integrated actions related to agrifood systems, water, social protection, and health systems, highlighting youth efforts to advance nutrition action in the context of a changing climate.

Watch live here

Building climate- and nutrition-resilient societies through youth-led action

Organizers: Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Secretariat, SUN Civil Society Network, European Commission, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Location: Food Systems Pavilion

Register here for virtual attendance

This youth-led event will spotlight the transformative role that young people are playing in steering sustainable progress on nutrition and climate change. The session will be opened by the two young moderators who will highlight important interlinkages between nutrition and climate change. We will then hear experiences and insights from two young panellists from the Global South, representing civil society and the private sector, who are building societal resilience. After hearing the panellists’ contributions, the moderators will invite representatives from the European Commission and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development to offer their reflections and commitments to meaningfully supporting youth-led action on climate and nutrition. The event will conclude with an open discussion and audience members will be invited to share their own reflections or questions for the panellists. 

Speakers:
•    Sophie Healy-Thow - Co-chair of the UN Food Systems Summit Youth Liaison group, SUN Lead Group Member
•    Pierre Cook Jr. - Prime Minister of Barbados’ Youth Parliament, SUN Lead Group Member
•    Nana Yohari, National Youth Coordinator, SUN Civil Society Alliance, Country
•    Heitor Dellasta, Climate Finance Senior Analyst, Sitawi Finance for Good, Brazil Country Representative, Young Professionals for Agriculture Development (YPARD)
•    Carla Montesi - Director INTPA/F – Green Deal, European Commission
•    Paul Garaycochea - Head of Directorate Sustainable supply chains; agricultural and food systems, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

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Building Climate-Resilient Health Systems through Partnerships like ATACH

High-level event with WHO, ATACH, IsDB, and Member States discussing climate-health interactions and the Alliance for Transformative Action on Food (which hosts the Initiative on Climate Action and Nutrition).

Organizers: WHO, FAO, OHCHR, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA

Location: UNFCCC SE Room 5

Learn more and watch live here

Initiative on Climate Action and Nutrition (I-CAN) session during ATACH Day

Organizer: WHO

Location: Hybrid event at the WHO and Wellcome Trust Health Pavilion

You can follow the event here

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Through coordination and collaboration, the ATACH Working Group on Climate Action and Nutrition strives to foster collaboration to accelerate transformative action to address the critical nexus of climate change and nutrition. Climate change is impacting food systems, health systems, social protection systems and water systems - all of which are fundamental for good nutrition. At the same time, inefficiencies and maladaptation in these four systems are further contributing to the drivers of climate change, namely greenhouse gas emissions and the degradation of natural resources. This session will bring actors in agriculture systems and health systems together and forge stronger partnerships to meet mutual objectives. will discuss actions that need to take place to advance collective work on the intersection of climate change, nutrition, and health. 

Moderator:

• Lina Mahy, Technical Officer, World Health Organization

Speakers:

• Ailan Li, Assistant Director-General, Healthier Populations, World Health Organization
• Marina Romanello, Executive Director, The Lancet Countdown: Tracking progress on health and climate change
• Jessica Colston, Environmental Technical Lead, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition
• Nancy Aburto, Deputy Director, Division of Nutrition, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• Andrea Connell, MH Deputy Director for International Affairs, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, The Kingdom of the Netherlands
• Laura Rissanen, State Secretary, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland
• Afshan Khan, Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Coordinator and UN Assistant Secretary-General
• Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Populations, Egypt & Co-Chair of ATACH I-CAN Working Group
• Bhuvaneswari Balasubramanian, Country Representative, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, India & and representing the Co-Chair of ATACH I-CAN Working Group

Accelerating climate and agriculture solutions to advance global food security and nutrition outcomes

Organizer: Farm Journal Foundation

Location: FAO Pavillion

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The event would include high-level speeches and a panel discussion focused on opportunities to improve nutritious food systems in the face of climate change. MCed by Farm Journal Foundation, the event would engage leadership from the US government, a Global South government, CGIAR, and the private sector so that they may discuss how they are integrating climate and nutrition related policies into climate adaptation plans for more nutritious food systems to help better achieve global nutrition goals among women and children.

Watch the event live here

Nourishing the planet, sustaining futures: Reimagining school meals for planetary and child health

Organizer: School Meals Coalition

Location: Al-Waha Stage, WCAS Theatre, Blue Zone

Time: 8th December 2023, 2:00-3:00PM GST

Registration: Click here to RSVP

Join the School Meals Coalition at COP28 UAE for a side event focused on school meals for a healthier planet. The event will showcase how school meals are important not only for children’s health and learning but also for climate goals.

We will present evidence and discuss policies with visionary leaders committed to practical and scalable solutions.

Additionally, we will discuss proven, replicable and scalable climate-friendly approaches to school meal programmes that are at the intersection of climate action, food systems, education and child health and well-being.

Watch the event on the Coalition's Youtube Channel here.

School meals and food systems: Rethinking the consequences for climate, environment, biodiversity, and food sovereignty

Organizer: School Meals Coalition

Location: Connect Conference Centre, COP28 Green Zone, EXPO City, Dubai, UAE

Date and Time: 8th December, 16:15 – 17:00 GST

Registration: Click here to register.

Join the Research Consortium at this event in RewirED. The emerging findings of the White Paper reveal the far-reaching impact that school meal programs can have on our food systems, influencing over 70% of publicly managed food procurement in many countries.

Planet-friendly school meals can drive positive change in four areas: promoting planet-friendly diets, adopting clean cooking methods, reducing food waste and plastic use, and offering comprehensive food education. During the session we will discuss how intentional policy shifts in procurement can prove cost-neutral or cost-effective, from sustainable diets to energy-efficient cooking, contributing to improved nutrition and lower carbon emissions. Join us in reshaping the future—one school meal at a time!

From commitment to action: Integrating Nutrition Financing in Climate Change Framework

Organizers: The Federal Republic of Somalia, African Union Nutrition Champion, African Union Commission (AUC), and African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN)

Location: Africa Pavillion, RM. 224

More information here

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The Government of Somalia, the African Union Nutrition Champion, the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank’s African Leaders for Nutrition and partners will host a side event at this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28).

The event aims to mobilize commitment to integrate nutrition financing into the climate change financing framework and ensure that Africa speaks with one voice on nutrition and climate change financing. The panel will comprise government ministers, parliamentarians, and policy experts. The launch of a position paper by the AU Nutrition Champion, His Majesty King Letsie III of the Kingdom of Lesotho, and Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre.

Iincorporating nutrition concerns into the climate finance framework offers numerous advantages as climate change impacts and risks are becoming increasingly compounded and challenging to manage. Over 2 billion individuals face micronutrient deficiency, 828 million people are undernourished, and 676 million suffer from obesity. Child and maternal malnutrition currently rank in the top ten contributors to death and disease in adults, with six of the top 10 causes being diet-related.

The partners are advocating for nutrition financing in Africa's Climate Change Financing Framework as part of climate change mitigation, adaptation, and climate-resilient development. Better nutrition strengthens communities and local economies, contributing to inclusive growth.

Healthy and sustainable diets for nurturing people and planet

A WHO Pavilion event on healthy and sustainable diets, featuring I-CAN.

Organiser: WHO, Brazil, Switzerland/OPN SFS Programme,  UN-Nutrition and WHO Europe

Location: WHO Pavilion & Live streaming

Registration: Click here for virtual participation

The Initiative on Climate Action and Nutrition (I-CAN) launched at the COP27 in Egypt catalyzes, mobilizes, connects and advocates to address the critical climate change and nutrition nexus. I-CAN lays out strong scientific, programmatic and policy links between climate and nutrition.

There are numerous policy options to incentivize dietary shifts and support innovative, sustainable practices at every stage of our food systems to support both nutrition and environmental goals. Policymakers and other food systems actors should work collaboratively to develop a coherent and bold mix of policies adapted to local contexts.  WHO EURO, in collaboration with experts, have developed a Diet Impact Assessment (DIA) modelling tool that will enable Member States to analyze user-specific scenarios of dietary change to estimate the health, environmental and cost burden of each scenario in terms of diet costs, avoidable deaths, changes in resource use and compatibility with global environmental targets, including those related to food-related greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use and fertilizer application. This tool was developed following countries’ requests at an expert meeting on healthy diets and sustainable food systems in the WHO EURO region It brings together environmental and health parameters; practically demonstrating the integration of environment and health systems.

The One Planet Network’s Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) Programme, which is being co-led by Switzerland, has been promoting the sustainable food systems approach since its launch in 2015, with a focus on multistakeholder participation and strengthening the interlinkages between food systems and related key policy areas including climate change and biodiversity.

This event will showcase and discuss the implementation of practical solutions including the DIA tool, to improve diets for both human and planetary health. Country representatives, youth and representatives of non-State Actors will share their experiences to address climate change and malnutrition in a joint manner.

Moderator:

• Francesco Branca, Director, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, World Health Organization

Speakers:

• Omnia El Omrani, Youth Envoy for the President of the 27th UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) and the Egyptian Minister of Foreign AffairsGunhild Stordalen, Founder and Executive Chair, EAT
• Kremlin Wickramasinghe, WHO Regional Office for Europe. Head a.i., NCD Office
• Marco Springmann, Professor in Climate Change, Food Systems and Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine & Senior Researcher on Environment and Health, University of Oxford
• Gisele Bortolini, National Coordinator, National Secretariat for Food and Nutritional Security, Ministry of Social Development, Brazil
• Alwin Kopse, Federal Office for Agriculture, Co-lead of the One Planet Network’s Sustainable Food Systems Programme and National Convenor of Switzerland
• Priyanka Patil, YOUNGO Agriculture Working Group and Mitigation Working Group, India

I-CAN at the UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub

A fire-side chat format on nutrition-climate links at national level, framed around I-CAN.

Organiser: UNFCCC, FAO

Location: Global Innovation Hub

Sustainable Consumption, Diets, and FLW Presidency Event

A Presidency event on healthy and sustainable diets and food loss and waste, taking an urban view and linking to the effects on rural areas.

Organiser: UAE Presidency, TURFS

Location: One of 4x Presidency spaces

Accelerating Transformation at the Nutrition-Climate Nexus

A high-level Presidency event on the links between nutrition and climate, and opportunities to accelerate action by taking an integrated approach to both issues.

Organizers: UAE Presidency, GAIN, SUN

Location: Connect Conference, Green Zone

Watch the live streaming here

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The purpose of this event is to facilitate an urgent, cross-sectoral dialogue focusing on the interconnected challenges of climate action and nutrition. By convening policymakers, experts, and financial stakeholders, we aim to identify holistic, scalable solutions that enhance resilience across food systems, advance health outcomes through more nutritious diets, and offer actionable climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. 

The proposed session will consist of two main parts, primarily targeting an audience of Member States. 

First, high-level representatives from the COP Presidency, I-CAN partner organisations, and identified member states will take turns to speak about the importance of integrated action on nutrition and climate. The theme for these interventions will draw upon the pillars of the Presidency agenda on food systems, the principles of I-CAN, and successful experiences of integrated policymaking at regional, national and sub-national levels respectively.

Second, representatives of the policy, business, finance and research spheres will participate in a moderated panel discussion to discuss how each stakeholder can and should address the joint goals of improved nutrition and climate mitigation and adaptation holistically.

I-CAN would provide helpful framing and some initial insights on progress to date, but the discussion would also address other complementary initiatives across the food systems community.

The role of livestock in meeting our global climate, food security and nutrition goals

A discussion on the challenges and benefits of livestock to climate and nutrition goals.

Organiser: Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Meat and Livestock Australia

Location: Australia Pavilion

Tackling Micronutrient Malnutrition in a Warming World

A WHO Pavilion event on tackling micronutrient malnutrition through interventions including (but not limited to) fortification and biofortification.

Organiser: GAIN, SUN, UNICEF, WFP, MNF, ST4N, IFSBH

Location: WHO Pavilion

Food Systems and Healthy Diets for Climate Action

TBC

Organiser: Nordic Council of Ministers with UN Coordination Hub

Location: Nordic Pavilion

Financing Nutrition for a Healthier Climate: The Power of Sustainable Diets

An event in the Food and Agriculture Pavilion discussing the crucial issue of finance for healthier and more sustainable diets.

Organiser: WHO, FAO of the United Nations

Location: Hybrid event, Food & Agriculture Pavilion

Registration: Click here for virtual participation

The Initiative on Climate Action and Nutrition (I-CAN) baseline analysis demonstrates that financing
and investing for programmes that link nutrition and climate is very low. Our current food systems
do not ensure access to healthy diets for everyone and contribute to diet-related health issues; at
the same time they put immense pressure on our environment. By investing in initiatives that
address both nutrition and climate we can address two interconnected challenges simultaneously.
However, more efforts should be done to align climate and nutrition sectors. Not only will this
improve the health of our populations, but it will also contribute to the preservation of our planet
for future generations.

Moderator:

• Meagan Waters, US Policy Advisor, FAIRR

Speakers:

• Francesco Branca, Director, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, World Health Organization
• Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition
• Hemang Shah - Director Child Health and Development, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation
• Kaveh Zahedi, Director, Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (TBC)
• Mathews Mhuru, Deputy Director, National Food and Nutrition Commission, Zambia
• Juan Carlos Mendoza Casadiegos, Director, Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion/Nutrition Division, International Fund for Agricultural Development
• Roy Steiner, Senior Vice President, Food Initiative, Rockefeller Foundation (TBC)

Health, Food and Climate: A Systems Perspective

An official UNFCCC side-event on the interlinkages between food, health and climate.

Organiser: Finland, Nordic Council of Ministers, WHO

Location: Hybrid event, SE Room 4, UNFCCC Pavilion

Registration: Click here for virtual participation

Transforming our food systems is a strong lever to promote human health and climate action.

Health, nutrition, and environmental sustainability need to be core, cross-cutting foundations to enable healthy and sustainable food systems. Our food consumption has vast environmental and climate impact and shows the need to promote healthy and sustainable diets as an important part of a food systems transformation, and to increase awareness about the interlinkages between health, food and climate.

A healthy diet is a foundation for human health, well-being, optimal growth and development of the human body. It protects against all forms of malnutrition. Unhealthy diets are a leading risk for the global burden of disease, mainly for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Research shows that healthy diets are also more environmentally sustainable. The Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 (NNR2023) is one of the globally leading scientific reports showing the interlinkages between healthy and sustainable diets, and the many synergies that exist. WHO has issued guidelines for healthy and sustainable diets, in line with the guidance of NNR2023, that show the imperative of taking action to include health perspectives in the climate agenda

Moderators:

• Karen Ellemann, Secretary General, Nordic Council of Ministers
• Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

Speakers:

• Rune Blomhoff, Professor, Oslo University, Project Leader of the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023
• Madhuvanti Murphy, University of West Indies, Barbados
• Kai Mykkänen, Minister of Climate and the Environment, Finland
• Claire Bury, Deputy Director-General for Food Sustainability, DG Sante, European Commission
• Francesco Branca, Director, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, World Health Organization
• Representative from Zambia (TBC)
• Representative from Ethiopia (TBC)
• Lana Weidgenant, Youth representative, Coalition of Action on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems for Children and All