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Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, announced the UAE’s endorsement of the Policy Action Agenda for Transition to Sustainable Food and Agriculture, at a high-level event on ‘Accelerating a just rural transition to sustainable agriculture for people, climate and nature’ that took place as part of COP26 Nature Day.

The document sets out pathways and concrete actions that state and non-state actors can take to repurpose public support for agriculture. It was developed by the COP26 Presidency, the World Bank, and Just Rural Transition – an initiative that brings together a global community of public and private sector stakeholders to champion equitable solutions to food systems challenges.

Almheiri said, "Individual efforts by countries are not enough to reach our common goal. Recognising that effective global partnerships play a key role in eradicating world hunger, the UAE endorses the Policy Action Agenda for Transition to Sustainable Food & Agriculture. We are confident the Agenda will drive a much-needed inclusive shift to sustainable agriculture through appropriate policies, investments, and support."

As a prime example of a multilateral effort that drives transformative climate action in the agricultural sector, the Minister highlighted the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate), a joint UAE-US initiative that seeks to increase and accelerate investments in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation and R&D over the next five years.

The Policy Agenda recognises the importance of agriculture in producing food, providing livelihoods for billions of people across the world, and contributing to the economy. At the same time, agriculture is the second main driver of greenhouse gas emissions after energy and the major cause of biodiversity loss, which, in turn, undermines food systems, and poses risks for farmers, communities, and economies.

The document provides a comprehensive definition of sustainable agriculture, recommends steps to take, outlines illustrative policy options to assist decision-makers, proposes channels for ongoing policy dialogue, collaboration, and peer support building on existing commitments and initiatives, and states the case for repurposing public policies.