Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, the UAE Minister of Climate Change, urged African leaders to support global food system transformation.
Speaking at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AGRF), Almheiri said: “This has been a pivotal and historic week for the African continent.”
“ Just a few days ago, the Nairobi Declaration was endorsed in addition to billions of dollars in commitments to enable African countries to achieve inclusive green growth in the face of climate change.”
She highlighted the importance of the COP28 Food Systems and Agriculture Agenda – which she launched at the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment in Rome in July.
She also called upon African nations to signal their commitment to working towards adaptation and mitigation across food systems by signing the Leaders Declaration on Food Systems, Agriculture, and Climate Action.
The presidential session was one of the highlights of the Africa Food Systems Forum and was made up of several different panel discussions and activities.
She also emphasized the crucial role that innovation plays in food system transformation and encouraged nations to share technology and knowledge in order to drive change.
William Ruto, the President of Kenya then made a speech in which he fully endorsed the comments made by her.
She urged African nations to join the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate), which the UAE co-leads with the USA. This initiative, which has over 500 international partners, has raised $13 billion in investment for climate-smart agriculture and food system innovation.
The minister also called upon African nations to join the Mangrove Alliance for Climate, a project which the UAE launched in partnership with Indonesia, to protect and restore vital mangrove populations across the world.
