ClimBeR at COP29

Climate change and food insecurity are interconnected crises. Developing transformative solutions that address local needs and build long-term resilience requires a combination of science, innovation, and the integration of local voices.

Building long-term resilience requires adopting a transformative approach to food, land, and water systems that includes and amplifies local and indigenous voices. Enhancing the resilience of local communities to better cope with climate extremes requires that we co-create solutions in collaboration with them, involve multiple sectors and stakeholders across multiple levels of governance, foster private-public sector relationships to scale up investment, enhance access to climate finance, and leverage technology to make climate weather data and information more reliable, accessible, and available to inform disaster risk reduction.

Ultimately, we must integrate top-down decision-making with bottom-up approaches to ensure that climate adaptation solutions are relevant, sustainable, and locally led.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22, 2024.

Global leaders, scientists, policymakers, private sector representatives, and climate activists will gather for crucial negotiations on how to take the climate agenda forward, advance climate finance flows, catalyze climate action, and ensure that vulnerable regions have the support they need to cope with the ever-increasing impacts of climate change on their communities and nations.

ClimBeR at COP29

This year, the CGIAR Research Initiative on Climate Resilience (ClimBeR) presence at COP29 will:

• Showcase what ClimBeR has achieved so far
• Highlight the different areas of ClimBeR science and how the initiative works to build smallholder resilience, and
• Demonstrate the breadth of partnerships to showcase continuity in CGIAR’s 2025-2030 portfolio and beyond.

Join ClimBeR and our partners at COP29 to learn more about:

• How ClimBeR science helps enhance resilience through the transformative adaptation of land, water, and food systems
• How ClimBeR’s innovations help address climate action/climate resilience
• How ClimBeR supports partners with international processes related to climate action/climate adaptation
• How ClimBeR helps build smallholder resilience through access to climate finance
• How ClimBeR works in partnership to integrate and amplify local and Indigenous voices, to ensure that those most affected by climate change are at the center of climate decision-making.

The ClimBeR team will participate in several side events during COP29. These include:

Nov 13 | 9:00 – 10:30 | CGIAR Food and Agriculture Pavilion F9| Locally Led Adaptation for resilient food and agriculture: co-design, collaboration and capacity

Locally led adaptation (LLA) drives bottom-up transformative adaptation. This session explores LLA experiences designing food and agricultural climate solutions that engage diverse stakeholders, leverage innovative finance, address structural inequalities, and foster capacity and knowledge exchange. Join the live stream here.

Nov 14 | 11:00 – 12:30| CGIAR Food and Agriculture Pavilion F9| Overcoming barriers in access to funds at the frontline of the climate crisis to accelerate climate financing for adaptation in Agriculture and Nature in Africa.

This event explores overcoming barriers to accessing climate funds for agriculture and nature in Africa. You can join the live stream here, and you can read the related blog post here.

Featured publication to be launched at this event:

Policy Brief

The New Goal: Opportunities to Empower Climate Action in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel for Agriculture and Nature Under the NCQG

Jointly developed by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Tree Aid, and supported by the CGIAR Research Initiative on ClimateResilience (ClimBeR)—this policy brief provides an assessment of the quantity and quality of climate finance flows directed toward Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) and Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sectors in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel.

Through an extensive desk review and analysis of climate finance data from the OECD that covers the period 2010 to 2022, this brief identifies critical barriers, funding gaps, and actionable recommendations for enhancing the mobilization and effective channeling of climate finance to these regions. Download here.

Related Report:

The policy brief was based on a more in-depth report – “Analysis of trends in climate finance for AFOLU in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa 2010-2022,” published on November 18th. The report lays out a country-by-country analysis of the current state of climate finance flows in these regions and the extent to which they reach the local and community levels in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. Read the report here.

Nov 14 | 12:00 – 13:00 | Action on Food Hub Pavilion| Fireside Chat: Unlocking Climate Finance for a Resilient Agrifood Future: how can we bridge the $500 billion gap?

Nov 15 | 09:00 – 10:30| CGIAR Food and Agriculture Pavilion F9| South-South Cooperation on Climate, Peace and Security: Driving the Localization Agenda Through Scientific Evidence 

This event will unite policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders to underscore the significance of South-South cooperation in creating localized responses to the interrelated issues of climate, peace, and security. By focusing on vulnerable regions, discussions will center on how collaborative initiatives can enhance climate resilience, improve food security, support rural livelihoods, and address challenges related to human mobility. Join the live stream here.

Please read our blog post from COP29 on how ClimBeR works with other research areas and CGIAR Initiatives on climate, peace, and security.

Nov 18 | 15:30 – 16:30| Senegal Pavilion| Unveiling the Climate-Smart Governance Dashboard: Empowering Data-Driven Decision-Making for a Resilient Future

This side event will pre-launch the Climate-Smart Governance Dashboard jointly developed by IWMI and the Directorate for Environment and Classified Establishments (DEEC), an innovative tool designed to assist nations in planning and implementing climate-resilient policies. The event will feature presentations from dashboard applications and early adopters, showcasing its functionality and potential impact. Participants will discuss how to leverage the dashboard for effective climate action and explore potential partnerships for wider adoption. Read the blog post on the session here.

Week two: November 18 – 22, 2024

Nov 18 | 17:30 – 18:30| Action on Food Pavilion|Youth-Led Adaptation: Innovation in Sustainable Water Management

The spotlight focuses on dynamic youth leaders who are transforming water management practices through sustainable, localized, gender-responsive, and tech-driven approaches to climate adaptation that can improve resilience in vulnerable communities.

Nov 19 | 11:30 – 13:00| South Africa Pavilion|Climate Information & Early Warning Systems (CIEWS) to inform climate-resilient infrastructure investments in Southern Africa

Africa faces a critical water investment gap, worsened by climate change. The Continental Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP) aims to mobilize $30 billion annually by 2030 to close this gap and enhance water security. However, weak climate information and early warning systems hinder effective investment. This event explores how to strengthen these systems, leverage innovative financing, and promote resilient water infrastructure to achieve sustainable development in the SADC region, aligning with the goals of the AIP.

Nov 20 | 15:00 – 16:00| Zambia Pavilion|Anticipating Drought: Transforming Food, Land & Water Systems for a Changing Climate

Climate change is exacerbating drought risks globally, with severe implications for food, land, and water systems. Southern Africa is particularly vulnerable, facing recurring droughts which threaten livelihoods, food security, and economic stability. Proactive drought management and early warning systems are critical for building resilience and adapting to these challenges. This side event aims to showcase innovative approaches to drought preparedness and adaptation, with a focus on transforming food, land, and water systems in Southern Africa. It will highlight the role of early warning systems, proactive drought management strategies, and integrated approaches to building climate resilience.

Nov 21 | 13:15 – 14:30| CDRI Pavilion|Resilient Infrastructure for a Changing Climate: Leveraging GIRI and ESCAP Risk & Resilience Data platforms

This session will showcase how the Global Infrastructure Resilience Index (GIRI) data and ESCAP’s Risk and Resilience Data Platform (RRP) are being used in conjunction to strengthen resilient infrastructure development in mountainous regions of Bhutan, Nepal, and Tajikistan. The session will focus on experiences of data integration from GIRI and RRP platforms for better decision-making and climate-proofing infrastructure in these vulnerable regions. IWMI will highlight the integration of GIRI data sets in the Climate Smart Governance Dashboard in strengthening national adaptation planning, priorities and investment.

Nov 21 | 16:00– 17:30|IGAD Pavilion|Towards Enhanced Regional Cooperation on the Global Goal on Adaptation

The session will bring together to identify and address the challenges associated with climate adaptation in the region by enabling the measuring, monitoring, and reporting of adaptation progress through the Global Goal on Adaptation. The side event would provide a forum to identify current best practices, potential pathways, and opportunities for enhanced regional cooperation on these issues. Join the live stream here.

Click here for a complete list of CGIAR events at COP29. 

For updates on #ClimBeR #OneCGIAR at #COP29, #COP29Azerbaijan, follow us @CGIARClimate or on Linkedin here.

Related resources:

Blogs from COP29:

• The New Goal: How Can We Facilitate Financial Flows to Fragile Contexts in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel?
• Climate Action for Peace, Relief, and Recovery: Uniting Efforts at COP29
• Unveiling the Climate Smart Governance Dashboard at COP29: Empowering Data-Driven Decision Making for a Resilient Future

Report:

• Analysis of trends in climate finance for AFOLU in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa 2010-2022

Policy brief:

• The New Goal: Opportunities to Empower Climate Action in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel for Agriculture and Nature Under the NCQG

Blogs:

• CGIAR Climate Smart Governance Dashboard: Turning the tables from climate vulnerable to climate-resilient
• From Risk to Resilience: How Strategic Government Partnerships Can Enhance Access to Insurance-Linked Credit for Smallholders in Zambia

Journal articles:

• Agro-technology for climate-smart agriculture and resilience to climate extremes in sub-Saharan Africa
• Bridging evidence gaps in attributing loss and damage, and measures to minimize impacts
• Evaluating the gendered credit constraints and uptake of an insurance-linked credit product among smallholder farmers in Kenya

Reports

• Views on the eleventh technical expert dialogues and third meeting under the ad-hoc work programme on the new collective quantified goal on climate finance
• Tools with the power to bridge Africa’s climate financing gap
• Africa Climate Security Risk Assessment: Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on Peace and Security across the African Continent
• Community voices on climate, peace and security: Zambia
• Nurturing transformative adaptation to climate change: A methodology guide centered on social equity