ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 16th Oct, 2023) The UAE Minister for Climate Change and Environment, COP28 Food Systems Lead, Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, has announced that the UAE will host the first ever Ministerial Dialogue on Building Water-Resilient Food Systems in cooperation with Brazil during COP28.
During a speech delivered at the UN-organised World Food Day Conference in Rome, Almheiri made a call for action – that climate change cannot be solved independently, and global collaboration is imperative in designing and implementing climate action mechanisms because environmental issues know no borders.
She also called for greater international collaboration to address the global challenge of food insecurity and underlined the focus of COP28 to be hosted in the UAE to usher in a new era of inclusive food finance.
Almheiri presented the UAE’s focus on delivering an inclusive climate crisis solution to an audience and speaker panel comprising global luminaries, including President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella; President of Ireland, Michael D.
Higgins; Alvaro Lario, Dr Qu Dongyu, Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations; President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Cindy H. McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP).
The theme of the 2023 World Food Day is ‘water’, Almheiri noted that worldwide, agriculture is the single largest consumer of freshwater – and the way we currently produce food is responsible for up to 33% of total global emissions, according to FAO data.
The Minister said: “Our vision for our Presidency of COP28 is that we must work together, share knowledge and ideas to find a united solution to ensure no one is left behind. We need to be reminded of the harsh realities of what happens when the balance of water in our food systems fails us.
Thanking the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations for its World Food Day focus on the vital issue of water, H.E. added: “From devastating famines to severe droughts and life-threatening floods, we are seeing their frequency spike as the globe is impacted by climate change.
Feeding the world’s growing population equitably and sustainably cannot be achieved without water.”
She added: “How we manage the rapid rise in demand, production, distribution and consumption of food will be one of the single biggest challenges we face in the fight against climate change
