Food systems and agriculture in the global climate negotiations (COP30)

From 10 to 21 November, the UN Climate Conference will be held in Belém, Brazil. Global leaders will gather in this Amazonian city with the challenging task of delivering progress on the climate agenda in times in which multilateralism and sustainability are under extreme pressure. The Brazilian Presidency has designated COP30 as the “implementation COP,” with a focus on accelerating solutions to deliver national climate action plans under the Paris Agreement (Nationally Determined Contributions, NDCs). Under the UNFCCC agenda, particular conversations will take place on the progress of work in the domain of climate action on agriculture and food security. Negotiations will also address topics such as biodiversity, agroforestry, water, energy, all of which are part of both the drivers and the outcomes of food systems.

A practical overview of the zones, pavilions, roundtables, and side events can be found at the end of this article.

Food Systems and Climate Change

Climate change and the food system influence each other, so solving one requires understanding and managing their two-way relationship. The implementation of the climate agenda at the country level, as expressed in the NDCs, is closely linked to national food systems pathways and to policy implementation in domains of agriculture and related fields (e.g. the African Union’s CAADP agenda). All of these policy agendas require coordination and alignment.

Sharm el-Sheikh joint work

A key agenda under the UNFCCC is the Sharm el-Sheikh joint work on implementation of climate action on agriculture and food security (SJWA). It focuses on the implementation of the outcomes of the earlier ‘Koronivia’ agenda (KJWA), as well as on future topics. Negotiations will be about the key priorities for climate action on agriculture and food security for some, while others primarily expect more funding for the agriculture sector. The recent Sharm el-Sheikh Mitigation Ambition and Implementation Work Programme (2025 report), stresses the importance of inclusive governance, strong policy frameworks, access to finance, and technology transfer to scale up mitigation. It calls for greater collaboration and investment to turn climate commitments into real, on-the-ground action supporting the goals of the Paris Agreement. Read the full report here.

Calls to action by various stakeholders

Leading food and agriculture experts who prepare their contributions to the COP30 are hoping and calling for the Summit to maximise climate action and food systems transitions. They are preparing several activities to turn the ambitions at the nexus climate-food systems into action:

• Belém Declaration on Hunger, Poverty, and Human Centered Climate Action, proposed by the government of Brazil, which is currently approaching other countries to cosign. It has also been circulated via international network partners (see here).
• Adaptation is a major topic on the agenda. See for example the letter by the Brazilian presidency.
• Acceleration Plans are being developed, as part of the Action Agenda organised by the COP Presidency and the Climate Champions. For example, in view of connecting ambitious governments with tested and piloted tools that support the implementation of existing commitments. These activities also contribute to policy coherence by ensuring food systems, climate, and healthy diets remain at the top of the international agenda.

Zones, pavilions, roundtables, and side events

Dialogue sessions by governmental and non-state actors and networks take place in various zones and in specific pavilions. The most relevant at the nexus climate & food systems are:

• The Food and Agriculture Pavilion, hosted by FAO, CGIAR and the Brazilian government (Tip: scroll down to sign up for updates!)
• The Action on Food Pavilion, co-hosted by SNV, Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health, Bread for the World Institute, Proveg, Tetra Pak, and other partners. This is a dedicated space in the Blue Zone at COP30, putting food centre stage during these crucial negotiations.
• The AgriZone, hosted by the Brazilian government

Highlighted side events

Biodiversity in Climate Action: Use Case Insights and Next Steps for Sustainable Food Systems Change. Hosted by Netherlands Food Partnership.
📆 16 November, 10:00-11:15 📍 Auditorio 3, Agrizone

Bridging Local Evidence and Global Action: Biodiversity for Climate-Resilient and Nutrition-Secure Food Systems. Co-created by CGIAR, NFP, and others.
📆 19 November, 09:00-10:00 📍 Food & Agriculture Pavilion

Aligning agriculture finance and fiscal measures with climate and nature goals. Co-created by UNFCCC, TAPP Coalition, FAIRR, Jeremy Coller Foundation, Green Hub China.
📆 13 November, 15:00-16:30 📍 Side Event Room 3

Achieving Food and Nutrition Security, Climate, Nature, and Development Goals through Food Systems. GAIN and partners.
📆 15 November, 16:45-18:15 📍 Side Event Room 2

Further reading and schedules:

• UNFCCC - COP30 host country website
• UNFCCC - COP30 UN website
• European parliament Press Release on COP30
• COP 30 UN overview schedule
• Thematic Days at COP30
• Side Events & Exhibits | UN Climate Change Conference November 2025 (COP 30)
• Information for participants
• CGIAR Research Portfolio 2025-2030 Program/Accelerator Climate Action
• Living document - informal updates by Oliver Camp (GAIN) on food systems at COP30
• Addis Ababa declaration, adopted at the Pre-Summit Forum to the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2), September 2025
• 'Deeper action. A new narrative.' A New York Climate Week output.