Events

Introduction

Climate change has created challenges for the agricultural sector—and will continue to do so. Climate change-induced increases in temperatures, rainfall variation and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events are adding to pressures on global agricultural and food systems. Climate change is expected to negatively affect both crop and livestock production systems in Africa. Furthermore, agriculture is not only sensitive to climate change but also one of the major drivers for climate change and one of the few sectors that can provide solutions.

Gender and climate

On gender and climate change, Parties are invited to submit a review of the implementation of the Gender Action Plan (GAP). The Adaptation Committee (AC), in its 2019-2021 work plan, also agreed to include the objective of incorporating gender as a cross-cutting consideration into all its activities. To operationalize this, the AC invited Parties to submit their views on how to mainstream gender considerations in the national adaptation planning process. This provides an excellent opportunity to ensure that gender is mainstreamed in all United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations workstreams. 

Climate leadership and coordination gaps

To build Africa’s Climate Leaders, the African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES), in collaboration with several African and overseas universities, is designing a long term Climate Leadership Program. The Program aims to address four climate leadership and coordination gaps: 

• Climate evidence and knowledge gaps, in relation to the capacity of African scientists and experts to effectively engage in climate assessments, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
• Climate diplomacy technical gaps among African climate negotiators/diplomats, in relation to their capacity to effectively participate in the international climate change policy processes (such as UNFCCC) backed by sound scientific evidence.
• Climate policy and practice gaps, in relation to the formulation and implementation of regional and national climate and gender- and youth-responsive policies, including those relating to the long-term low carbon, climate change development strategies, nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and national adaptation plans (NAPs) across Africa.
• Climate science, diplomacy, policy, practice and coordination gaps, the ability of African governments to bring together the collective sum of expertise of its climate scientists, diplomats, policymakers and practitioners to bear on the quality and effectiveness of Africa’s engagement in global, regional, national and sub-national climate change policy processes.

Objectives

The objectives of the meeting are: 

1. Facilitate continuous capacity building of AGN agriculture and gender negotiators on negotiation skills and share information on the long-term capacity development program: the Climate Leadership Program.
2. Review in-session workshop reports on KJWA topic 2b (Methods and approaches for assessing adaptation, adaptation co-benefits and resilience), and 2c (Improved soil carbon, soil health and soil fertility under grassland and cropland as well as integrated systems, including water management.
3. Review the technical paper on improved nutrient use and manure management towards sustainable and resilient agricultural systems and identify key messages to inform common African position.
4. Prepare AGN submission on KJWA topic 2d (Improved nutrient use and manure management towards sustainable and resilient agricultural systems);
5. Prepare AGN submission to the Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) on elements to be taken into account in developing guidance to the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism on issues related to KJWA and agriculture.
6. Review progress made in the implementation of the Gender Action Plan with a view of identifying aspects that need to be strengthened and enhance its mainstreaming into national adaptation planning.
7. Share information on the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land and Measuring Adaptation Progress in the agriculture sector.