The United Arab Emirates’ presidency of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP 28, will put the focus squarely on food systems and agriculture, encouraging governments to update their nationally determined contributions, or NDCs, with specific food targets, and gathering commitments from private and public sector stakeholders for funding and technology.
Last month, the latest edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report delivered a sobering reminder: over 700 million people face hunger worldwide and 3 billion people cannot afford a nutritious diet.
With climate change already upending our food systems and the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of farmers, those numbers are only going to climb. But the problem does not stop there.
About the author
Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri
Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri is the minister of climate change and environment of the United Arab Emirates. In this capacity, she leads the ministry’s mission of spearheading the UAE’s drive to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, protect the country’s ecosystems, and enhance its food and water security through developing and implementing effective measures, policies, and initiatives. Prior to her current role, she was the minister of state for food and water security.
