FAO and ECLAC participated in Madrid in the launch of the Platform for Climate Action in Agriculture (PLACA).

Santiago, Chile, December 6, 2019 - During the first day dedicated to agriculture, livestock and forestry at COP 25, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) participated yesterday in the launch of the Platform for Climate Action in Agriculture (PLACA).

The aim of PLACA is to coordinate and promote actions aimed at formulating and implementing joint solutions in the agricultural sector, in order to act in an aligned manner in the face of the new climate scenario.

"Climate action in agriculture means nature-based solutions, bioeconomy, articulation with the agendas of the sister conventions on biological diversity and desertification, science-policy dialogue. Bringing these and other emerging issues to PLACA is a task in which we can also support them from the Technical Secretariat," said Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of ECLAC.

The initiative, led by the Government of Chile, is a voluntary accession platform that has already been signed today at COP 25 by the Ministers of Agriculture of Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Peru and Uruguay. The governments of Ecuador, Mexico and the Dominican Republic have also joined, and the remaining countries are expected to respond shortly to the invitation to join the Platform.

Regarding the call and the Platform, Julio Berdegué, FAO Regional Representative, commented that "in our role as Technical Secretariat of the Platform together with ECLAC, we are committed to providing the support and technical assistance that the countries will require, highlighting the positive links between sustainable agriculture, food security and climate action, and their centrality in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals".

PLACA is thus configured as a central tool at a time when the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions will begin. To achieve the proposed objectives, large-scale collaboration is now required in order to increase ambition in terms of both mitigation and adaptation to climate change, FAO and ECLAC emphasize.

The initiative is also an important signal at the regional level, highlighting the importance of Latin America and the Caribbean in the global context of food security, while at the same time making it possible to articulate and establish joint and coordinated positions in international negotiation frameworks.

In this regard, Berdegué added that "FAO recognizes that agriculture and food systems play a fundamental role in feeding a growing population and in resolving the climate crisis, but also that these systems must be transformed to reduce their emissions and increase resilience and adaptation to climate change. That is why we see PLACA as a mechanism that can enhance productive, resilient and low-greenhouse gas emission agricultural development".

Food and agriculture at COP 25

From December 2 to 13, 2019, the Government of Spain hosts the 25th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP25), under the Presidency of the Government of Chile, in Madrid.

Es la primera vez desde que se realiza la Conferencia que se le asigna un día específico a la agricultura.  Durante la jornada de hoy se trabajó para que los sistemas agrícolas y alimentarios sigan siendo parte de las negociaciones, para asegurar la financiación climática y fortalecer las asociaciones existentes. Las áreas clave de participación incluyeron la Asociación de Marrakech para la Acción Climática Global y las negociaciones relacionadas con el trabajo conjunto de Koronivia sobre agricultura.

Source: FAO Americas