Climate finance week at FAO aims to deliver climate solutions through agrifood systems

The 2025 Standing Committee on Finance Forum of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) kicked off at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome. The Forum takes place at a critical juncture on the road to the next UN Climate Change Conference in November, known as COP 30, where countries are working towards the collective goal of mobilizing US$1.3 trillion in climate finance.

Since its establishment by Parties at COP 17 in 2011, this is the first time the Forum has chosen agrifood systems as its central theme: Accelerating climate action and resilience through financing for sustainable food systems and agriculture.

This week of action at FAO also includes special events focused on the potential of sustainable agrifood systems to provide climate solutions. A high-level ministerial event “Unlocking Sustainable Food Systems for Climate, Nature, and Livelihoods,” marked the official opening of the first Global Meeting of the Food Systems Integrated Programme (FSIP).

A flagship initiative of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), co-led by FAO and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the FSIP is channeling US$282 million in GEF grants to help transform agrifood systems in 32 countries to be more sustainable, regenerative, nature-positive, resilient, inclusive and pollution-reduced.

The Programme's ambitious goals include restoring over 870,000 hectares of degraded land, improving practices across 13.8 million hectares of landscapes, mitigating 174 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting 3.4 million people in enhancing their lives and livelihoods.

In his address at the event, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu emphasized that “to beat the climate crisis, we need agrifood systems to move faster towards efficiency, inclusivity, resilience and sustainability. And we need climate finance to flow to farmers.”

Qu also highlighted three key principles for addressing climate-related challenges:

• Agrifood systems provide vital solutions for tackling climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation;
• Adequate financing for agrifood system solutions is critical, particularly for smallholder farmers; and
• The transformation of agrifood systems must be just, inclusive, and sustainable, harnessing the game-changing potential of women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples.

The high-level event brought together ministers, government representatives, and international partners to explore how climate finance can unlock opportunities for sustainable agrifood systems. The discussions underscored the urgent need to accelerate integrated solutions that contribute to climate action, biodiversity, food security, and resilient livelihoods.

“This week is the first time we have come together with the participating countries, and global partners, to share the ambition of the Food Systems Integrated Programme in terms of achieving impact at scale at national and global levels,” noted the FAO Director-General.

Finance week

In addition to the first global meeting of the Food System Integrated Programme, other special events include the gathering of members of the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) Partnership (10-12 September,) a COP-to-COP mechanism for dialogue on climate, agriculture and finance established at COP 27 in 2022. A digital exhibit at FAO headquarters spotlights the real-world impact of FAO's support to Members in accelerating climate action and building resilience through agrifood systems solutions.

FAO will also co-host a side event with Brazil, this year’s COP Presidency, to present the COP30 RAIZ initiative, a crucial step in preparation for COP30 and the broader COP30 Action Agenda. RAIZ is designed to boost investment in large-scale agricultural land restoration to support food security, fight climate change, protect biodiversity, and stop desertification.