CGIAR SEMINAR SERIES
Post COP28 Priorities for Advancing Food Systems Transformation
Co-organized by IFPRI, CGIAR, and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
MAR 27, 2024 - 9:30 TO 11:00AM EDT / 14:30 TO 16:00 CET

Held in 2023, the planet’s hottest year on record, COP28 has been heralded for its strong focus on food systems, which are simultaneously threatened by and contribute to climate change. The COP28 Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action, albeit non-binding, but endorsed by almost 160 countries, emphasizes the transformative potential of agriculture and food systems in responding to climate change and ensuring global food security.

Insufficient climate finance represents a significant barrier to achieving climate-resilient and low-emission food systems. Given that smallholders produce the majority of the global food supply, special attention to their finance needs is critical.

As the fifth policy seminar in the CGIAR series on Strengthening Food Systems Resilience, this virtual event will take stock of food systems–related outcomes from COP28 and outline priorities for advancing them at both the international and country level in a concrete and meaningful manner.

Please join a distinguished set of speakers from CGIAR, international organizations, and the policy community for this discussion on advancing both adaptation and mitigation of food systems, which will place a particular focus on climate finance and policy priorities.

Taking Stock of COP28 Outcomes
Felicitas Röhrig, Senior Policy Officer, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Aditi Mukerji, Director, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Impact Action Platform of the CGIAR
Kristofer Hamel, Head, Food Systems, COP28 Presidency; UAE Climate Change Special Envoy

Advancing on Climate Change Finance
Geeta Sethi, Advisor and Global Lead for Food Systems, World Bank
Johan Swinnen, Managing Director, Systems Transformation, CGIAR; Director General, IFPRI

Country level Policy Priorities and Needs
Agnes Kalibata, President, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) - Represented by Boaz Keizire, Head of Policy & Advocacy, AGRA
Qingfeng Zhang, Senior Director, Agriculture, Food, Nature, and Rural Development Sector Office, Asian Development Bank

Preparing for COP29 and COP30
Nigar Arpadarai, UN Climate Change High Level Champion for COP29 Azerbaijan; Member of Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Eduardo Brito Bastos, Agronomic Engineer (ESALQ/USP)
Juan Lucas Restrepo, Global Director of Partnerships & Advocacy, CGIAR; Director General of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT

Moderator
Roula Majdalani, Climate Change Advisor, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)

More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/post-cop28-priorities-advancing-food-systems-transformation
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Post COP28 Priorities for Advancing Food Systems Transformation

Book Launch | IFPRI Policy Seminar
What Do We Know About the Future of Food Systems?
Co-organized by IFPRI and the CGIAR
This event is also part of the Policy Innovations Global Webinar Series of the CGIAR Science Program on Policy Innovations
July 23, 2025

Food systems have achieved remarkable progress in recent decades, but moving forward, they will face significant challenges in delivering the many outputs and services—such as poverty alleviation, nutrition and health, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability—we expect and need. By combining sophisticated analysis and close engagement with stakeholders, we can identify and explore the likely impacts of different future scenarios based on alternative development pathways and external factors. These results can help inform the decisions we make about food systems today.

This event marks the launch of What Do We Know About the Future of Food Systems?, a collection of short chapters that synthesize current knowledge about different aspects of the future of food systems. Written by more than 100 scientists from around the world with expertise in a wide range of related disciplines and regions, these chapters provide accessible overviews of the latest foresight research on each topic, guide readers toward more detailed information, and offer insights into how our knowledge of future trends can be improved.

The launch will present an overview of the book and highlight key findings from select chapters, followed by a panel discussion featuring speakers from country partners, regional organizations, and donor agencies.

Moderator Welcome
Elisabetta Gotor, Principal Scientist, Performance, Innovation and Strategic Analysis, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT 

Opening Remarks
Sandra Cristina Kothe Milach, Chief Scientist, CGIAR

Overview
Keith Wiebe, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI 

Selected Chapter Highlights
Impact area: Poverty – Karl Pauw, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI 
Driver: Innovation – Daniel Mason-D’Croz, Senior Research Associate, Department of Global Development, Cornell University 
Region: West and Central Africa – Dolapo Enahoro, Senior Agricultural Economist, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
Commodity: Aquatic Foods – Chin Yee Chan, Scientist, WorldFish

Panel Discussion
Vanessa da Fonseca Pereira, Advisor at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) and analyst at Embrapa 
Kindie Tesfaye Fantaye, Head, Climate Adaptation and Resilience, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) 
Ruben Echeverria, Senior Advisor Agriculture Development, Gates Foundation 

Closing Remarks
Clemens Breisinger, Program Leader for the Kenya Strategy Support Program; Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI
Elisabetta Gotor, Principal Scientist, Performance, Innovation and Strategic Analysis, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT

Links:

More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/what-do-we-know-about-the-future-of-food-systems/

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What Do We Know About the Future of Food Systems?

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. Established in 1975, IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 50 countries. It is a research center of CGIAR, a worldwide partnership engaged in agricultural research for development.

New tracks tagged #Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT