Berlin-Germany: Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, has outlined actions to address the global food crisis at the ‘Uniting for Global Food Security’ Ministerial Conference in Berlin.
Hosted by the German Government, the event brought together ministers from the G7 countries, key donor countries and the most vulnerable and most affected countries, as well as representatives of UN organisations, philanthropists, and civil society to drive joint action to enhance global food security.
Addressing a roundtable session entitled ‘Diplomatic Efforts and Humanitarian Action’, the minister said: “The UAE pays utmost attention to enhancing food security and tackling relevant challenges worldwide. As a donor, a UN Security Council member, and the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) president, the country is committed to collective action to address the global food crisis and prevent further hunger.”
In this context, she outlined three areas that can make an immediate and long-term difference. These include championing generous social protection spending by international financial institutions, channeling investment into resilient food and water systems, such as drought-resistant crops and enhanced irrigation, in fragile countries, and scaling up investment in innovation.
Joint initiatives
The minister highlighted the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) as a prime example of the UAE’s commitment to driving investment in innovative food systems to tackle food security challenges. AIM for Climate is a joint UAE-US initiative that seeks to accelerate and increase investment in climate-smart agricultural R&D and innovation to help food producers cope with climate change and reduce the nearly 33 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that food systems generate.
She added: “I am happy to note here that AIM for Climate is now supported by a coalition of over 200 government and non-government partners, and that it intends to increase collective investment in sustainable and innovative food systems to US$8 billion by COP27.”
She emphasised the UAE’s readiness to transfer its experience and expertise to countries that need them in line with its commitment to supporting nations that share similar climatic challenges in agriculture.
Supporting vulnerable communities
Speaking on supporting vulnerable communities around the world facing food insecurity, the Minister said: “To facilitate and expedite the transportation of aid to those who need it most, we have established the International Humanitarian City, the largest humanitarian logistics hub in the world that is home to 54 humanitarian organizations and nine UN agencies.”
During her visit to Berlin, the minister attended several bilateral meetings to enhance cooperation to address the growing global food crisis. She met with Niels Annen, Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Cem Oezdemir, German Minister for Food and Agriculture, and Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister Responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada.
