Events at COP28

Overview

The FAIRR Initiative is delighted to be hosting and participating in several events at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), which is hosted in Dubai from Thursday, 30 November, to Tuesday, 12 December.

Who is attending?

We will have FAIRR presence in Dubai from 30 November to 12 December, with the majority there from 4 December-10 December.

For questions, please contact Abigail Lee, at [email protected], in our FAIRR Policy Team.

Events

FAIRR-hosted Event: Climate-Finance-Food Nexus: Navigating the Climate Risks and Opportunities

Finance Day, Monday, 4 December | 14:00-14:45 Dubai Time | Food4Climate Pavilion (Blue Zone) co-sponsored by the Jeremy Coller Foundation

At this FAIRR-hosted event, we will navigate the intricate interplay of global climate change, financial systems, and food production. The event is designed to provide critical insights into the livestock industry and its critical role in meeting our climate goals. During the event, the FAIRR Initiative's Climate Risk Tool will be demonstrated by Simi Thambi PhD, Climate Economist. This innovative tool combines a global land use model with company-level financial information of the biggest meat and dairy producers, to showcase the magnitude of financial risks that the livestock investment sector is likely to face under different scenarios of global warming. The findings from the tool underline the necessity for investors to acknowledge these embedded risks and consider the potential for portfolio diversification towards more sustainable, environmentally friendly investment strategies.   

The presentation will be followed by a panel of leading industry experts who will share their perspectives on opportunities that can be leveraged to amplify the role of this sector in meeting global climate and nature ambitions.

The confirmed speakers include:

• Sean Kidney, Co-founder and CEO, Climate Bonds Initiative 

• Graham Watkins, Chief of the Climate Change Division, Inter-American Development Bank

• Yunwen Bai, Vice President, Institute of Finance and Sustainability (IFS), Beijing

• Luiz Amaral, CEO, Science Based Targets Initiative

Opening remarks: Jeremy Coller, Founder, FAIRR Initiative.

Register here (in person or online)

FAIRR-hosted Event: Investors' Role in Transitioning to a Climate-Aligned Food System

Tuesday, 05 December | 10:00-12:00 Dubai Time | Hub Culture at SO-Uptown Hotel, Uptown Tower, Uptown, Dubai (30min away from Dubai Expo) 

Intensive agriculture systems are a major contributor to the climate and nature crises. Sofía Condés, Head of Investor Outreach at FAIRR, will be moderating a panel discussion to explore ways in which investors can play a key role in decarbonizing the food sector by influencing the largest companies through their stewardship practices and by advocating for a more enabling environment for the transition to net zero by engaging with regulators, policymakers and other changemakers.

The confirmed speakers include:

• Caroline Wehrle, Senior Policy Advisor on Sustainable Finance, Swiss State Secretariat for International Finance  

• Oshni Arachchi, Head of Active Ownership, Danske Bank Asset Management

• Dr. Thomas Hohne-Sparborth, Head of Sustainability Research, Lombard Odier Investment Managers 

• Gerard Howe, Head of Adaptation, Nature and Resilience Department at FCDO (UK Government) 

Opening remarks: Jeremy Coller, Founder, FAIRR Initiative.

Register here (in-person only)

FAIRR-hosted Official UNFCCC Side Event: New financial mechanism, pricing & subsidy strategies to transform food systems & meet climate goals

Saturday, 9 December | 16:45-18:15 Dubai Time | Side Event Room 3 (Blue Zone)

FAIRR will co-host an event with the EAT Foundation and TAPP Coalition on financial mechanisms that can help reform food systems & meet climate goals. Food systems cause a third of global emissions, yet only a small fraction of climate finance and incentives support better food systems. The panel discussion will explore means of shifting incentives such as roadmaps, GHG emissions pricing, taxation and public subsidy shifts, and a Good Food Finance Facility.

Register here (in-person or online)

FAIRR Co-hosted Side Event: Transition pathways for food systems financing to align with climate goals

Saturday, 9 December | 13:00-14:00 Dubai Time | The Future Economy Forum Pavilion (Blue Zone)

Food systems are responsible for a third of global GHG emissions, yet receive only 3-4% of climate finance, thus hindering Paris Agreement goals. At COP28 we anticipate broad state-level support for The Emirates Declaration, aligning countries' food systems with Paris targets. Investors are making strides in traditional sectors but lack guidance on how to implement their $130 trillion in net-zero commitments when it comes to the food system transition. For progress to be made, agri-food system pathways aligned with climate goals that extend progress beyond mitigation to adaptation, food security, and social justice are essential. 

This panel brings together investor networks and food systems experts to discuss the actions and policy shifts necessary to guide evidence-based pathways and redirect capital towards climate, nature, and people-aligned food system actions. 

The confirmed speakers include: 

• Ambassador Ertharin Cousin 

• Jeremy Coller, Founder, FAIRR 

• Mahesh Roy, Director, IIGCC 

• Zitouni Ould-Dada, Deputy Director, FAO 

Register here (in-person only)

FAIRR-hosted Event: Unlocking the agri-food system transformation: Aligning regenerative farming with sustainable food choices 

Food Day, Sunday, 10 December | 11:15-12:00 Dubai Time | Food4Climate Pavilion (Blue Zone) co-sponsored by the Jeremy Coller Foundation

We will explore how the agri-food system can capitalise on solutions across the agri-food value chain to unlock sectoral transformation. Discover how to build a sustainable food system that harmonises climate, nature, and societal goals through regenerative farming and protein diversification.

Unlocking the agri-food system transformation will require multiple solutions and no single silver bullet: from embracing regenerative and agroecological production to diversifying our consumption to low-impact food products and alternative proteins. During this session, Sajeev Mohankumar, PhD, Senior Technical Specialist, Climate and Biodiversity at FAIRR, will moderate a panel discussion on how different movements and groups can work together to capitalise on the opportunities of regenerative agriculture and protein diversification through shared policy goals and partnerships across the agri-food value chain.

The confirmed speakers include:

• Henry Dimbleby, Co-founder of Leon and author of UK National Food Strategy Lead  

• Sara Farley, Vice President, Global Food Portfolio, Rockefeller Foundation   

• Gus Guadagnini, Chief Executive Officer, Brazil, GFI 

• Karen Mapusua, President of the IFOAM Organics International

Register here (in-person or online)