• Overview
  • Agenda

Date: 19 November 2024

Time: 14:30 AZT

Location: UN Country Pavilion, Baku, Azerbaijan 

Organizers: UNEP, UN Climate Champions

This is an official pavilion-event of the UNFCCC COP29

Description: Food loss and waste generates 8 to 10 percent of GHGs and is a methane hotspot. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) primarily emitted by human activities. Food waste reduction is a critical and necessary action required for meeting our climate and equity targets, however it is clear from this halfway mark in the mission to deliver the SDGs by 2030 that not enough mobilization and partnership has occurred for us to meet our goal of delivering food systems that incorporate circularity, protect natural resources and community health, and preserve biodiverse traditional foods, and food sovereignty. 

This event will initiate a Food Waste Breakthrough under the Race to Zero framework, in preparation for launch at COP30. The Food Waste Breakthrough will be a multi-stakeholder call to action to achieve a 50% reduction in global food waste and a 30% reduction in methane emissions by 2030, accelerating climate mitigation and fostering a sustainable and resilient food system.

Moderator: Richard Swannell, Director of Impact Growth, Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) 

Opening:   

  • Nigar Arpadarai, COP29 High-Level Climate Champion – not confirmed   
  • Ruth Zugman do Coutto, Deputy Director, Climate Change Division, UNEP - confirmed 

 

High-Level Fireside Chat / Keynote:   

  • Bharat Bhushan Nagar, Open Waste Burning Manager, UN High Level Climate Champions Team - confirmed 
  • Aynur Mutallimova, Senior Advisor, COP29 Presidency – not confirmed  
  • Érico Rocha, General Coordinator for Mitigation and Protection of the Ozone Layer, National Secretariat for Climate Change, Ministry of Environment, Brazil - confirmed 

 

 Panel Discussion on Deep Dive into the Food Waste Breakthrough for Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration in global Food Waste Reduction:   

  • Kgauta Mokoena, Chief Director, Chemicals and Waste, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, South Africa - confirmed 
  • Carolina Urmeneta, Global Methane Hub - confirmed  
  • Remy Ruat, Senior Climate Change Specialist, GEF - confirmed  
  • Ana Catalina Suárez Peña, Senior director, Strategy and Innovation, The Global Foodbanking Network - confirmed 

 

Q&A & Wrap- Up:  Richard Swannell, Director of Impact Growth, Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP)