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COP30 Evening Summary – November 19

Published on Nov 19, 2025 10:45 PM

Day 10: Wednesday, 19 November:

Prepared by the COP30 Communications Team

Thematic Focus Areas: Agriculture, Food Systems and Security, Fishing and Family Farming, Women, Gender, Afro-descendant, and Tourism

Summary Recap:

Fueling the Future Food System

Day 10 at COP30 focused on building better agriculture practices and food systems. The day's events delivered a powerful affirmation that transforming the way the world produces, protects, and consumes food is essential to accelerating implementation and improving real lives. Across the Action Agenda and Global Mobilization, the day showcased practical pathways to restore degraded land, strengthen family farming, scale aquatic foods, and expand global coalitions working to ensure every community can thrive in a changing climate. These efforts demonstrate how COP30 is turning ambition into action by grounding climate solutions in people, productivity, and resilience.

The launch of the RAIZ Accelerator marked a major step forward in restoring the world’s degraded farmland—mobilizing private capital and deploying cutting-edge mapping tools to unlock economically viable, nature-positive production at scale. New Plans to Accelerate Solutions on family farming (TERRA) and aquatic food systems reinforced that the future of food is inclusive, climate-resilient, and community-led. Meanwhile, the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation expanded its membership and unveiled coordinated frameworks to drive whole-economy transformation. Major advances on fertilizer decarbonization—including the Belém Declaration and PAS on Fertilizers—signaled how innovation, standards, and global partnerships can cut emissions while boosting yields and farmer resilience.

At a flagship moment for the COP30 Action Agenda, a High-Level Event showcased the results and impact of the comprehensive work from non-negotiated initiatives, celebrating 117 Plans to Accelerate Solutions and demonstrating how the redefined Action Agenda is now a global, multisectoral engine for implementation. With the COP29 and COP30 Presidencies, the UNFCCC, and partners united in Belém, the event also highlighted a shared five-year vision aligned with the First Global Stocktake. As COP30 CEO Ana Toni affirmed, the foundations now in place empower the world to “move forward with purpose.”

Across the Global Mobilization pillar, communities and young leaders underscored the human dimension of food systems transformation. Mutirão in the Territories elevated locally led adaptation—from agroecology to forest stewardship—while Latin American youth called for a renewed multilateralism rooted in justice, culture, and shared responsibility. Together, their voices made clear: transforming food systems is foundational to protecting people, strengthening economies, and delivering climate action that leaves no one behind.

Notable Actions and Outcomes:

  • Action Agenda

    - Launch of RAIZ initiative
    ▪ Ten countries (Brazil, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, and the UK), today announced their support for the Resilient Agriculture Investment for Net-Zero Land Degradation (RAIZ) Accelerator. This is an innovative initiative which aims to restore degraded farmland and mobilize private capital needed to do so at scale. It builds on the lessons of Green Way and EcoInvest in Brazil - which mobilized close to USD 6 billion in public debt and commercial loans to restore up to 3 million hectares of pastureland.
    ▪ With the support of FAO, RAIZ will assist participating governments to map degraded landscapes to prioritize areas for investment through an interactive mapping tool, and design optimal blended finance mechanisms to derisk private investments and reduce the cost of capital. This is showing an economically viable pathway for land restoration.
    ▪ Nearly 1 billion hectares of the world’s agricultural land — over 20% — is already degraded, reducing yields and pushing farmers into forests and other natural ecosystems. Officials say the damage is reversible: restoring just 10%of degraded cropland could bring back 44 million tonnes of food each year, enough to meet the nutritional needs of 154 million people.

    - The Global Climate Action Agenda Showcases Implementation Results
    ▪ The COP30 Action Agenda (GCA) High-Level Event convened today to recognize the impact and celebrate the achievements across the redefined COP30 Action Agenda, including 117 Plans to Accelerate Solutions (PAS). The milestone moment, taking place in the Plenary Hall Tocantins, gathered the COP29 and COP30 Presidencies, the UNFCCC Executive Secretary, the Climate High-Level Champions, Parties, international organizations, and non-Party stakeholders. The event highlighted both the urgency of implementation and the continued evolution of the Global Climate Action Agenda as a global, multisectoral framework that unlocks the potential of the work of previous years. As the culminating moment of the two-week GCA Agenda, it distilled key achievements, highlighted strengthened coalitions, and set forward-looking commitments to accelerate implementation in line with the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake.

    “This is extraordinary work. We celebrate everyone here whose dedication made this possible. Much remains to be done, but with the foundations we have built, the shared vision we have built for the next 5 years of the Action Agenda, and the continued leadership of the Climate High-level Champions, we are ready to move forward with purpose.”
    -Ana Toni, COP30 CEO

    “This is the spirit of Mutirão — the collective effort that defines this COP, and that I hope will define the next five years of global climate action. Everyone here is part of it. Each one of you is part of it.”
    -Dan Ioschpe, COP30 Climate High-Level Champion


    - Family Farming at the Center of Climate Solutions
    ▪ Today saw the launch of TERRA, a Plan to Accelerate Solutions under the COP30 Action Agenda. It positions family farmers, Indigenous Peoples, and traditional and local communities as key actors in transforming food systems through agroecology (AE) and agroforestry (AF).
    ▪ The Plan addresses barriers and focuses on: strengthening cooperatives and producer associations, establishing regional training centers, multi-donor trust funds (e.g., IFAD ASAP+, FFF) to crowd in public and private capital, expanding access to native seeds, biofertilizers, biopesticides, and adapted machinery, and strengthening sustainable value chains and public procurement.
    ▪ PAS TERRA is a joint endeavour between the MDA, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the FAO/Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), the Agroecology Coalition, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (CGIAR), and the NOW Partners Foundation.

    - Aquatic Food Systems
    ▪ Global partners working through the United Nations Global Seaweed Initiative (UNGSI) and FAO’s Blue Transformation have launched two Plans to Accelerate Solutions (PAS) to advance aquatic food systems and algae aquaculture as climate-resilient, nature-positive, and inclusive solutions.
    ▪ The two plans set out priority actions such as integrating aquatic foods and algae into NDCs and NAPs; strengthening global data systems; establishing national genebanks; and unlocking finance for SMEs, communities, women, and youth.
    ▪ Besides contributing to food security, aquatic food systems provide inclusive jobs, especially for women and youth, thus essential to coastal livelihoods.

    - Expanding Global Leadership on Food Systems Transformation
    ▪ The Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF) announced three new members - Colombia, Vietnam and Italy - and reported on progress made by its founding countries two years on from launch.
    ▪ In the high-level session, governments showcased concrete progress and new initiatives since COP29 through the release of a series of comprehensive Progress Frameworks, thereby fulfilling the reporting requirement that members commit to upon joining.
    ▪ Showcasing an extra step towards global collaboration and promoting synergies, ACF has also launched a Plan to Accelerate Solutions together with ten other initiatives across the world, paving the way for coordinated acceleration. Partners: I-CAN, FST-A, FAST, WWF Food Forward Initiative, FABLE, CGIAR, SUN, Convergence Initiative, AGRA, Future Food Systems Initiative (International Food Policy Research Institute).

    - COP30 Gender Day
    ▪ Brazil launches a  protocol to promote women’s leadership in climate emergencies in partnership with UNDRR and UN Women, advancing justice and resilience in the face of the climate crisis.Brazil’s Guidelines for Disaster and Climate Emergency Management for Women and Girls introduced a gender-responsive framework for disaster prevention, response, and recovery. This illustrates the role of women not only as victims of climate change, but as active actors driving the solutions needed.
    ▪ Gender Day also hosted a special session “Women: voices that guide the future​” that gave the platform for women from the six Brazilian biomes to share how they are acting on making their communities resilient to climate change. Marina Silva, Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Brazil defined the journey of several meetings and workshops undertaken by Special Envoys Denise Dora, Janja Lula da Silva and Jurema Werneck across the country as a self-organized ethical stocktake.

    - Reducing Emission from Fertilizers
    ▪ The UK and Brazil, along with first-mover organisations, announced the Belém Declaration on Fertilisers coupled with a Plan to Accelerate Solutions. These efforts aim at driving reduction in GHG emissions from fertiliser production and optimizing nutrient use efficiency globally by 2035. This plan will drive global collaboration on standards, research and development, demand creation, finance and investment, and public/private partnerships.
    ▪ Some details on the actions:
    ● Standards: the Hydrogen Council and UNIDO will create the world’s first international standard for low-emission fertilisers.
    ● Demand-creation: a low-emissions ammonia fertiliser initiative to coordinate public-private investment in early-stage projects, and a global buyers alliance.
    ● Supply side: countries will receive tailored support to help accelerate investment in new low-carbon fertiliser plants.
    ● Farm-level strategy: such as digital tools — including AI systems that help farmers optimize nutrient application and improve soil health.
    ▪ Supporting organizations include CGIAR, FAO, the International Energy Agency, the International Fertilizer Association, UNIDO, the World Bank, World Resources Institute, and major industry and finance coalitions. Japan and Canada joined the UK and Brazil on the plan.

    “The World Bank has invested $77 billion in agricultural food systems in the past five years, and we actually intend to do more in the next five years, including localizing $9 billion a year just from our public balance sheet. And we're doing it because small family farmers in emerging markets and developing economies are overburdened and under-resourced. They're at the forefront of suffering from some of the very worst adverse impacts of climate change.”
    - Valerie Hickey, Global Director Climate Change, World Bank

    “Today, alongside Brazil, I am pleased to announce the UK-Brazil Belém Declaration on Fertilizers. This will improve food security, support farmers to be more resilient, and boost annual productivity while ensuring we can adapt when we need to.”
    - Mary Creagh CBE MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom
  • Global Mobilization

    - Mutirão in the Territories Highlights Community-Driven Climate Solutions
    ▪ The COP30 Presidency convened a session on “Mutirão in the Territories” to showcase how communities across urban peripheries, informal settlements, rural areas, and forests are developing their own climate responses, from local adaptation plans and nature-based solutions to agroecological practices and strengthened forest governance. Rooted in the Global Mutirão framework, the event emphasized that these territory-based initiatives are already delivering effective, people-centered climate action but remain under-recognized and under-resourced in national and global policy processes. Featuring voices from government, Indigenous and local communities, civil society, researchers, and development institutions, the discussion highlighted how connecting community-led work to just transition strategies is essential for scaling real, on-the-ground climate solutions.

    - Latin American Youth Call for a Renewed Multilateralism
    ▪ At the Pavilion of the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI), youth leaders and regional institutions gathered for a conversation on the role of Latin American youth in reshaping global climate governance. Organized by the International Youth Organization for Ibero-America (OIJ), OEI, the COP30 Youth Climate Champion team, and Brazil’s National Youth Secretariat, the session highlighted how young people across the region are advancing climate action through education, culture, community leadership, and diplomacy. In an open and participatory dialogue, speakers and youth participants discussed strengthening intergenerational trust, deepening youth engagement in multilateral processes, and connecting climate action to justice, equity, and ancestral knowledge. The discussion underscored youth leadership as essential to rebuilding confidence in global institutions and imagining a more inclusive, regenerative future for the region and the planet.

What to Expect on Day 11:

  • TBD: COP30 Stocktake

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UNFCCC/COP30 Daily Events Schedule:
● Latest COP30 official documents
● COP 30 - Overview Schedule
● Belém Climate Summit Documents
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● COP 30 - Main conference schedule
● Global Climate Action at COP 30 | UNFCCC
● Climate High-Level Champions Website
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● 2025 Action Agenda Granary of Solutions
● INSIDE COP podcast by Outrage+Optimism