A ministerial meeting on the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) partnership was held as part of the COP29 session hosted by Azerbaijan.

The meeting, which took place in cooperation with the COP29 Presidency, the Ministry of Agriculture and FAO, was moderated by Kaveh Zahedi, Director of the Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Speaking at the event, Minister of Agriculture Majnun Mammadov called the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) partnership an important platform that addresses the urgent need for effective climate action in agriculture by mobilizing finance to reach smallholder farmers and rural communities affected by climate change. The Minister added that through FAST, a holistic approach is being established to ensure that climate solutions in agricultural systems are both effective and inclusive. Noting that the Baku Harmony for Farmers initiative was announced within the framework of the COP29 session, the Minister noted that the main goal is to create a new way of cooperation between Harmony and existing initiatives, promoting alignment and concrete action to support those most vulnerable to climate impacts.

He said that the Harmony initiative is intended as an inclusive platform that invites all relevant climate initiatives to come together, share knowledge and strengthen support for farmers. “By creating a structured space for dialogue and collaboration, Harmony closely aligns with the objectives of FAST by contributing to new ways for regular exchange and rapprochement. “We envision Harmony as a key continuation of the FAST Partnership, a unifying initiative that makes climate finance more accessible and more effective in building resilience in agricultural communities.”

Speaking at the discussions, Adel Abdelazeem, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Egypt, Zak Bleicher, Advisor to the COP28 Food Systems Group, Mario Mottin, Head of the Climate Action Department of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Martial Bernoux, Senior Natural Resources Specialist of the FAO Department of Climate Change, Environment and Biodiversity, Claudia Müller, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture of Germany, and other speakers touched upon the importance of COP-to-COP cooperation to accelerate climate financing, the connection between the FAST and Harmony initiatives, the transformation of agricultural systems, the creation of a sustainable agricultural system in line with new challenges, increasing productivity while protecting the environment, and global cooperation in these areas.

At the end of the event, an exchange of views was held on the topic, and the questions of the participants were answered.