My name is Catherine from World Animal Protection. I am speaking on behalf of the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice, one of the ENGOs.

We congratulate the room on the conduct of the first workshop. We were pleased to hear agroecology and just transition mentioned in several party presentations, and we left the day full of hope. 

As the only formal space within the UNFCCC that is mandated to guide global climate action on food and agriculture, it is your responsibility to address the ongoing climate crisis in the sector. That said, we are noting our deep disappointment that this Joint Work is in the state that it is.

However, we are still meaningfully engaging with the matter at hand. We appreciate the annexes proposed for the next workshop on means of implementation, which covers substantive issues, including clarifying the state of financing of climate action in agriculture and what vulnerable groups need in order to access these funds. We also appreciate its inclusion in para 7 of the text.

Seeing the dire state of this Joint Work – unable to agree on a text, unsure whether the synthesis report can be completed, the portal improved, or if the next workshop can be held – we are once again confronted by your complete disregard for the suffering of millions of people as we speak. Let’s bring back substantive discussions on agriculture in this agriculture negotiation room – and not be bogged down by procedural issues. As movements representing frontline communities experiencing the brunt of the food and climate crises, we urge you to ring all the alarms to ensure that this JW completes what it has been mandated to do – the implementation of climate action for a food-secured world where small producers and vulnerable communities thrive.