This report provides a unique, sector-specific synthesis of the agriculture, water and land use sectors in the nationally determined contributions from Near East and North Africa. It summarizes the substantial contributions already put forward by countries, opportunities for further action and the gaps, barriers and needs that will need to be addressed if the region is to raise mitigation and adaptation ambitions. The findings of this report will help member countries to reflect on their progress in advancing toward nationally determined contributions priorities for agriculture, water and land use, and associated national climate goals including related targets under the Sustainable Development Goals. The analysis also helps to make clear the links between the nationally determined contributions from the region and the ongoing work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in support of the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA). Finally, the report serves as a guide to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, as well as other international actors, of the support that will be required to help countries in the region move forward to implement agriculture, water and land use priorities in their NDCs and ensure that future commitments from the sector are quantifiable, verifiable and sufficiently ambitious.

This report provides a unique, sector-specific synthesis of the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) submitted by countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It summarizes the substantial contributions already put forward by countries, opportunities for further action, and the gaps, barriers, and needs that will need to be addressed if the agriculture and land-use sectors in sub-Saharan Africa are to raise mitigation and adaptation ambitions. The findings of this report will help FAO Members to reflect on their progress in advancing toward NDC implementation of their agriculture and land-use priorities, as well as illustrate potential areas for enhancing mitigation and adaptation ambition in future NDCs. The analysis also helps to clarify the links between the NDCs from the region and the 2030 Agenda and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR). Finally, the report serves as a guide to FAO, and other organizations in the region, to design targeted, evidenced-based support programmes that support Member Countries to fill current implementation gaps and scale up climate action in the agriculture and land-use sectors.

This open access book not only describes the challenges of climate disruption, but also presents solutions. The challenges described include air pollution, climate change, extreme weather, and related health impacts that range from heat stress, vector-borne diseases, food and water insecurity and chronic diseases to malnutrition and mental well-being. The influence of humans on climate change has been established through extensive published evidence and reports. However, the connections between climate change, the health of the planet and the impact on human health have not received the same level of attention. Therefore, the global focus on the public health impacts of climate change is a relatively recent area of interest. This focus is timely since scientists have concluded that changes in climate have led to new weather extremes such as floods, storms, heat waves, droughts and fires, in turn leading to more than 600,000 deaths and the displacement of nearly 4 billion people in the last 20 years. Previous work on the health impacts of climate change was limited mostly to epidemiologic approaches and outcomes and focused less on multidisciplinary, multi-faceted collaborations between physical scientists, public health researchers and policy makers. Further, there was little attention paid to faith-based and ethical approaches to the problem. The solutions and actions we explore in this book engage diverse sectors of civil society, faith leadership, and political leadership, all oriented by ethics, advocacy, and policy with a special focus on poor and vulnerable populations. The book highlights areas we think will resonate broadly with the public, faith leaders, researchers and students across disciplines including the humanities, and policy makers.

This catalogue aims to improve the dissemination and outreach of FAO’s knowledge products and overall publishing programme. By providing information on its key publications in every area of FAO’s work, and catering to a range of audiences, it thereby contributes to all organizational outcomes. From statistical analysis to specialized manuals to children’s books, FAO publications cater to a diverse range of audiences. This catalogue presents a selection of FAO’s main publications, produced in 2023 or earlier, ranging from its global reports and general interest publications to numerous specialized titles. In addition to the major themes of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it also includes thematic sections on climate change, economic and social development, and food safety and nutrition.

189 countries have submitted their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) and/or their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the UNFCCC. With the Paris Agreement having entered into force in November 2016, the INDCs/ NDCs will guide country-level climate action for the coming years. They include not only targets, but also concrete strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. FAO has analyzed the INDCs/ NDCs to assess the role of agriculture and land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) and the agriculture sectors (crops, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, as well as forestry) in meeting national mitigation contributions and adaptation objectives, respectively. The results show that in all regions, these sectors will play a pivotal role in accomplishing the intended contributions and objectives for addressing the causes of and increasing resilience to climate change by 2030 and beyond. This INDCs analysis report provides an overview on how the agriculture sectors have been included in the INDCs/ NDCs. It outlines mitigation contributions with a particular focus on agriculture and LULUCF, vulnerabilities under climate change and priority areas and/or activities for adaptation in the agriculture sectors. Furthermore, this report summarizes information provided in the INDCs/ NDCs on Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA), mitigation-adaptation co-benefits and how countries have developed their INDCs and are planning to implement their NDCs. The aim of this analysis is to provide a basis for identifying priorities for international support for climate action in the agriculture sectors.

Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press, 1998.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is an economically diverse region. Despite undertaking economic reforms in many countries, and having considerable success in avoiding crises and achieving macroeconomic stability, the region’s economic performance in the past 30 years has been below potential. This paper takes stock of the region’s relatively weak performance, explores the reasons for this out come, and proposes an agenda for urgent reforms.