During the 29th U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, food and agriculture systems stakeholders gathered for a special dinner series presented by Food Tank and the Future Economy Forum in collaboration with Unilever, IICA, NOW Partners Foundation, Sekem and Imaflora to engage in open dialogue on climate action.
The five-part series took place in cultural sites throughout Baku including the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, Shakh Garden, and the Mugham Club. Across these events, more than 1,200 food producers, members of the funding and donor community, civil society and business leaders, policymakers and agricultural ministers, and journalists came together for honest conversation about opportunities that must be leveraged to nourish eaters and heal the planet.
Discussions focused on scaling regenerative agricultural innovations, with keynote remarks provided by prominent figures including Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture for Belize; Roland Royer, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy for Dominica; H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, AGRA Board Chair and former Prime Minister of Ethiopia; Rania Dagash-Kamara of the U.N. World Food Programme; Richard Zaltzman of EIT Food; Dr. Susan Chomba of the World Resources Institute; Hunter Lovins of Natural Capitalism Solutions; Vincent Martin of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, Lloyd Day of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture; and Thomas Lingard of Unilever.
The extensive discussions that took place each night laid the groundwork for COP30, which will be held in Belem, Brazil in November, 2025. Speakers highlighted the momentum that has been demonstrated by the food movement at COP29, and underscored that this must be harnessed in the next year to accelerate climate action and ensure that decision makers understand that food and agriculture systems are central to this work.
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