Each week, Food Tank is rounding up a few news stories that inspire excitement, infuriation, or curiosity.
Loss and Damage Fund to Open Call for Proposals at COP30
The Board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) will launch its first call for project proposals to provide financial support to vulnerable countries hardest hit by climate impact during COP30 in Belém, Brazil. The call follows the Board’s seventh meeting, where members adopted interim operational procedures to govern funding decisions until permanent rules are finalized.
First agreed upon at COP27 and formally operationalized at COP28, the FRLD aims to support vulnerable communities facing irreversible harm caused by the climate crisis, including sea level rise, extreme weather, and prolonged droughts. In doing so, the FRLD integrates response to loss and damage as a core pillar of climate action, alongside mitigation and adaptation.
According to the Board, US$250 million is currently available for this initial round of funding and Co-Chair Richard Sherman says the Board intends to adopt the first proposals within six months.
Board member Elizabeth Thompson of Barbados is optimistic that the fund will be a real source of support, but points to the growing pressure to match the Fund’s ambitions with available resources. “[T]he need and scale of the crisis far outstrip the monies in the fund to date,” says Thompson.
Governments have pledged approximately US$768 million to the FRLD but around US$400 million has actually been deposited. Once the US$250 million from this funding round is spent, the FRLD will have approximately US$150 million. The FRLD’s estimated funding needs for the year 2025 is around US$395 billion.
Longer-term replenishment planning is expected in 2027, but discussions on how to raise future funds remain unresolved. These debates will continue at the Board’s 10th meeting in October 2026.
Meanwhile, a recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion affirmed that international law requires states to prevent “transboundary environmental harm,” act with precaution, and take due diligence measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change. The ICJ confirmed that states violating their international obligations can face a full range of legal consequences.
African Union Commits $100 Million to Transform Agri-Food Systems
The African Union (AU) has adopted a ten-year strategy and action plan to transform Africa’s agri-food systems and improve food security. As part of this effort, the AU has pledged to mobilize US$100 million in public and private sector investment by 2035.
One in five persons in Africa is faced with hunger, according to The National Focal Person for the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), Onijighogia Emmanuel. And African continent’s population is projected to reach 2.5 billion people by 2050.
The strategy, referred to as the Kampala Declaration, aims to reduce post-harvest losses by 50 percent, triple intra-Africa trade in agrifood products and inputs, and raise the share of locally processed foods to 35 percent of the sector’s GDP by 2035.
The strategy identifies ten key levers of change, including scaling up agroecological practices, strengthening land governance, building resilience to climate change, and increasing intra-Africa trade in agricultural products. It also emphasizes reforms to public procurement systems to benefit small-scale producers, along with expanded support for women and youth in agriculture.
AU leaders stress that successful implementation will require political commitment, national coordination, and inclusive governance. “This strategy cannot succeed unless we break down silos,” says H.E. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment.
Internal Turmoil at the CDC as Layoffs and Reinstatements Unfold
Hundreds of employees at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were recently terminated as part of the Trump Administration’s broader effort to downsize the federal workforce during the ongoing government shutdown. The rollout quickly descended into confusion and prompted legal intervention.
Originally, more than 1,300 CDC staff received notices that their jobs had been eliminated. Many of those affected—already furloughed by the shutdown—learned of their dismissal only after Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought announced on social media that “the RIFs have begun,” referring to reductions in force (RIFs).
The next day, roughly 800 employees received emails revoking their termination notices due to “data discrepancies and processing errors,” according to Health and Human Services (HHS) Deputy Assistant Secretary Thomas Nagy Jr. in a court filing. HHS acknowledged that nearly half of the 1,760 RIF notices were issued in error but indicated it still planned to proceed with 982 layoffs.
The cuts hit core CDC functions, affecting staff in statistics, chronic disease programs, and units that brief Congress, drawing condemnation and concern from union leaders and public health experts. Yolanda Jacobs, a health communications specialist at CDC and president of AFGE Local 2883, called the firings callous and illegal and argued they threatened public health and workers’ livelihoods. “With the staff cuts we’ve had, with the budget cuts that are proposed, as well as the lack of stable leadership at CDC, the nation is in trouble,” former CDC Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry says.
In 2025, the CDC has lost an estimated 3,000 employees, about a quarter of its workforce, increasing strain on its capacity to monitor public health threats.
Shortly after the layoffs and reinstatements, a federal judge’s order blocked Trump administration officials from “taking any action” to issue RIF notices to employees in any federal program or activity that includes workers represented by the American Federation of Government Employees, the country’s largest federal employees’ union. According to U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, the administration isn’t following legal requirements for conducting RIFs, officials have exceeded their authorities, and the layoffs appear to be unlawfully targeted at Democrats.
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Photo courtesy of Taylor Flowe, Unsplash
