Climate change is a reality that is already among us. Droughts, floods, and other extreme events are being recorded with increasing frequency and intensity. 

Agriculture is a very important part of the solution to this global challenge, both from the perspective of adaptation and mitigation (reduction of greenhouse gas emissions or increase in their absorption). 

The importance of the sector for food and nutritional security, and its leading role in the sustainable development of countries, has led different actors to express a greater interest in deepening the issue of agriculture in climate change negotiations.

Given this situation, IICA arrives at COP 29 with the conviction that the sector can never again be absent from the main area where decisions are made about the way forward to address the crisis, at a juncture when the food issue is at the top of the global agenda.

"We are going to Azerbaijan with a voice of hope and encouragement, because this is the time for the agriculture of the Americas.We believe in the strength of our farmers, in our businessmen, in our entrepreneurs, and in the Ministers of Agriculture of the continent, who are going to meet at COP 29,” highlights Manuel Otero, General Director of IICA. 

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the supreme political body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which has 197 States Parties. It is considered the largest global forum for negotiating climate policies.

Its summit meeting is held once a year, and global conferences are held in which technical experts, ministers, heads of State, and representatives of non-governmental organizations participate. Decisions are taken there to achieve the objectives of combating climate change, and they can only be taken by unanimity of the Parties.

The first meeting of the COP was held in Berlin, Germany, in March 1995. This year, the twenty-ninth edition will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22, 2024.

Just as the COP presidency rotates between the five recognized regions of the United Nations Organization (UN), such as Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe, Western Europe and others, the COP headquarters changes between these regional groups.

The last presidency that LAC has had was the COP25, in charge of Chile, although the meeting was held in Spain. Peru, Mexico, Canada, and Argentina are the other countries in the region that have hosted it.

This year, the COP is being held in a context of global temperatures reaching record levels, extreme weather events affecting people around the world, geopolitical conflicts, concern about energy security and global instability. 

A key issue of 2024 will be financing, given that trillions of dollars are needed for countries to achieve a significant reduction in their greenhouse gas emissions and to protect lives and livelihoods from the effects of climate change.