Workshop: Strengthening synergetic action between food systems transformation and climate action agendas in Kazakhstan

The Convergence Initiative aims to support national efforts to advance the alignment between the “food systems transformation” and “climate action” agendas to enable governments and relevant actors at the national level to strengthen synergetic action that will simultaneously support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement.

To operationalize and ground the Convergence Initiative in different country contexts and realities, the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub supports pilots in selected countries across the globe. Kazakhstan will be the first pilot country in Europe and Central Asia, providing an opportunity to capitalize on the important strides and progress made on the food systems and climate action agendas. The pilot will be implemented in close collaboration with the Ministry of  Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Convenor, and the UN Issue-Based Coalition on Sustainable Food Systems (IBC-SFS). 

At the regional level, Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, faces significant challenges in transforming food systems sustainably, particularly due to climate change, water scarcity, and land degradation. In Kazakhstan, where agriculture plays a crucial role, efforts to boost productivity must also address environmental impacts.

The upcoming workshop is the first step and an important milestone of the pilot in Kazakhstan, to review national needs, discuss priorities, and agree on means to enhance synergetic action and policy coherence for food systems transformation and climate action. Following the national inception workshop, subsequent dialogues and actions will be organized at the country level as per the work plan to be outlined in the inception workshop, and with the ultimate objective to develop a plan for convergence which can be used to inform the implementation of the Food Systems National Pathway, nationally determined contributions, and national adaptations plans.