Turning climate ambition into action: agriculture at the heart of change

Agriculture in Europe and Central Asia is increasingly vulnerable to climate change, which impacts food production, rural livelihoods and ecosystems. Yet, the agricultural sector also offers powerful opportunities for advancing low-emission and climate-resilient development.

To strengthen collective action and regional cooperation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) convened the Fourth Regional Climate Workshop on Enhancing Climate Action in Agriculture in Europe and Central Asia on 23–24 October 2025 in Istanbul, Türkiye. The event took place in parallel with Istanbul Forest Innovation Week and the Forty-third Session of the FAO European Forestry Commission, fostering intersectoral collaboration across agriculture, forestry and climate agendas.

Building on the outcomes of previous Conferences of the Parties (COPs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – including the decisions on the establishment of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, the Santiago Network and the COP28 United Arab Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, and looking ahead to COP30 in Brazil – the workshop brought together national UNFCCC focal points, relevant government agencies and international experts from across the region.

Opening the event, Ibrahim Yüzer, Deputy Director General of the General Directorate of Forestry of Türkiye, and Nabil Gangi, the FAO Deputy Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia and FAO Representative in Türkiye ad interim, emphasized the urgent need for joint regional action to reduce emissions, strengthen resilience and promote sustainable agrifood systems.

Advancing national climate commitments

Over two days, participants from FAO programme countries – including Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Republic of Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – explored ways to integrate agriculture, forestry and land use into climate action frameworks. Countries also discussed advancing the implementation of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and identified regional priorities in preparation for COP30.

The workshop presented an overview of the updated NDC policy analysis for Europe and Central Asia, which revealed that although an increasing number of countries have set economy-wide emission reduction targets, many continue to face challenges in quantifying emissions reductions in the agricultural sector due to institutional, financial and technical difficulties. During the subsequent country panel facilitated by the NDC Partnership, representatives from programme countries had the opportunity to share their experiences in addressing these challenges in terms of the planning and implementation of the NDCs due in 2025, also known as NDCs 3.0.

Addressing loss and damage in agrifood systems

Discussions also focused on loss and damage in agrifood systems, identifying data gaps, and aligning indicators across national adaptation and mitigation strategies. A half-day session on this topic started with a presentation by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction on progress in monitoring damage and loss under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and its alignment with the disaster impact monitoring and climate change statistics under the UNFCCC processes, including the targets of the global goal on adaptation. This was followed by a presentation from the FAO Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment on FAO’s work on loss and damage, including through the Santiago Network and the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. During this session, findings were presented from desk research analysis regarding the inclusion of agriculture-related loss and damage in Biennial Transparency Reports and NDCs in the countries of Europe and Central Asia.

The first day of the workshop ended with a panel discussion, with representatives from the Republic of Moldova, Serbia and Uzbekistan sharing their experiences on the collection and reporting of loss and damage data. This was followed by group work focused on exploring countries’ needs and opportunities for embedding loss and damage in agrifood systems into Biannual Transparency Reports and NDCs. These activities aimed at facilitating peer learning and the exchange of experiences and perspectives among participants.

Shared challenges and opportunities

The group discussion highlighted common challenges expressed by participants, particularly the lack of (reliable) data, limited financial resources, weak interagency coordination and insufficient legislative and methodological frameworks for assessing and addressing loss and damage in agrifood systems. Participants emphasized various needs to strengthen capacity building, data collection, storage and sharing protocols and systems, early warning systems, collaboration and coordination linkages between national and local governments, and methodologies for the economic valuation of losses. Among the potential entry points mentioned were the integration of loss and damage components with adaptation in NDCs. Also discussed was access to finance mechanisms, such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and the Santiago Network, to enhance countries’ loss and damage collection and reporting capacities and priorities.

Exploring carbon markets and mountain ecosystems

On the second day, participants discussed carbon market mechanisms and other cooperative and non-market approaches under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. A Kazakhstan-based startup presented its forest carbon offset initiatives, which aim to generate carbon removal credits that could create additional income opportunities and help businesses offset their emissions.

This year’s workshop was co-organized with the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, hosted by FAO, highlighting the importance of mountain ecosystems and drylands for climate adaptation and food security. The main pillars of the partnership are based on advocacy, capacity development, communication and knowledge sharing, and joint action. During the group work, priorities for mountain countries were identified. Examples from Georgia, Tajikistan and Serbia include developing national adaptation plans, strengthening NDCs, improving data collection and monitoring, reversing the depopulation of mountain areas, ensuring water security, preserving glaciers and improving livelihoods through education.

The workshop participants identified regional priorities and opportunities for joint action, reinforcing the region’s shared commitment to a sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural future and setting the stage for stronger regional engagement at COP30, set for 10–21 November 2025 in Brazil.