G20: Ministerial Declaration highlights sustainability and tackling climate change

The ministerial meeting of the G13 Agriculture Working Group, which concluded today (9/20), was the last stage of the group's debates and presented the Ministerial Declaration listing, among the four themes chosen for this year's discussion, the sustainability of agriculture and resilient and inclusive production systems to address climate change as the main points.

The ministerial meeting lasted two days and was held in the municipality of Chapada dos Guimarães, in Mato Grosso, shortly after the round of technical meetings held at the same location. The meetings were attended by 43 delegations from G20 member countries, guests and international organizations, registering the largest number of ministers since the creation of the Agriculture Working Group in 2011.

In total, 23 ministers and ministerial authorities, in addition to representatives from almost 50 countries, reached a consensus after five years to draft the Ministerial Declaration. In 38 topics, divided into four thematic axes, the ministers agreed to implement public policies aimed at sustainable production in order to guarantee the planet's food and nutritional security and, at the same time, combat the adverse effects of climate change.

The priorities worked on by the Agriculture WG under the pro tempore presidency of Brazil were: Sustainability in agri-food systems in their multiple aspects; expanding the contribution of international trade to food and nutritional security; elevating the essential role of family farming, peasants, indigenous peoples and traditional communities in sustainable, resilient and inclusive agriculture and food systems; and promoting the integration of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture into local and global value chains.

To arrive at the final document, the points were discussed throughout the year. The first meeting of the Agriculture WG was held in February, a new round took place in April, and then in May and June with specific debates on family farming, fishing and aquaculture, scientific aspects and agricultural research.

In Brazil, the Agriculture WG was coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture (Mapa), with participation from the Ministries of Agrarian Development and Family Farming (MDA) and Fisheries and Aquaculture (MPA), in addition to the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa).

Unlike the letter presented by the Working Group over the past five years, the Ministerial Declaration represents a commitment by the signatory countries to implement the public policies established in the document and serves to guide the adoption of measures by each nation.

The document also included contributions from groups parallel to the G20, linked to the private sector, the scientific community, among others. Among these points, the Declaration highlights the need for financing and collaboration models to support rural producers in the transition to an inclusive global food system with increased productivity, strengthening multilateral cooperation in the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty – established during the Brazilian presidency of the G20 –, fisheries and aquaculture products in contributing to healthy and nutritious food, and engaging communities in the transition to ensure a fair and sustainable energy future.

The Declaration also focuses on the parameters to be discussed within the framework of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty to be discussed at the G20 leaders' summit in November.