The United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP14) will take place from 1 to 12 December 2008 in Poznań, Poland.

This event is a crucial midway point between the 2007 meeting in Bali and the Copenhagen conference that will take place in 2009. The Bali Road Map was launched to strengthen action on climate change and to achieve a new post-Kyoto climate change regime in Copenhagen.

The United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, (CEB) under the leadership of the UN Secretary-General, is building on its strengths to achieve a coherent and pro active approach to this complex challenge. 

Perceptible trends and projections indicate that the impact of climate change is increasingly and disproportionately severe on the poorest countries. These countries lack the institutional and financial capacity to withstand the impact of climate change.

Climate change is expected to put an estimated 49 million more people at risk of hunger by 2020. It poses a serious threat to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially during a period of global economic recession, when resources needed to cope with climate change may be reassigned. 

Agriculture and deforestation account for 30 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. These two sectors can therefore contribute to reducing emissions if agricultural practices are changed.

For the past thirty years IFAD has been working with poor rural people to help them adapt to climate variability and strengthen resilience to environmental stress.

As part of the United Nations system, IFAD advises on how to mainstream climate change into development decision-making, including for the achievement of the MDGs.

"Dealing with the inevitable impact of climate change is now high on the development agenda. By listening to the voices of poor rural people while planning adaptation and mitigation efforts, we can reduce the risks of climate change while accelerating progress towards food security a world without poverty."  Lennart Båge, President of IFAD

IFAD will take part in the Conference and has organized, jointly with other UN agencies, three side events on the issues of adaptation, mitigation in agriculture and rural areas, and food security.

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Mitigation in agriculture and rural areas
In collaboration with FAO and WFP
Wednesday, 3 December 2008 13:00 - 15:00 hrs
Fox room  
IFAD contact: at.rahman@ifad.org; s.mwanundu@ifad.org

Adaptation experiences across sectors and scales
In collaboration with UNDP, FAO and a number of other agencies
Thursday, 4 December 2008 19:30 - 25:00 hrs
Aesculapian snake room  
IFAD contact: at.rahman@ifad.org; j.quintana@ifad.org

Climate change and the risk of hunger: is the global food crisis a wake-up call for adaptation?
In collaboration with WFP and FAO
Wednesday, 10 December 2008 13:00 - 15:00 hrs
Aesculapian snake room 
IFAD contact: at.rahman@ifad.org; s.donato@ifad.org