This year, the World Federation for Animals (WFA) will be at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan! We’ll be joining global climate talks to show why protecting animals is important for fighting climate change. Together with our members and partners, we’ll be holding events, hosting a booth, and launching a new tool that helps leaders make climate policies that protect animals and nature.
Here’s what we’ll be doing at COP29:
Events hosted by the Federation and its members
1. Invest in soil health: Fostering the future of climate change mitigation and adaptation
🗓️ 14 November, 15:00—16:30 📍Side Event Room 4
Co-hosted by our member FOUR PAWS, together with CIRAD, NCCSD, SPA, ALIN, and Escolhas, this event will delve into soil health regenerative practices and the critical role of finance in fostering a just transition. Soil health is foundational to sustainable agriculture, yet scaling regenerative practices remains a challenge. This session will explore data-driven agricultural transitions and investment opportunities that benefit soil health, paving the way for climate adaptation and mitigation. Livestreaming of this official side event will be available on the COP 29 virtual platform to all registered conference participants.
2. Protecting animals: Essential to combating the climate and biodiversity crises
🗓️ 15 November, 12:15—13:00 📍SDG Pavilion 🎥 Watch
World Animal Protection will unveil its new briefing paper, Towards Equitable, Humane and Sustainable Food Systems, which underscores the crucial role of animal protection in tackling the interconnected climate and biodiversity crises. This vision for food systems places animals and nature at the centre, advocating practices that enhance resilience and ensure food security sustainably.
3. Climate and animal agriculture: The soil health, nature-positive farming and consumption nexus.
🗓️ 16 November, 11:30—12:30 📍Action on Food Pavilion
Explore how reducing animal-sourced food consumption in high-demand regions can cut emissions and promote nature-positive farming. This event will address aligning agricultural productivity with climate goals, emphasising soil health and traditional, sustainable practices to reduce chemical inputs and boost climate resilience. Organised by Compassion in World Farming and FOUR PAWS.
4. Creating a vision for food system transformation: How do we get there?
🗓️ 16 November, 17:00—18:30 📍Action on Food Pavilion
This event will discuss the pathways for achieving a food system that is both fair and sustainable. Opening with insights from a food system expert, attendees will explore case studies and examine what an equitable and just transformation of food systems could look like. This roundtable is organised by Compassion in World Farming, World Animal Protection, FOUR PAWS, Mercy for Animals, Proveg and Changing Markets.
5. From field to plate: Aligning food systems with climate and biodiversity goals
🗓️ 18 November, 18:30—20:00 📍Side Event Room 6
Our members Compassion in World Farming, Brighter Green, and World Animal Protection, together with ProVeg will hold a discussion on aligning food systems with climate and biodiversity objectives. This event will address practical strategies to reconfigure our food systems to better align with climate goals, focusing on the journey from production to consumption. Livestreaming of this official side event will be available on the COP 29 virtual platform to all registered conference participants.
6. Wildlife protection and food systems transformation: Boosting NDCs for a greener future
🗓️ 20 November, 16:45—18:15 📍Side Event Room 2
WFA, alongside its members Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Eurogroup for Animals, Aquatic Life Institute, and Mercy for Animals, will host this event to showcase policy actions that integrate biodiversity and food systems into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This session will highlight actionable steps for governments to align food systems transformation with biodiversity and climate objectives. Livestreaming of this official side event will be available on the COP 29 virtual platform to all registered conference participants and the recording will be uploaded to the UN Climate Change – Events Channel by 15 December 2024 at the latest.
7. Harvesting change: Sustainable food systems for climate and biodiversity solutions
🗓️21 November, 09:00—10:30 📍FAO Pavillion 🎥 Watch
This event will explore how integrating terrestrial and aquatic food systems into NDCs and NBSAPs can aid climate and biodiversity goals. It will showcase diverse approaches to mitigate industrial food systems’ environmental impact while promoting food security and reducing poverty. Organised by WFA together with ProVeg International, Good Food Institute, WWF, and WorldFish.
WFA Exhibit Booth
🗓️ 11–16 November 📍Exhibit Booth 5
Join us at our booth in the exhibit area to discover how animal welfare contributes to climate resilience. Our exhibit will showcase how protecting wild animals and transforming food systems are essential components of climate mitigation strategies.
Press Conference – Launch of the Animals for Climate Action Tool
🗓️ 19 November, 15:30–16:00 (AZT/UTC+4) 📍Press Conference – Natavan 🎥 Watch
WFA is excited to officially launch the Animals for Climate Action Tool. This tool provides policymakers with practical guidance on how to integrate animal welfare into climate strategies, with a focus on leveraging animals’ roles in climate resilience. The press conference will feature speakers Ed Goodall (Whale and Dolphin Conservation), Clara Schubert (FOUR PAWS), Angel Flores (World Animal Protection), Sebastian Osborn (Mercy for Animals), and Silvia Mantilla (World Federation for Animals), each sharing insights on how the tool can enhance NDCs for a climate-positive future.
Join us in driving change at COP29
At COP29, WFA is proud to stand alongside our members and partners, advocating for animal welfare as a powerful solution to the climate crisis. Whether at our events, our exhibit booth, or through the launch of our Animals for Climate Action Tool, we’re committed to making sure animals have a voice in global climate discussions. Join us as we drive forward solutions that benefit animals, people, and the planet.
