Date: October 9, 2025
Time: 10:00-12:00 Hanoi, Vietnam GMT+7
Co-organizers:
Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Background
The three Rio Conventions—the UNFCCC on climate change, the UNCBD on biodiversity, and the UNCCD on desertification—provide the global frameworks guiding policy action on climate, biodiversity, and land. In Asia, governments are currently updating their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), and National Action Plans (NAPs), which serve as critical entry points for influencing negotiation outcomes at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
Despite their central role in managing land, water, seeds, and biodiversity, smallholder farmers, fishers, pastoralists, herders, forest users, and Indigenous Peoples remain underrepresented in these processes. Ensuring their voices are heard is vital to building climate-resilient and sustainable food systems.
This session seeks to bridge that gap. It will provide an opportunity for farmer representatives to present their perspectives and messages on climate solutions, followed by a synthesis of current NDC commitments in agriculture across Asia. A multi-stakeholder panel will then reflect on these perspectives, highlighting areas of complementarity, opportunities for collaboration, and pathways for joint action. The session will conclude with concrete recommendations and follow-up actions in the lead-up to UNFCCC COP30.
Session Objectives
- Create a space for direct dialogue between farmers’ organizations and government negotiators.
- Identify complementarities between farmers’ priorities and government NDC commitments.
- Explore opportunities for partnership and collaboration on climate-resilient, sustainable agri-food systems.
- Consolidate key regional messages and follow-up actions to bring to COP30.
Expected Outcomes
- Shared understanding of priority farmer messages and their relevance to government NDC commitments.
- Identified areas of convergence and collaboration between farmers, negotiators, and partners.
- Concrete action points and follow-up mechanisms in preparation for COP30.
Program Design
Facilitator: Dada Bacudo, FAO
| Time | Session | Objectives / Content | Facilitator / Speakers |
| 5 min | Opening / Preliminaries | Welcome remarks and objectives of the session | Dada Bacudo, FAO RAPEsther Penunia, AFA |
| 10 min | Framing the Negotiation Landscape | Keynote presentation:Synthesis of NDC agriculture-related commitments in Asia | Dada Bacudo, FAO RAP |
| 10 min | Farmers’ Priority Messages | Presentation of Asian farmers’ perspectives and COP30 priority calls for sustainable agri-food systems | Esther Penunia, AFA Representative |
| 20 min | Panel: Bridging Commitments and Realities | Reflections on farmers’ messages and NDC commitments.Guiding Questions:• Where do farmers’ priorities and government commitments converge? • What “quick wins” can negotiators and farmers agree to bring to COP30? • How can we jointly amplify agreed messages in Belém and beyond? • What follow-up actions can strengthen collaboration for partnerships and implementation? | Panelists: Farmer Representatives:Altantuya Tseden-Ish (NAMAC, Mongolia)Megha Desai (SEWA, India) Government Negotiators (2): TBD Research Organization (1): TBD |
| 10 min | Open Forum | Open exchange among participants to further enrich the discussion | Dada Bacudo (Moderator) |
| 5 min | Closing and Next Steps | Synthesis of key messages and action points; outline of next steps toward COP30 | AFA / FAO |
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