“A healthy, well-fed population is fundamental to creating a more resilient future:” Razan Al Mubarak for WEF

World Economic Forum

In an op-ed for the World Economic Forum, Razan Al Mubarak discussed the reality of the current climate crisis and its connection to the food crisis, as well as four strategies to address this challenge. 

Ms. Al Mubarak described the unequal conditions that the current food system has created:

“This broken food system is creating a world in which some 2,750 excess calories are produced per person per day, yet 700 million people face hunger and nearly one in three cannot afford a healthy diet. We cannot tackle climate change without transforming the way we produce and consume food.”

She also shared four solutions – scaling regenerative production; switching to a healthier diet; restoring nature; and reducing food waste – and urged national and local governments, businesses, investors, philanthropists, and civil society to join efforts. 

Ms. Al Mubarak said:

“By acting on these four solutions, we will begin to turn the food system from a driver of climate change into an accelerator of climate action. A healthy, well-fed population is fundamental to creating a healthier, more resilient future for all.”

Read the full op-ed by Razan Al Mubarak on the World Economic Forum.

Razan Al Mubarak and Mahmoud Mohieldin address the current climate crisis in a joint op-ed for SustainableViews

SustainableViews

Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28, and Mahmoud Mohieldin - UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP27 in Egypt - recently co-wrote an op-ed for SustainableViews discussing the collective shift necessary to achieve greater climate stability, security, and equality.

The High-Level Champions address the Paris Agreement’s 1.5˚C target, acknowledging how far behind we are from achieving that goal and the many consequences we are facing today because of it:

“It is easy to focus on how climate action is failing to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C. While developing countries struggle to access finance, technology and capacity-building, climate change impacts are intensifying – record-shattering heat in 2023, deadly storms in Central America, east Asia and China, a year-long drought in Africa, and more.

Staying within 1.5˚C requires us to halve emissions, build adaptation and resilience and end nature loss by 2030, and reach net zero emissions by 2050.”

Ms. Al Mubarak addressed the importance of inclusion in effective climate action:

“Overall, the process must give a voice to people on the frontlines of climate change, including the indigenous peoples who protect 80 percent of biodiversity, the farmers who produce the food on our tables, and the women who are responsible for feeding their families.”

Specifically, this challenge requires a focus on three transformative solutions, in line with the UAE presidency’s stated vision: mobilizing accessible, affordable finance at scale; fast-tracking a just, equitable transition to clean energy; and putting nature, people, and livelihoods at the heart of climate action and sustainable development. 

The co-authors also highlight the importance of acting as a united front to face the current climate crisis:

“The sooner we seize on climate action as a global unifier, the faster we will secure greater stability, security and equality for all.”

Read the full op-ed by Razan Al Mubarak and Mahmoud Mohieldin in SustainableViews.

Razan Al Mubarak highlights the need for gender equality at the Global Conference on Gender and Environmental Data

COP28

During the Global Conference on Gender and Environmental Data held on November 28 in Abu Dhabi, Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28, highlighted the need for gender equality and wider support for female leadership in climate action.

The two day-conference, which preceded COP28 in the UAE, was organized by the Offices of the President of COP 28 and the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, alongside the UNFCCC, UN Women, IUCN, and the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO).

In a compelling call for action, Ms. Al Mubarak emphasized the critical need for gender equality and more support for female leadership in climate action as she inaugurated the conference, and spoke on the importance of inclusion and hearing all voices:

“As we get ready to kick-off COP28, I am emphasizing the symbiotic relationship between climate and nature, the importance of inclusivity, and especially, the empowerment of women and girls in climate action. It is encouraging that 79% of Parties have now included references to gender in their Nationally Determined Contributions, or national climate action plans. But we know that there is a significant data gap on gender and the environment. We must change that, to ensure effective planning and policymaking. As we transition towards a climate-friendly, sustainable and just future we need to be guided not by assumptions but evidence.”

Ms. Al Mubarak, who is also President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), recognized that there is a scarcity of gender-disaggregated data, which is necessary to gauge how policies are affecting women and girls:

“Data is only available for two out of ten gender-environment related SDG indicators. Gender data is also scarce for other environment topics such as climate change, disasters and conservation. Without data, we can never have truly gender-responsive finance and therefore, we can never truly have a gender-just transition.”

Learn more about Mrs. Al Mubarak’s role at the Global Conference on Gender and Environmental Data here.

IUCN President Razan Al Mubarak leads 75th Anniversary Commemoration and 110th Council Meeting

IUCN

Today, on the 75th Anniversary of the founding of IUCN, Razan Al Mubarak commemorated the organization and led its 110th Council Meeting in the Chateau of Fontainebleau, France, where the International Union for the Conservation of Nature was formally established.

In a heartfelt retrospective of the organization’s journey,  Ms. Al Mubarak highlighted its growth throughout the years and emphasized the relevance of a common conviction:

“IUCN is a global union of an incredibly diverse worldwide membership including 1,400 entities from governments, subnational governments, Indigenous peoples’ groups, and civil society, and 15,000 experts from diverse disciplines. All united to defend a conviction that the world is better, more liveable, more wondrous, healthier, and more resilient when nature and humankind thrive together.”

Ms. Al Mubarak, who is gearing up to represent the COP28 presidency at the end of November, also spoke on the importance of an inclusive approach to conservation:

“The targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement must be met with a groundswell of bold action from governments, civil society, indigenous peoples’ organizations, women and youth.”

During the 110th meeting of the IUCN Council, which focused on furthering the development of a 20-year strategic vision for the IUCN, Ms. Al Mubarak stated:

“While the urgency to address environmental challenges has never been greater, we are buoyed by a wave of positive developments. The emergence of global and regional environmental agreements, responsible business practices, financial incentives for nature, and advanced monitoring technologies are beacons of hope, guiding us towards a more sustainable and prosperous future.”

Watch Ms. Al Mubarak’s full speech at the 75th Anniversary Commemoration of IUCN here.