ILRI at COP31

ILRI at COP31

COP31 is the 31st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It is the world's largest annual international climate summit where governments, business leaders, scientists, and civil society meet to negotiate global climate action. 

ILRI is taking part in COP31 because the people climate change hits hardest include the world’s livestock keepers. As the Sharm el-Sheikh joint work on agriculture comes to an end, ILRI is in Antalya to make sure livestock keepers are recognized as partners in climate action. We bring evidence on solutions that work, from livestock insurance to better feeds and animal health, and the emissions data from our Mazingira Centre needed to show what works, where, and at what scale.

Livestock keepers are already undertaking climate action: they should be supported to do more of it. 

One in five people on Earth (1.7 billion people) depend on livestock for food, income and security. In Africa alone, 800 million people keep livestock, including 230 million women and 280 million pastoralists (Tuya and Djikeng 2023). They are among the lowest emitters and the hardest hit: drought caused over 34 percent of crop and livestock production losses in least developed and lower-middle-income countries between 2008 and 2018 (FAO 2021). 

Promising livestock climate solutions exist. The task now is to match them to the right production systems and scale them. Index-based livestock insurance, pioneered by ILRI, has kept pastoral families from selling their animals in drought. Research from ILRI’s Mazingira Centre contributed African livestock data to the evidence base used in the IPCC2019 Refinement, helping improve the representation of African livestock systems. Better feed, health and breeding lift milk yields and cut emissions per liter. Well-managed rangelands hold up to 30 percent of the world’s soil carbon.  

Scaling them needs investment, alongside stronger locally generated data to show what works, where, and whether it reduces total emissions as well as emissions per unit of food. 

Climate finance remains insufficient. In 2023, crop production, livestock, forestry and fisheries together received just 4 percent of climate-related development finance (FAO, 2025) and livestock received just 0.57 percent of climate development finance between 2012 and 2017 (World Bank, 2021). Scaling effective climate action requires investment in farmers and pastoralists, supported by locally relevant research, services and credible monitoring of results  

COP31 is about implementation. Our message is that there is no faster route from pledge to delivery in food systems than supporting the people who already manage the land, the animals and the risk and the science that supports them.  

Week 1

ILRI brings evidence, tools and partnerships from across different livestock systems to COP31. Come and talk with our delegation about what works, and what it takes to scale.

15:00 - 16:30
Climate resilience for farmers in a crisis-prone world
Nepal pavillion

Main organizer: Heifer International | ILRI speaker: Aditi Mukherji

Partners: Heifer International; Climate Change Management Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment (MoAFE), Government of Nepal.

A resilient, farmer-led food system anticipates shocks, keeps supplying safe and nutritious food, and recovers while protecting livelihoods. The panel reads disaster at three scales, from a single valley to the South Asian region to global supply chains, and asks what must be in place before, during and after the next shock.

10:30 - 11:30
Climate in the Age of Security: Harnessing co-benefits, navigating trade-offs
German Pavilion

Event organized by the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) 

 ILRI speaker: Aditi Mukherji

Current security and geopolitical concerns are sidelining climate issues on the political agenda. Climate mitigation and adaptation, e.g. a fossil phase-out and environmental protection, have well-known benefits for security even beyond avoiding dangerous climate change. Deploying resilient renewable energy systems improves energy sovereignty, natural infrastructure serves civil protection, and joint ecosystem conservation contributes to conflict prevention. However, this requires long-term strategies and addressing national and international distribution effects. Also, a balance between natural infrastructure and resource use (including for security) needs to be found, to avoid irreversible damage to natural life-support systems. An integrated security policy therefore includes prevention- and resilience-based approaches, and must acknowledge and explicitly address potential trade-offs.

The event will explore the security-climate nexus, its role for climate negotiations, international cooperation and local stability, engaging with national and international stakeholders.

15:30 - 16:30
Biogas and Black Soldier Fly: Circular Climate Action for Safeguarding Protein, Energy and Soil
Food and Ag pavilion

Main organizer: AGRA | ILRI speaker: John Recha

18:30 - 20:00
Implementation of climate action in the livestock sector: Nigeria rising to the challenge (official side event)
Side event room White

Main organizer: ILRI  |   ILRI speaker: Aditi Mukherji

Partners: African Center for Technology Studies (ACTS), Angel Support Foundation, Nigeria Federal Ministry for Livestock Development, GIZ

Nigeria plans to grow its livestock sector to $72B/yr by 2035. Achieving this amidst climate change while meeting NDC commitments requires a climate-smart plan. This event will demonstrate how Nigeria is coordinating national initiatives and partner support for climate actions in livestock.

17:00 - 18:00
From Forecasts to Farm Decisions: Scaling Climate Services for Building Resilience in Agrifood Systems
Food and Ag pavilion

Main organizer: AGRA    |   ILRI speaker: John Recha

10:30 - 11:30
Scaling Sustainable Livestock and Landscapes for Climate, Nature and Livelihoods
Food and Ag pavilion

Co-organizers: ILRI, Aim4Scale, Meat & Livestock Australia  |   ILRI speaker: John Recha

Week 2

ILRI brings evidence, tools and partnerships from across different livestock systems to COP31. Come and talk with our delegation about what works, and what it takes to scale.

16:45 - 18:15
Enabling climate action in livestock through innovation, collaboration and incentives
Side event room White

Main organizer: European Dairy Association   |   ILRI speaker: Tahira Mohamed

09:00 - 10:00
Delivering a Just Transition through Agrifood Systems: From COP Commitments to Country Action
Food and Ag pavilion

Main organizer: FAO   |   ILRI partner speaking: Clim-Eat representative
 

Our delegation

Aditi Mukherji

Aditi Mukherji

Principal Scientist - Climate Action and Lead - Livestock and Climate Solutions Hub

John Recha

John Recha

Scientist, Climate-Smart Agriculture and Policy

Anne-Marie Schryer-Roy

Anne-Marie Schryer-Roy

Team Leader, Strategic Communications and Outreach

Cargele Masso

Cargele Masso

Researcher

Ambica Paliwal

Ambica Paliwal

Senior Scientist- Remote Sensing

Tahira Shariff Mohamed

Tahira Shariff Mohamed

Regional Partnership and Engagement Lead

Regina Edward-Uwadiale

Regina Edward-Uwadiale

Lead Communications Consultant Livestock and Climate Hub