UAE and US Launch AIM for Climate

In April 2021, the United Arab Emirates and the United States announced plans to launch the Agriculture Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate/AIM4C). The program was unveiled at President Biden’s Leaders Summit on Climate by Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Moktoum.

During his announcement, Sheikh Mohammed stated “Climate change is not a temporary concern, it is rather a global challenge that is ongoing. We must unite our efforts to safeguard the planet for the future generations or else risk paying heavier costs in the future.”

In the same session, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister for Industry and Advanced Technology and Special Envoy for Climate Change, commented “By investing in innovation and technology in the agricultural sector, we can unlock opportunities for effective mitigation and adaptation, feed growing populations in resource-stressed areas, and create economic growth,” Dr Al Jaber said.

UAE-US AIM for Climate
In the last decade, the UAE has largely stepped up in the agricultural sector, using hydroponics and vertical farming in order to become self-sufficient in food security. For years, the region has joined a number of GCC countries in importing the majority of food production, as well as using the latest techniques and technologies within the industry.
AIM for Climate will spark investment and innovation within the agricultural industry in order to address the growing climate crisis. So far, the initiative has been endorsed by the United Kingdom’s COP 26th Presidency, with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Food and Agriculture Organization and a growing list of countries including the UAE’s newest ally, Israel.
The UAE-US program was previewed several months later at the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit, held at the Headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, Italy. The international event brought as many as 190 countries together for three days to discuss a collective agenda for global food security.
The UN’s Pre-Summit served as a precursor for the first-ever global UN Food Systems Summit, which took place this past month in New York. The inaugural event was ultimately focused on advancing the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, which includes reducing worldwide hunger, poverty and climate change.
AIM4C will officially kick off this November at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in the UK. The upcoming conference will be focused on the following goals:
  • Securing global net zero by 2050
  • Protecting and restoring natural communities and ecosystems
  • Mobilising at least $100 billion in climate finance per year
  • Advancing global action on the Paris agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
Once launched, AIM4C will demonstrate the UAE and the US’ joint efforts to grow investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems. This includes emissions reduction, food and water security, innovative farming technologies and new economic opportunities. It will also support a collective framework that drives scientific breakthroughs and provides a platform for exchanges between Ministers, chief scientists and other key partners involved in the program.
To learn more about UAE-US climate initiatives, click here.