The report summarizes the proceedings, discussions and outcomes of the consultation workshop on "policy analysis to support nationally determined contributions for climate action in Rwanda's livestock systems", which took place in Musanze, Rwanda from 13 to 16 December 2021. The workshop was organized by FAO in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources of Rwanda.

Livestock is crucial to Kenya's economy and socio-cultural practices, but it also contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Climate-smart agriculture and sustainable livestock management practices can help Kenya achieve its climate change targets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while ensuring food and nutrition security. This report presents the key outcomes and recommendations of a national stakeholder workshop FAO organized in December 2022 to address climate change in Kenya's livestock sector.

Effective early warning systems provide the capacity to generate and disseminate timely and meaningful warning information to enable individuals, communities and organizations threatened by a hazard to prepare and to act appropriately and in sufficient time to reduce the possibility of harm or loss. [Author] To support countries in the prevention and management of losses caused by animal diseases the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is working to develop a strategic framework for early warning (EW) of animal health threats. [Author] FAO organized a global technical consultation to gather expertise across various health sectors and inform development of the framework. [Author] The meeting was attended by more than 70 participants, gathering expertise form animal, public and environmental health at various geographical levels. [Author] Through a series of brainstorming sessions, experts outlined concrete priority actions and targets that can be put in place in order to strengthen EWS in the short term, move towards anticipatory systems in the medium term, and finally, in the long term, build systems that are focused on prevention. [Author] This report summarizes the main discussions and conclusions. [Author]

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a severe and highly contagious disease that has severe impacts on animal and human health, livelihoods, and the economy. At the time of the consultation, the recent panzootic had affected more than 70 countries and territories, resulting in over 11 000 disease events in both wild and domestic bird populations. The disease has also spilled over to several mammalian species, including humans, and may result in severe ecological and biodiversity consequences. Considering the alarming spread of HPAI and the evolution of avian influenza in wild birds, The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and Network of Expertise on Animal Influenza (OFFLU) brought together the global scientific community to review the latest science and evidence on the disease, to support development/implementation of disease prevention and control strategies and policies and contribute to global efforts towards reducing pandemic risk. The report summarizes the meeting discussions, and key recommendations to reduce the transmission of HPAI along the poultry value chains, and the spillover risk to humans and wildlife. The meeting report will contribute to revising the FAO-WOAH global control strategy for HPAI and developing evidence-based policies and research agendas to tackle the disease. Sharing the meeting report with technical experts and policy makers will help support the development of a research and development agenda to tackle HPAI globally.

This report highlightes outcomes and recommendations provided during the FAO regional expert workshop “Enhancing national climate actions to reduce methane emissions in livestock systems in Asia and the Pacific”. The regional workshop was designed to help countries in Asia and the Pacific identify new opportunities to reduce methane emissions from livestock systems in the region. The report illustrates best practices, solutions and ideas shared by countries and livestock stakeholders in Asia and the Pacific to achieve ambitious climate targets.

Due to the urgent need to protect communities, ecosystems, and economies from the impacts of a changing climate, adaptation is becoming increasingly relevant. Climate change is already a significant stressor on most global and local value chains and threatens food security. This makes timely implementation of sustainable adaptation actions that catalyse agrifood system resilience indispensable for working towards better nutrition, better environments and better production, leaving no one behind. Recognizing the important role adaptation plays for agrifood systems, and its prominence in the Paris Agreement, the paper presents and reflects on FAO’s repertoire of different adaptation actions and solutions. Complementing the conclusion of the Global Stocktake at COP28, it comprehensively summarizes FAO’s efforts to boost progress in global adaptation actions. The paper (a) emphasizes the importance of bringing agrifood systems into the global adaptation agenda and policy landscape; (b) creates a cross-sectoral portfolio of FAO adaptation solutions covering multiple scales and approaches; (c) gives an insight into FAO's work with partners and Members and presents relevant networks and collaborations. Laying out FAO’s guiding principles according to the FAO Strategy on Climate Change 2022–2031, it underscores FAO’s efforts for transformative action in agrifood systems and demonstrates FAO's people-centered approach to climate change adaptation.

"The assessment builds on the work of the Livestock, Environment and Development (LEAD) Initiative"--Pref.

Greenhouse gas emissions by the livestock sector could be cut by as much as 30 percent through the wider use of existing best practices and technologies. FAO conducted a detailed analysis of GHG emissions at multiple stages of various livestock supply chains, including the production and transport of animal feed, on-farm energy use, emissions from animal digestion and manure decay, as well as the post-slaughter transport, refrigeration and packaging of animal products. This report represents the most comprehensive estimate made to-date of livestocks contribution to global warming as well as the sectors potential to help tackle the problem. This publication is aimed at professionals in food and agriculture as well as policy makers.

Over the last nine years, FAO, WHO and WOAH have worked with Member States, public health professionals and experts across multiple sectors and technical disciplines to improve preparedness and response capacities for MERS-CoV and other high threat zoonotic pathogens around the world. This work continues to bring together public health and animal health experts from affected and at-risk countries, scientists, and subject matter experts of high threat respiratory pathogens to review the latest scientific evidence on MERS-CoV and improve multi-sectoral collaboration. As a follow-up to previous technical meetings on MERS-CoV hosted by FAO, WHO and WOAH, a Global Technical Meeting was convened virtually on 15-16 November 2021 to share the latest findings from accelerated efforts to implement the MERS-CoV public health research agenda and research and development (R&D) road map, in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This documents presents a summary of the presentations and discussions.