In this second phase of the Multi-Actor Partnership (MAP), the partnership expands beyond food systems to include the fashion and tourism sectors as well as entrepreneurship as a cross-cutting focus. Our aim is to strengthen the understanding of effective and innovative climate risk management solutions and enhance collaboration and communication between the public sector, private sector, civil society, and other stakeholders at local and national level.

Dialogue on public-private partnerships for optimizing sustainable finance in Sri Lanka’s agriculture sector

The dialogue co-hosted by Sustainable Development Council (SDC) and SLYCAN Trust brought together key stakeholders from Government agencies, financial institutions, industry associations, development partners, and other stakeholder groups to explore innovative approaches to mobilize resources for climate-friendly and resilient agri-food systems. The dialogue especially focused on the role of public-private partnerships and the creation of a blended finance facility to propel sustainable agriculture forward and turn policy goals into practical solutions.

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EthicalX entrepreneurship workshop on championing change through collective resilience-building

The EthicalX: Climate & Innovation Hub hosted a workshop titled “Championing Change through Collective Resilience-Building” to foster collaboration on ethical, sustainable, and climate-friendly entrepreneurship and identify how entrepreneurship could enhance sustainability and resilience. Technical sessions during the event highlighted the importance of enterprise risk management and created a space for group discussions on sector-specific challenges and strategies.

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University of Ruhuna held international research symposium on food systems, agriculture, and the environment

The University of Ruhuna organized its 14th Annual International Symposium on Agriculture and Environment (ISAE) on May 10th, 2024, under the theme "Building Resilient Agri-Food Systems for Nutrition Security and Food Sovereignty" with participation over 400 researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and disciplines. The symposium featured a diverse range of papers, with nearly 125 presentations spanning various thematic areas, including food technology, nutritional sciences, livestock production, aquaculture, agricultural economics, entrepreneurship, agribusiness, crop production, soil management, environmental stewardship, precision agriculture, and the digital landscape. From empirical research studies and case analyses to policy recommendations and community-led initiatives, the presented papers contributed to the collective understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing our food systems.

During the plenary session, Ms. Dulanga Witharanage, SLYCAN Trust’s Country Director: EthicalX, shared relevant work as a speaker on developing sustainable and resilient food systems through entrepreneurship, innovation, and evidence-based enterprise risk management.

Access the proceedings here

Globally, discussions around climate finance, financial reform, and loss and damage are picking up speed as countries head towards the first climate negotiation sessions of 2024, which will take place in Bonn, Germany, from June 3rd to 13th (SB60). Even before this, the newly established Loss and Damage Fund had its inaugural board meeting in Abu Dhabi, which laid out the next steps and established many of the necessary modalities for its operationalization. Parties to the UNFCCC also met in Colombia for discussions around a new collective quantified goal on climate finance (NCQG), which is due to be decided at the end of this year in Baku, Azerbaijan, at the 29th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP29).

Stay tuned for more updates on this as we closely follow the multilateral climate negotiations as well as other relevant global processes in the next newsletter.