The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have signed an agreement to strengthen the capacity of developing and emerging economies to address the unprecedented challenge of the climate crisis.

The agreement, signed in Nairobi by Malle Fofana, GGGI’s Africa Regional Director and Ute Klamert, WFP’s Assistant Executive Director for Partnerships and Advocacy, advances collaboration on climate change adaptation by strengthening government policies, enabling access to climate finance, and sharing climate-smart agricultural techniques while protecting natural resources for future generations.

“We look forward to the collaboration with WFP, supporting food security in Africa in a more transformative manner,” says Dr. Malle Fofana, GGGI’s Africa Regional Director. “Our collaboration will strengthen our evidence-based knowledge sharing on green growth and sustainable development, drawing upon our experiences from both public and private sectors.”

The climate crisis is a key driver of the unprecedented rise in global hunger which has left a record 345 million people facing acute food insecurity around the world. Every region of the world is affected by climate change, while over 40 per cent of the global population lives in areas that are highly vulnerable to climate extremes according to the 2022 IPCC report.

Meanwhile in 2022, climate extremes were the primary driver of acute food insecurity for 56.8 million people in 12 countries according to the 2023 Global Report on Food Crises.

“The climate crisis is no longer a glimpse into the future but the daily reality for communities around the world,” says Ute Klamert, WFP’s Assistant Executive Director for Partnerships and Advocacy. “This agreement will combine GGGI’s policy and technical expertise with WFP’s vast operational footprint and enable governments to support families on the frontlines of the climate crisis and improve food security.”

This agreement supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement.