Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack launched the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture on Wednesday to promote greater international engagement on ways agriculture can help reduce the impact of climate change.
Secretary Vilsack spoke at the inaugural meeting of the Alliance in New York, and Secretary Kerry delivered remarks at a separate event celebrating the Alliance launch, both on the margins of the 69th UN General Assembly.
The launch of the Global Alliance offers the opportunity to share knowledge, make investments, and develop policies that will empower all producers to adapt to climate change and to mitigate greenhouse gases in agriculture while increasing sustainable production.
The Alliance will include significant participation from governments, businesses, civil society groups, and other entities around the world.
Secretary Kerry previewed the United States' commitment to join the Alliance during the Africa Leaders Summit held in Washington in August.
The announcement, which follows President Obama's speech to the UN General Assembly emphasizing the actions his Administration is taking through the Climate Action Plan, demonstrates and reinforces U.S. leadership on climate change action.
In a related announcement at the UN Climate Summit, President Obama this week unveiled a new Executive Order on Climate-Resilient International Development, requiring U.S. agencies to factor climate-resilience considerations systematically into the U.S. government's international development work, and to promote a similar approach with multilateral entities.
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The release above was prepared by the State Department in consultation with USDA.