On 20 November – Compassion in World Farming - together with the Government of Pakistan, UNEP, INMS and other partners hosted an event at COP29 in Baku, Sustainable nitrogen management: Collaborative solutions for climate action, environment and food security.

Held at the Pakistan pavilion, the event explored the urgent need to optimise nitrogen use in agriculture to tackle climate change and reduce and reverse environmental damage, while ensuring food security.

Global Head of International Affairs at Compassion in World Farming Eirini Pitsilidi joined speakers from the Governments of Pakistan, Japan and Romania, as well as Bruno Pozzi (Deputy Director of the Ecosystems Division, UNEP), Professor Mark Sutton, (Director INMS/SANH and Co-Chair of UNEP-GPNM) and Tariq Aziz (Regional Director for South Asia INI, Associate Professor, UAF).

Pitsilidi explained, “We need both immediate, tangible changes to achieve more efficient nitrogen use and nutrient recovery as well as longer-term, transformational changes that include both the obvious and the less obvious - including, for instance, indirect changes such as behavioural shifts related to our diets, especially in populations where we know we overconsume animal-sourced foods".

She concluded by stressing the need for ‘collaborative solutions’ calling on governments, academics, the private sector, farmers, and other stakeholders to participate in the dialogue. “By working collectively, we can best advance and coordinate global sustainable nitrogen policy opportunities”.