West Africa is among the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change, facing recurrent droughts, floods, and irregular rainfall that exacerbate insecurity, pressure on natural resources, and poverty. These compounding shocks have negatively impacted agricultural performance and worsened food insecurity, which currently affects over 34 million people across the region.
In response to these challenges, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Subregional Office for West Africa is organizing the 17th Meeting of the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) from 18 to 21 November 2025 in Abidjan. The meeting, themed “Innovative Financing Mechanisms and Structural Reforms for Climate Adaptation,” will be held in a hybrid format, allowing participants to join either in person or online, and will be chaired by Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Production, Mr. Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani.
The MDT will gather FAO representatives from 15 West African countries, senior officials from regional institutions, UN agencies, technical and financial partners, civil society representatives, and private sector stakeholders. The meeting aims to foster collective reflection on innovative financing solutions and structural reforms to help communities adapt to climate change while ensuring food and nutrition security across the subregion.
The agenda will include technical sessions on climate finance tools and structural reforms, a poster exhibition highlighting successful adaptation initiatives, high-level panels with government officials and international experts, and the development of actionable recommendations to mobilize additional resources, including private sector investment, for resilient agriculture and rural development.
Participants will also review progress from the 16th MDT, discuss regional priorities for West Africa and the Sahel, and share lessons learned from implementing the FAO Strategic Framework. By the conclusion of the meeting, attendees are expected to have a stronger understanding of financing mechanisms and reforms that can support climate adaptation efforts across West Africa and the Sahel.
This meeting is part of FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022–2031, which promotes the “Four Betters”: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, with a focus on leaving no one behind. The FAO Subregional Office for West Africa serves 15 countries and a population of over 300 million, supporting governments through strategic frameworks to ensure sustainable access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for all.
