Recipe for a Livable Planet: Achieving Net-Zero Emissions in the Agrifood System

Andrew Mitchell was appointed as a Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) on 25 October 2022. He was previously Secretary of State for International Development from May 2010 to September 2012. He was elected Conservative MP for Sutton Coldfield on 7 June 2001. After serving as a government whip between 1993 and 1995, Andrew served as Minister for Social Security from 1995 to 1997.

The Minister of International Development is responsible for international development efforts in countries outside the OSCE, the Middle East and Afghanistan. She is also responsible for development cooperation under the auspices of the UN system, the World Bank, the regional development banks andother global funds and programmes. In addition, she is Minister for Nordic Co-operation and responsible for Norad, Norec and Norfund.

A public servant for 20 years, with comprehensive experience in public administration, including management, external control, tax inspection, fiscal federalism, planning, concessions, partnerships, and cooperation. Throughout his professional journey, his involvement in COPs within the Legal Amazon Consortium stands out. This includes the structuring of a multi-donor fund with the UN (2022) and his participation in hiring BNDES for the development of new models for sanitation (2021), forest concessions, and solid waste (2022). As the Secretary of Funds and Instruments at MIDR in the Federal Government, he has worked on integrating constitutional funds with family farming and microcredit, reaching agreements with PPI, BNDES, and states for a new management model for the Integration of the São Francisco River - PISF, the new funding for the Transnordestina railway, support for the concession of irrigated perimeters and dams, among other vital initiatives for regional integration and development in the country.

Jochen Flasbarth was appointed as State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in December 2021. Previously, from 2013-2018, he held the position of State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. He was also President of the German Environment Agency, between 2009-2013.

Ole Thonke was appointed as the Under Secretary for Development Policy in 2023. Between 2017-2020 he held positions as Head of Department for Green Diplomacy also Growth and Employment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Thonke has also been appointed as the Danish Ambassador for Kenya, Pakistan, and Bolivia. 

Martien van Nieuwkoop, a Dutch national, was appointed Global Director for the Agriculture and Food Global Practice in the World Bank’s Sustainable Development Practice Group in July 2019. As Global Director, Martien provides leadership to the formulation and implementation of the Bank’s strategy and knowledge in agriculture and food, oversees the operationalization of the Bank’s vision on agriculture and food in regional and country programs, acts as senior spokesperson for agriculture and food Bank-wide and globally and manages the Agriculture and Food Global Practice.