Ethiopia to host global food security conference

More than 800 experts in food and other related disciplines are set to convene in Addis Ababa on Thursday, May 15th, to discuss how to integrate resilient strategies in the fight against hunger and poverty globally.

The meeting, themed ‘Building Resilience for Food and Nutrition Security’, is being organized by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and other notable partners.

The experts are expected to formulate plans for improving policies and institutions related to food security. They will also develop new strategies for attracting investment into the sector and ultimately incorporate some of these ideas into the United Nations’ Post-2015 agenda, according to online sources.

Many pundits have noted that volatile weather patterns, political upheavals and the global financial downturn has contributed to accentuate the threat of an impending food crisis.

IFPRI director general, Shenggen Fan, explains that “A resilience approach has the potential to improve livelihoods and support economic growth and transformation while mitigating future shocks. In fact, it can help us tackle issues that run across the entire agriculture, food, nutrition, and environmental system.”

The Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, as well as other political leaders and heads of global humanitarian and developmental organizations are expected to also be present at the meeting.

Photo/IFPRI