Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

The Annual Eurasian Food Security Conference will take place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on October 03-05, 2017. The Conference is organized by the Eurasian Center for Food Security with support from the World Bank, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). The topic of the conference is "Catalyzing an Agriculture-Led Transformation for Food Security and Wealth Creation in Eurasia". The Conference is an excellent platform to discuss the current state of food and nutrition security in the region, identify new trends and actions to unleash the productivity, profitability and sustainability of the agriculture and food sectors in the greater Eurasia region. Bringing together public sector food policy experts, representatives of academia and civil society, the Conference provides a great opportunity to strengthen cooperation at local, regional and global levels.

The Conference sessions will cover the following topics:

• Priorities for policy research to improve food security and nutrition in Eurasia;
• Innovative interventions both by the government and private sector that helps boost food and nutrition security at the household and community level;
• The nexus of food security and natural resource management;
• Case studies on food security in Eurasia, etc.

Please visit the conference website for details: http://ecfs2017.org/?page_id=6&lang=en.

The registration is open until September 17, 2017.

12:30 - 14:30 Rome time, FAO Headquarters.

This Special Event will provide government representatives, UN entities, civil society and the private sector and other stakeholders with a platform to share experiences in accelerating progress towards gender equality and rural women’s empowerment. It will highlight forward-looking strategies and partnerships in the fight against hunger, malnutrition and extreme poverty.

Rural women play an important role in agriculture and rural development, and make a strong contribution to food security and nutrition at household and community levels. Worldwide, there is an increasing recognition that rural women must be at the centre of any intervention to promote sustainable agriculture and eradicate food insecurity and poverty. The 2030 Agenda envisages a future in which no one is left behind, where achieving gender equality and empowering women is an absolute precondition to break the cycle of poverty and hunger, and to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The event can be followed on webcast: http://www.fao.org/webcast

Programme

Opening remarks

José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO

Presentation on FAO’s technical work on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

Kostas Stamoulis, Assistant Director-General, Economic and Social Development Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO

Panel discussion

• His Excellency Hugo Martinez, Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador

• Her Excellency Néziha Labidi, Minister of Women and Family Affairs of Tunisia

• Her Excellency Fatimata Dia Sow, Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender of ECOWAS

• His Excellency Ty Sokhun, Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia

• His Excellency Ali Recep Nazli, General Director of Foreign Relations and EU Coordination of Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock of Turkey

• Haowa Bello, CEO and Founder of Madame Coquette - Beneficiary of the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme

• Jessica Vega Ortega, Coordinator of the Yani Tundavii Dikuintií Collective of the Network of Young Indigenous Peoples of Latin America, Focal Point for the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus

Questions and answers

Concluding remarks