Jointly organized by the FAO, the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), and the World Food Programme (WFP) – and the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

They will look at the global and local impacts of the current El Niño cycle on food security and review response actions being taken by governments and the international humanitarian community with an eye to identifying where they can be strengthened.

Government representatives, food security experts, agricultural development practitioners, humanitarian response specialists and international donors will attend.

The meeting will conclude with recommendations on the way forward and how the international community can collectively respond to current needs and anticipate future risks.

Opening remarks, by José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General, accompanied by Laurent Thomas, Assistant Director-General, Technical Cooperation and Programme Management; Jim Harvey, WFP Chief of Staff; Lakshmi Menon, IFAD Associate Vice-President; Marcy Vigoda, UN OCHA Chief, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Branch.

Key note presentation, by Michel Jarraud, key note speaker.

Intervention on El Niño / La Niña outlook for 2016, by Robert Stefanski, Chief, Agricultural Meteorology Division – World Meteorological Organization.

Global overview of El Niño impacts in agriculture and food security, Health Sector and Nutrition and WASH sector, by FAO, WFP, WHO and UNICEF.

Joint intervention, by Save the Children, Intersos, Action Contre la Faim and Oxfam.

Regional overview of preparedness and response Strategies and priorities for Southern Africa, Horn of Africa, Central America and Asia and the Pacific.

Presenting the way forward: recommendations to collectively respond to current needs and address future risks.