16 October 2008: On World Food Day (WFD), the heads of UN
agencies called attention to the ongoing crisis of hunger and its
interrelations with climate change and rising fuel prices.
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16 October 2008: World Food Day 2008 (WFD), which was
celebrated on 16 October, was marked by events around the world addressing the
theme “World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy.”
The main ceremony was held at UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
headquarters in Rome, Italy, including a statement by FAO Director-General
Jacques Diouf (see related story), a message from Pope Benedict XVI, and a
keynote speech by Egypt’s First Lady Suzanne Mubarak.
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15 October 2008: In his message on the occasion of World
Food Day, celebrated on 16 October 2008, Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of
the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), stressed that “biodiversity, the
foundation of all crops and domesticated livestock and the variety within them,
is the basis for providing stability to agriculture.”
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15 October 2008: The newly released Gender in Agriculture
Sourcebook investigates the situation of women in the rural workforce and how
some of the challenges they face can be overcome. Developed in cooperation
between the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund
for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank, the sourcebook is
intended to be used both as a reference and as a tool book for agricultural
development. It also addresses cross-cutting issues, including gender
dimensions of climate change and bioenergy.
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14 October 2008: The World Health Organization (WHO)
Regional Office for Europe, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and
the European Food Safety Authority held a seminar in Rome, Italy, in
conjunction with the celebration of World Food Day (16 October), to discuss
health implications of climate impacts on nutrition, food and water safety.
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14 October 2008: During the debate on international
cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space by the Fourth Committee (Special
Political and Decolonization) of the 63rd General Assembly, Ciro Arévalo Yepes,
Chairman of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, underscored the
role space technology could play in addressing climate change, food security
and health.
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12 October 2008: This publication summarizes the discussion
of the High Level North-South Dialogue on Food Security and Energy Security,
which was co-organized by South Centre and the Permanent Mission of Indonesia
in Geneva, Switzerland, on 17 June 2008, as part of the ‘South Intellectual
Platform.’
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8 October 2008: In a statement to mark the International Day
of Disaster Reduction, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
Executive Secretary Luc Gnacadja highlighted that action on climate change
mitigation and adaptation must consider managing risks to drought in a global
coordinated approach, and said the Hyogo Framework for action is a platform to
achieve these considerations.
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7 October 2008: The 2008 edition of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) State of the World’s Food and Agriculture Report focuses on the
prospects, risks and opportunities for biofuels. The report addresses key
questions relating to the benefits and impacts of biofuel production and use,
including impacts on food security, land and water resources, as well as
contributions to greenhouse gas reduction and agricultural development.
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7 October 2008: Addressing the Gambia Climate Change Forum,
taking place in Kololi, the Gambia, from 6-7 October 2008, the
Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Michel
Jarraud, stated that the potential impacts of climate variability and change on
water resources demand special attention, particularly in Africa.
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