High Level Panel

High Level Panel and High Level Debate

High Level Panels

The purpose of the High Level Panel was to showcase national experiences in the use and application of the Right to Food Guidelines. These national experiences were complemented by regional, global and sub-national dimensions of the right to food. The objective was to present good practices, but also challenges and constraints as a way to identify potential solutions to address them. The event offered a great opportunity to share and discuss:

Video of the High-Level Panel

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Summary of topics and results
The High-Level Panel entitled “Realizing the Right to Adequate Food: Ending Hunger and Leaving No One Behind” was jointly organised by the Secretariat of the United Nations Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and the Right to Food team of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The panel was moderated by the CFS Chair, Ambassador Jezile, who opened the event by emphasising the relevance of talking about the right to food at the GFFA in 2024, which marks the 20th anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines for the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security.
Ambassador Jezile then introduced the two keynote speakers of the event – Máximo Torero, FAO Chief Economist, and Michael Windfuhr, member of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Right and Deputy Director of the German Institute for Human Rights.
Torero stressed the existence of a strong legal framework around the right to food and, in light of growing hunger and malnutrition around the world, the need to implement this framework to ensure that the right to food becomes a reality for all.
Windfuhr highlighted the importance of the Right to Food Guidelines to the development of an advanced normative framework on the right to food and their contribution to the realization of the right to food and related rights at the national level. He further called for the adoption of a human rights-based approach throughout the transformation of agrifood systems.
The two keynote speeches were followed by a panel discussion with the following participants:
• Elisabetta Recine, President of the Conselho Nacional de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional (CONSEA) of Brazil, who underlined the importance of social participation in all matters of food security and nutrition;
• Françoise Uwumukiza, Chair of the Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources at the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), who spoke about the contribution of lawmaking to the realisation of the right to food;
• Raju Chapagai, founding chairperson of the Justice and Rights Institute, Nepal, who shared his experience with strategic litigation to enforce right to food obligations at the national level in Nepal, a country with a very strong national legal right to food framework;
• Martien van Nieuwkoop, Global Director for the Agriculture and Food Global Practice at World Bank, who spoke about the role of international financial institutions with regard to the right to food; and
• Pradeep Wagle, Chief of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Section, OHCHR, who explained the significance of the right to food for the overall efforts by the United Nations to strengthen human rights across the globe.
All speakers stressed the need to accelerate the implementation of the Right to Food Guidelines to ensure the realisation of the right to food worldwide.
The event was closed by Ambassador Jezile who once again stressed the need for a strong global commitment to the right to food and that the Final Communiqué of the Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference is key in that regard.

Speakers

Maximo Torero

Keynote-Speaker
Chief Economist / Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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Mr. Maximo Torero Cullen is the Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Prior to joining FAO in 2019, he held leading positions at the World Bank Group and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Mr. Torero holds a Ph.D. and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of the Pacific, Lima, Peru. His research work lies mostly in analyzing poverty, inequality, importance of geography and assets (private or public) in explaining poverty, and in policies oriented towards poverty alleviation.

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Michael Windfuhr

Keynote-Speaker
Member (UN Committee); Deputy Director (German Institute) / UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; German Institute for Human Rights
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Michael Windfuhr was elected in 2016 and 2020 as a member of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. He is a leading international expert on the human right to adequate food and holds various advisory roles and board positions in German government and civil society. Since 2011, he is deputy director of the German Institute for Human Rights, the national human rights institution of Germany.

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Ambassador H.E. Nosipho Nausca-Jean Jezile

Facilitator
Chairperson / CFS
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Nosipho Jezile is accredited as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of South Africa to the Italian Republic and non-resident ambassador to Albania, Malta, and San Marino. She is South Africa’s Permanent Representative to the three UN Agencies based in Rome and to several other international organisations located in Italy and is the current Chair of the Committee on World Food Security. She is the Vice Chairperson to FAO Programme Committee and the President of the UNIDROIT General Assembly.

In her former capacity as Director General at the Department of Environmental Affairs, Ms Jezile has gained extensive experience as a leader in public administration, policy making and in evidence-based implementation. She played a formative role in the implementation of Agenda 21 towards the Millenium Development Goals, initiated the domestication of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and promoted initiatives for girls and youth empowerment in stewardship programs. Under her leadership South Africa enabled inclusive participation of non-governmental bodies, in particular World Wildlife Fund, informed the declaration of Prince Edward Island as a new marine protected area. She encouraged the use of international financing mechanisms through GIZ , KFW in projects for valuing eco system services and climate action. In this context, South Africa adopted the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development, inscribed a list of additional World Heritage sites under UNESCO and concluded a deal for developing countries to combat desertification targeted land degradation neutrality at UNCCD COP11.
Ms Jezile led South Africa’s successful hosting of the Conference of parties UNFCC COP 17 in Durban, as a prelude to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change concluded at COP 21. Similarly, the successful hosting of CITES COP17 in Johannesburg in 2016.

Her Qualifications include the Bachelor of Science with majors in Biochemistry and Physiology acquired from the University of the Western Cape, including a Higher diploma in Education with distinction in physical science and geography from the same university. She has achieved certifications in management practice for total quality management and organisational leadership at various institutions and holds a certification in negotiations, and advanced management programme through Harvard Business School (AMP188).
She is known by peers for her role in global forums on Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), and in policy reviews and dialogues at the OECD as a country participant at Committee on Environmental Policy reviews (OECD-EPOC).

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Martien van Nieuwkoop

Panellist
Global Director for the Agriculture and Food / World Bank
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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 on July 1, 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. The Agriculture and Food Global Practice has a portfolio of about 160 projects with close to US$ 20 billion in commitments in investment project, program-for-results and development policy lending and about 250 staffs.
Before taking this position, Martien served for two years as Practice Director of the World Bank’s Agriculture Global Practice, where he oversaw the Bank’s agriculture lending, portfolio and analytic work in the East-Asia Pacific, Latin-America and the Caribbean and South Asia Regions, coordinated collaboration with IFC on agribusiness, and led the Bank’s global engagement on agriculture and climate change.
Martien joined the World Bank in 1993 as a Young Professional and worked initially as an agriculture economist in the Latin-America and Caribbean Region. He was cluster leader covering agriculture during field assignments in Madagascar from 2001-2004 and in India from 2005-2007. From 2007 to 2015 Martien worked as Program Coordinator and Sector Manager for Agriculture in various assignments in the Africa Region, including covering Southern and West-Africa. He was also the Practice Manager for Agriculture in the South-Asia Region, a position he held from 2015-2017. Prior to joining the Bank, Martien was an associate scientist in the Economics Program of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico from 1991-1993 and an associate expert in the Dutch bilateral cooperation program in Pakistan from 1989-1991.
Martien holds a Final (“Doctoraal”) Examination (Cum Laude), Development Economics from Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands and an MBA (Beta-Gamma-Sigma), International Executive Program from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., USA. He grew up on a family-owned horticulture farm in Gouda, The Netherlands.

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Elisabetta Recine

Panellist
President of CONSEA / CONSEA
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Elisabetta Recine is a nutritionist, has a PhD in Public Health, and is a professor at the University of Brasília, Brazil, Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences.

She has academic and governmental experience in food and nutrition policies, food and nutrition security and the right to food. Between 2000 and 2003, she worked on the implementation of the Food and Nutrition National Policy with the Ministry of Health. She is currently the president of the Brazilian National Food and Nutrition Security Council (Consea) (2023–2025 and 2017–2018), adviser board of the Presidency of the Republic. The council was composed of representatives of civil society and government of the different areas.

Her professional life has been guided by the perspective of relating the different dimensions of the food systems and nutrition considering consumption, determinants of food behaviour, people’s health, aiming at the progressive realization of right to adequate food. Currently she is also the coordinator of the Observatory for Food and Nutrition Security Policies of the University of Brasília.

She is also a member of:
• the Steering Committee of the Brazilian Alliance for Healthy and Adequate Food, a network of civil society organizations and academics for FSN policies advocacy;
• the Advisory Committee – Brazilian Network for Research in Sovereignty and Food and Nutrition Security;
• the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (from 2023)
• the Steering Committee of the HLPE-FSN during the following terms: 2017–2019; 2021–2023; 2023–2025.

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Françoise Uwumukiza

Panellist
Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources of EALA / East African Legislative Assembly
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Hon. Francoise Uwumukiza is the Chairperson of the Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources Committee of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), advocating for food security in the region. She has been a member of EALA since 2017. From 2016-2018, she was president of the National Women’s Council of Rwanda. She holds a Master’s degree in Gender and Development and is a PHD student at the Open University of Tanzania.

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Raju Prasad Chapagai

Panellist
Founding Chairperson / Justice and Rights Institute
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Mr. Raju Prasad Chapagai is a noted constitutional and human rights lawyer based in Kathmandu. Mr. Chapagai has successfully litigated a diverse range of human rights issues at the Supreme Court of Nepal. He is also an experienced researcher, with notable contributions such as the ‘Review of the Legislative Framework and Jurisprudence Concerning the Right to Adequate Food in Nepal’ published by FAO in Rome.
Mr. Chapagai actively engaged with various stakeholders, including Constituent Assembly members, to incorporate economic, social and cultural rights including the right to food into the Constitution of Nepal, 2015. Subsequently, he offered expert services to the Nepal Law Commission and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, particularly as an expert for FAO, in crafting and formulating the Right to Food and Food Sovereignty Act of 2018. He also consulted for the WFP Country Office, supporting federal, provincial, and local governments in raising rights-based awareness among duty-bearers and in formulating the necessary rules and procedures to implement the Act.
In his recent role as a South Asia Researcher for Amnesty International, Mr. Chapagai focused on transitional justice and Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ESCR) issues, producing legal analysis and advocating for the rights to food, housing, and land for indigenous peoples.
His prior experience also includes serving as a legal advisor to the UN Human Rights Office in Nepal (OHCHR-Nepal) during the post-conflict period (2007–2012), where he concentrated on pressing issues with implications for the rule of law and transitional justice. In addition, he previously worked as a public interest attorney for Pro Public (the Forum for Protection of Public Interest), with a concentration on gender equality, social justice and environmental protection, and taught gender and human rights at the Kathmandu School of Law.
As the founding chairperson of the Justice and Rights Institute (JuRI-Nepal) and the former chairperson of the Constitutional Lawyers’ Forum (CLaF), Mr. Chapagai has demonstrated strong leadership in the field of human rights and social justice.

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Pradeep Wagle

Panellist
Chief Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Section / Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights United Nations Organization
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Pradeep Wagle (Nepal) joined the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Section (ESCR Section) with OHCHR Geneva in April 2022. Before joining the ESCR Section, he was the Country Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia. Pradeep was with the Asia Pacific Section of OHCHR in various capacities including as the Senior Human Rights Officer of the Independent International Fact
Finding Mission on Myanmar, Legal Officer (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea accountability project) and Desk Officer for Myanmar and Malaysia. His previous assignments include OHCHR Rule of Law and Democracy Section, Transitional Justice Advisor in OHCHR Sri Lanka, Head of the Office in the OHCHR Gaza, Team Leader, UNAMA Regional Office in Kandahar, Coordinator of Transitional Justice and Administration of Justice unit in the UNAMID and Human Rights Officer with the United Nations Mission in Sudan. Between 2003 to 2005 he worked as a lawyer in Nepal as well as in various other capacities with local and international human rights organizations and academic institutions in Nepal and South Asia. Between 1996 2002 he served the Government of Nepal as a public prosecutor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in law (LLB) and Master’s (LLM) degrees from Tribhuvan University Nepal and from the University of Hong Kong.

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Video of the High-Level Panel

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Summary of topics and results
On Friday 19 January 2024, the OECD organised a high-level panel on “Squaring the Circle: Towards Sustainable Agriculture and Food Supply Chains” at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in Berlin.

In recent years, there has been an increased demand for corporate accountability in terms of environmental performance. This stems from international policy processes (e.g. UNFCCC, CBD), financial markets (reporting requirements, e.g. on “Scope 3” greenhouse gas emissions) or national policy initiatives (e.g. mandatory due diligence requirements, deforestation regulations). Agri-food companies, in particular larger players, and NGOs have also become active in the design of supply chains or sector-specific initiatives that aim to enhance the sustainability performance of supply chains.

In this context, there are growing concerns about policy fragmentation and the associated increased cost of trade along supply chains. There are also concerns that increased costs combined with capacity constraints will in particular penalise the Global South and smaller supply chain players, notably smallholder farmers.

This High Level Panel brought together ministers, as well as voices from research, to discuss how we can “square the circle” to achieve sustainable agri-food supply chains that are accessible to all.

Programme:
• Keynote address by DSG Ulrik Knudsen, OECD
• Panel discussion hosted by Johan Swinnen, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and managing director of Systems Transformation at CGIAR, with the following panellists:
o Janusz Wojciechowski, EU Commissioner for Agriculture
o Paulo Teixeira, Minister of Agricultural Development and Family Farming of Brazil
o Gérardine Mukeshimana, Vice-President of IFAD and former Agriculture Minister of Rwanda.
o Christian Hofer, State Secretary and Director of the Federal Office of Agriculture of Switzerland
• Questions & Answers
• Short summary and closing remarks by DSG Ulrik Knudsen, OECD

The discussion began with the observation that global food supply chains connect all of us as consumers with producers from around the globe. This brings important benefits for food security and livelihoods, but also means that we are potentially connected to controversial issues such as the food systems’ impact on deforestation, GHG emissions, or child labour. Participants noted the growing trend of new requirements for enterprises to screen their supply chains to avoid risks of e.g. deforestation, forced labour, or human rights violations. In addition, there are growing demands for enterprises to quantify and report on the environmental impact, not only of their own operations, but of their supply chains as well. Participants acknowledged that small business owners, and producers in the Global South, usually do not have the same capacity as large multinationals to deal with these requirements, and hence risk losing access to global markets, unless capacity building and technical assistance are provided. This problem is particularly severe for small-scale family farmers, which are numerous in both developed and developing countries. Moreover, if different countries introduce different requirements, the result may be a fragmentation of the global trading system. Alignment with international standards was discussed as a way to prevent this fragmentation. A key takeaway of this panel was the agreement on the need to reconcile open trade with sustainability – and the view that this is not an either/or question.

Speakers

Ulrik Knudsen

Keynote-Speaker
Deputy Secretary-General / OECD
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Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen took up his duties as Deputy Secretary-General in January 2019. His portfolio includes the strategic direction of OECD policy on the digital and technological transformation; global relations; trade and agriculture. In June 2021, he was appointed OECD Gender & Diversity Champion, and leads the organisation’s work on gender equality and diversity. Mr. Knudsen led the transformation of the OECD Executive Committee in Special Session into the Global Strategy Group (GSG) to have a strategic forum to discuss issues of global relevance. He chaired the first GSG meetings from 2013-2017.

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Johann Swinnen

Facilitator
Director General at International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Managing Director, Systems Transformation Science Group (CGIAR)
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Johan Swinnen is director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and managing director of Systems Transformation at CGIAR. Prior to joining IFPRI, he was professor of economics & director of the LICOS Centre for Institutions & Economic Performance at KU Leuven (Belgium) and senior research fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels. Earlier he was lead economist at the World Bank and economic adviser to the European Commission. He has been a visiting professor at various universities and a frequent adviser to international institutions. Dr. Swinnen has a PhD from Cornell University and two honorary doctorates. He has published extensively on agricultural policies, food security, international development, political economy, institutional reforms, trade, & global value chains

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Christian Hofer

Panellist
State Secretary / FOAG
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Christian Hofer has been the Director of the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) since 1 December 2019. He was previously Head of the Bern Cantonal Office for Agriculture and Nature (LANAT) for almost two years. From 2009 to 2017, he served as an Assistant Director of the FOAG, responsible for the Direct Payments and Rural Development Directorate. He studied Agronomic Engineering (specialising in crop production) at the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, graduating in1998. He also qualified as a teacher and worked as an agricultural consultant at Inforama Rütti (Bern). From 2000 to 2003, he managed the Profi Lait office and also worked as a scientist for the Swiss Grassland Society (AGFF). In 2003, he became Head of Sales (Switzerland) at DeLaval – the Swedish manufacturer of dairy farming equipment – in Sursee (Lucerne). He also obtained an MBA in Integrated Management from Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH).

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Paulo Teixeira

Panellist
Minister for Rural Development and Family Farming / Brazil
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Lawyer and master’s degree in Constitutional Law from the University of São Paulo. 2007-2023 Five times elected for the Lower House of the Brazilian Parliament (Câmara dos Deputados) for the Worker’s Party (PT). During his 15 years of parliamentary activity, he was Party Leader in the Lower House of Parliament and General secretary for PT, one of the authors of the Emergency Aid, Vale Gás and Suspension of Evictions Laws, ensuring that families were not displaced from their homes during the Covid-19 pandemic. He is also the author of the bill that regulates the renegotiation of the debts of entrepreneurs of small and medium-sized companies affected by the pandemic through the Credit Operations Refinancing Program (PRONAMPE) and of the Aldir Blanc Act, which helped workers in the cultural sector during the pandemic. Since 2023, he has served as Minister for Rural Development and Family Farming.

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Gérardine Mukeshimana

Panellist
Vice-President / IFAD
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Gérardine Mukeshimana is Vice-President of IFAD. She has extensive knowledge of and networks in agricultural and rural development, including with other multilateral development banks and climate funds. With her strong technical experience, she contributes to IFAD’s strategic direction and operational performance. Mukeshimana has direct oversight of IFAD’s budget, quality assurance, change management and innovation.
Prior to her appointment, Mukeshimana served as the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources for Rwanda for almost a decade. During this time, the agricultural sector continued to grow and benefit from remarkable transformation. Among her accomplishments, Mukeshimana was able to attract private sector interest in agri-business and pioneered the use of climate funds for agriculture.

Mukeshimana has held various positions, including as a Post-Doctoral Molecular Biology Scientist for the International Livestock Research Institute, Post-Doctoral Scientist in Genomics at the Michigan State University and as a lecturer in the Faculty of Agriculture at the National University of Rwanda. Mukeshimana was also National Project Coordinator for the World Bank’s Rural Sector Support programme in Rwanda.
Mukeshimana has a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering from the National University of Rwanda and a master’s degree and a PhD in Plant Breeding and Genetics, Crop and Soil Sciences from Michigan State University.

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Janusz Wojciechowski

Panellist
Commissioner for Agriculture / European Commission
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Born on 6 December 1954 ; Master’s degree in law, graduated from the University of Łódź, Department of Law and Administration (1977). Judge in a regional court, a provincial court and the Polish Court of Appeal (1980-1993); seconded to the Polish Supreme Court (1990-1991).
Member of the National Council of the Judiciary of Poland (1990-1993); Judge at the Tribunal of State (1991-1993); Member of the Sejm – the lower Chamber of the Polish Parliament (1993-1995); President of the Polish Supreme Audit Office – NIK and Member of the board of EUROSAI – the European organization of supreme audit institutions (1995-2001); Deputy Speaker of the Polish Sejm (2001-2004); Member of the European Parliament for three terms (2004-2016); Member of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals since his first term in 2004, and Chair of the Intergroup since 2014. Five-time author and co-author of commentary on the Polish Penal Code; author of more than 100 articles and publications on criminal law in various legal journals in Poland and author of articles on socio-legal issues. Member of the European Court of Auditors from 7 May 2016 to 30 November 2019: assigned to Chamber I “Sustainable use of natural resources”; Member of the Audit Quality Control Committee from 14 June 2018. Appointed as EU Commissioner responsible for the agriculture portfolio as from 1 December 2019 for a five-year term.

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High Level Debate

With this High Level Debate at the 2024 Global Forum for Food and Agriculture, the MSC in cooperation with the BMEL, added a security perspective to the important debate on the intersection of agriculture and climate. The discussion aimed to help build bridges between sectors and perspectives, to identify entry-points and develop joint approaches to the interlinked challenges posed by climate change, food insecurity, and conflict.

Video of this year’s High Level Debate

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As climate change increasingly affects agricultural production and commodity prices around the world, the systemic link between food insecurity and conflict is becoming strikingly visible. 70 percent of people suffering from hunger live in conflict areas and often also face the brunt of the climate crisis. At the same time, food insecurity, exacerbated by climate shocks, frequently aggravates conflict by fuelling social unrest, instability, and rivalry over scarce resources. These connected and mutually reinforcing challenges call for systemic approaches, which consider long-term measures as well as short-term support in crisis situations. While food security is often treated as a humanitarian issue, there is a need to also consider it through the lenses of climate change as well as national and international security. Dialogue between the Global North and South, including particularly affected communities, is crucial to address the issues and develop internationally coordinated comprehensive responses.

With this High Level Debate at the 2024 Global Forum for Food and Agriculture, the MSC in cooperation with the BMEL, wants to add a security perspective to the important debate on the intersection of agriculture and climate. The discussion aims to help build bridges between sectors and perspectives, to identify entry-points and develop joint approaches to the interlinked challenges posed by climate change, food insecurity, and conflict.

Speakers

Sara Menker

Keynote-Speaker
Founder and CEO / Gro Intelligence
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Sara Menker is the founder and CEO of Gro Intelligence. Gro Intelligence is an AI company focused on tackling two of the greatest challenges our world faces today – food security and climate change.

Gro is a trusted source of analytics and data whose customers include some of the world’s largest food and agriculture companies with combined revenues of >$1.5 trillion, asset managers with a combined AUM of >$30 trillion, and government agencies and foundations across the world.

Prior to founding Gro, Sara was in Morgan Stanley’s commodities group where she managed a multi-billion dollar energy options trading portfolio. Sara was named a Global Young Leader by the World Economic Forum and is a fellow of the Aspen Institute and Trustee of the Mandela Institute For Development Studies (MINDS).

Sara has served on various advisory bodies, including the CFTC’s Climate-Related Market Risk Subcommittee, and as a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Group (HLAG) on Climate Action. She is currently a member of the UN Secretary General’s Global Crisis Response Group for Food. In 2022, Sara briefed the UN Security Council on conflict and global food security during a special session chaired by US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.

Sara holds an M.B.A from Columbia University and a B.A. in Economics from Mount Holyoke College and the London School of Economics.

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Dr. Michael Werz

Facilitator
Senior Advisor for North America and Multilateral Affairs / Munich Security Conference

Cem Özdemir

Panellist
Minister / Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL)

Janet Maro

Panellist
CEO / Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania (SAT)
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Janet Maro is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Programme of Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania (SAT) a local organization in Tanzania which for over 10 years has a direct outreach of over 77,000 farmers and has been working to achieve the goal that smallholder farmers are able to feed their families and improve their livelihoods through agriculture in a sustainable, socially, economically viable and environmentally friendly way. The organization employs over 50 full time staff and hosts university students for field practical training, internships and provides on-the job training in technical areas of crop production, livestock production, food processing and value addition to mention a few. SAT is winner of the One World Award and overall winner of the inaugural Africa Agroecology Award, Best Civil Society Organization Category. Janet has a background in agricultural economics and agribusiness as well as programme management.

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Josefa Sacko

Panellist
Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment / African Union

Paul Rushton

Panellist
Expert for Climate Change and Security / NATO

Martin Frick

Panellist
World Food Programme (WFP)
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Dr. Frick brings more than 25 years of professional experience in the United Nations, Goverment, and NGOs to the table, in addition to distinguished expertise on food systems, climate, development, multilateral diplomacy, public diplomacy, and emergency response.
Dr. Frick joined the WFP Global Office Berlin as Director in 2021 to lead on WFP’s relationship with its second biggest donor, as well as Austria and Liechtenstein. From November 2022 to June 2023, he also acted as Director a.i. of the WFP Brussels Office to the European Union, expanding WFP’s strategic reach to the European Union’s Commission, Council, Parliament, and External Action Service. Prior to joining WFP, he was Deputy Special Envoy to the Food Systems Summit 2021, and supported building the summit’s strategy alongside serving as acting head of the summit’s preparation.
As Senior Director of UN Climate Change (UNFCC) from 2017 to 2021, Mr. Frick oversaw the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the Secretariat’s Climate Action work. From 2015 to 2017, Dr. Frick led the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO) work on Climate Change. As Ambassador to the UN and International Organizations based in Germany from 2012 to 2015, he played a critical role in building up the UN’s Sustainability Hub in Bonn, expanding upon his previous assignment as Third Generation Environmentalist’s (E3G) climate lead for climate diplomacy.
From 2007 to 2010, as Programme Director of Kofi Annan’s Global Humanitarian Forum, Dr. Frick developed the foundational concept of climate justice, coining what now is an established term in the climate debate. Under the 2007 German EU presidency, Dr. Frick served as the European Union’s lead negotiator in the establishment of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UN’s highest body on Human Rights. Dr. Frick represented Germany in the General Assembly’s Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs from 2005 to 2007.
From 2002 to 2005, he was Cabinet Affairs Advisor to German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. His first posting abroad was in post-crisis Albania as Consul and Deputy Ambassador from 1999 to 2002.
Dr. Frick has been a German diplomat since 1996. He holds a PhD in Law from Regensburg University and a diploma in International Relations from Science Po Strasbourg. He was a senior fellow at Demos, New York as well as a guest lecturer at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin.

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