Kick-off Event

The Kick-off Event marked the official start of the GFFA with an exchange between high-level experts of the global agri-food sector from politics, industry, science, and civil society under the guiding theme “Food Systems for Our Future: Joining Forces for a Zero Hunger World!”.

The kick-off event introduced the topic, outlining its diverse aspects and paving the way for the discussions held at the many events of the GFFA. The kick-off event is hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) in cooperation with the Berlin Senate and Messe Berlin GmbH.

CV / Vita

Camila Paula Cammaert Gutierrez
An ecologist from Universidad Javeriana, with over 18 years of experience, has cultivated strong collaborative relationships with diverse national and international stakeholders, spanning civil society, the private sector, and the public sector. Throughout the career, the focus has been on developing innovative strategies in key areas such as sustainable sourcing, supply chain, risk analysis, sustainability frameworks, accountability, transparency, certification schemes, sustainable production and consumption, and policy advocacy. These strategies serve as entry points for transformation and collaboration with productive sectors, particularly within agriculture.
As the leader of Food and agriculture at WWF Colombia, heads a multidisciplinary team dedicated to implementing strategies and actions aimed at redirecting the current impacts on food production, distribution, and consumption in Colombia. The primary objective is to transform these processes into opportunities for nature conservation and sustainable food systems. To achieve this, the team focuses on the value chain, promoting sustainable food production, reducing the footprint associated with food loss and waste, advocating for changes in consumption patterns and diets with non- conversion of natural ecosystems for agricultural production.

Dionys Forster
Dionys Forster has over 20 years’ experience as a dynamic and respected leader in agri-food value chain. He is Director General of the SAI Platform (SAI Platform — Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform), a leading food and beverage platform with 180+ members, promoting good agricultural principles and practices. Previously, Dionys has worked in the food industry on sustainable sourcing of agricultural raw materials. He has a PhD in agriculture and thorough experience in research and technology development.

Jyotsna Jyotsna Puri
Jyotsna Jyotsna Puri (or Jo) is the Associate Vice-President – Strategy and Knowledge Department (SKD) at IFAD. She leads the organizations strategy work in IFAD’s key areas targeting agriculture, climate, gender, nutrition, youth and social inclusion. Puri provides the vision for evidence-informed advice on program designs and implementation, contributing to resource mobilization, and supporting IFAD’s global remit in providing state-of the art policy advice related to these topics.

Puri has worked previously at the Green Climate Fund, 3ie, UNEP, the World Bank and UNDP. She is also adjunct associate professor at Columbia University, New York where she was also a research scientist. She has published in many academic journals and written for newspapers and provided advice as a board member to several development organizations. In 2019, Puri was selected one of 16 women who have shown leadership in restoring the earth through their efforts, by the Global Landscape Forum.

She holds a PhD and MSc in Agriculture and Resource Economics and an MA in Development Economics.

Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka
Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka is the current Minister of Agriculture and Food Security in Sierra Leone, leading the nation’s agricultural transformation through the President’s flagship Feed Salone programme. Dr. Kpaka boasts a remarkable academic and professional background: he is a Harvard University alumnus and an LSE-trained economist where he earned his Ph.D.; he is also a Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.
Prior to his current role, Dr. Kpaka made significant contributions in various capacities at the centre of government: as Chief Technical Advisor in the Office of the Chief Minister and Agriculture Advisor to the previous Minister of Agriculture.
Dr. Kpaka’s commitment to sustainable agriculture was displayed at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), where he was instrumental in co-managing a multi-million-dollar project in East Africa, delivering agricultural technologies to smallholder farmers. Dr. Kpaka also held prominent position at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he managed a substantial agriculture portfolio, covering West and East Africa, as well as India. His tenure at the World Bank was marked by his efforts in policy development, aimed at improving the business climate in developing and emerging economies.
In his capacity as the Minister, Dr. Kpaka also represents Sierra Leone as a co-chair of an international Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF), aiming at transforming national food systems by taking a systemic and whole-of-government approach and tackling food and climate crisis head-on.

Monika Jones
Monika Jones is one of Germany’s leading bilingual journalists and presenters. As an English speaking news anchor at Germany’s global TV broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, she is familiar to a wide international audience, especially in North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

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