This regional workshop on climate change, disasters and crises in the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Southern and Eastern Africa is jointly organized by the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Fish Programme (NFFP), and the Smartfish Programme of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The objective of the workshop is to establish the current baseline with regard to the integration of climate change adaptation and disaster risk management in fisheries and aquaculture activities and policies in Southern and Eastern Africa, and, vice versa, determine the extent of integration of fisheries and aquaculture in climate change adaptation and disaster risk management strategies and plans. The overall aim is to coordinate activities and identify gaps and priority actions to be supported by the NFFP and other partners.
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4 March 2013: The latest issue of the "Nature and Faune" newsletter from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) regional office for Africa features articles on water resource conservation in Africa, presenting the challenges of integrating sustainable use of land, forests and fisheries.
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28 February 2013: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) held a series of high-profile discussions looking at hunger in the context of a growing population and climate change.
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28 February 2013: A new five year Memorandum of Understanding between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) has been signed to help the FAO provide the CGIAR with advice on agricultural research priorities.
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22 February 2013: The UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD) has released the final working version of its Guidelines on Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).
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February 2013: A new report of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO), titled "Biofuels and the Sustainability Challenge," addresses the issue of biofuel sustainability based on a global assessment of major commodities and feedstocks. The report is guided by the need to understand the economic, environmental and social sustainability dimensions of biofuels, and how these elements can be used to address the challenges of land-use change, food security and climate change.
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20 February 2013: The UN General Assembly launched the International Year of Quinoa with a High-Level Panel discussion during its plenary at UN Headquarters in New York. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Bolivian President Evo Morales and First Lady of Peru Nadine Heredia participated in the launch, which will be celebrated under the theme "A future sown thousands of years ago."
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1 February 2013: The Congo Basin Forest Fund has launched a forest monitoring initiative to support improved remote sensing use for forest cover and forest cover change. The initiative, totaling €6.1 million, will also provide technical support for the development of forest monitoring proposals for funding under REDD+ programmes.
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The first Food Security Futures conference will bring together senior researchers from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) to present their perspectives on research priorities for the 21st century. The conference is being held in Dublin, Ireland, the week before the EU Presidency (held the by Irish government) Meeting on ‘Hunger – Nutrition – Climate Justice: Making Connections for a More Sustainable World'. Topics will include: overarching food security issues and challenges for sustainable food security; nutrition dimensions of food security and challenges for sustainable food security; food security and sustainable resource use; and food security and climate change. A substantive research paper on research priorities will be presented for each topic, with comments by selected scientists, participants from the private sector and others. Attendees will address next steps to be taken by international organizations charged with addressing the research needs of a sustainable, food-secure future. More technical meetings in the 2-3 days leading up to the formal program will also be organized.
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14 February 2013: The 36th Session of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Governing Council convened from 13-14 February 2013, in Rome, Italy, and focused on building partnerships to reduce poverty and ensure food security in rural communities worldwide.
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