FAO Leads Celebrations on World Food Day [viewed]
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.
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.”
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.
14 October 2008: The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released a new Information Paper exploring the effects of the EU emissions trading scheme (EU ETS) on the aluminum sector.
10 October 2008: The international Conference on “Competitive Cities and Climate Change,” organized by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), took place from 9-10 October 2008, in Milan, Italy. The event provided the opportunity for mayors from some of the world's most important and influential cities to both address common challenges and share best practices on climate solutions.
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.'
10 October 2008: In a press conference given in New York, US, Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, stated that the current global market crisis could provide an opportunity for the world financial system to reconstruct itself to promote “green” growth.
9 October 2008: At high-level meetings in Seoul, Republic of Korea, the Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Noeleen Heyzer, discussed with the Republic of Korea's Prime Minister, Han Seung-soo, a partnership to implement a $200 million fund to support Asian developing countries to pursue a low-carbon development path.
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 (GHG) reduction and agricultural development.
