Monrovia – The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and other strategic partners will on Monday, October 16, 2017 celebrate World Food Day in Monrovia under the theme: “Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development.”
The celebration will be climaxed with a press conference and a stakeholder’s dialogue at the Project Management Unit of the MOA in Fendell, Montserrado County.
Dignitaries to grace the occasion include the Minister of Agriculture, Mrs. Seklau E. Wiles, FAO Country Representative, Mr. Marc Abdala, WFP Country Director, Dr. Bienvenu Djossa, United Nations High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR) Country Representative, Madam Ndeye Ndour, and the Coordinator of the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), Madam Princeatta Varma as well as the Country Representative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Mr. Kabla Amibere.
The MOA in a press release said the group,will jointly conduct a press briefing on the importance of investing in sustainable rural development and agriculture, working towards zero hunger and also addressing some of the major global challenges the world faces today, including migration and displacement.
The release said the Stakeholder Dialogue is expected to bring together major players including the Government of Liberia, UN Agencies, Farmers and Academicians to discuss issues relating to agriculture and food production.
The release also cited that Pope Francis, of the Roman Catholic Church, will for the first time attend the World Food Day ceremony in Rome, calling on the international community to help change the future of migration.
World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on 16th of October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945 along with other organizations concerned with food security, including the WFP and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
The Day is a global event celebrated to promote worldwide responsiveness and action for those who suffer from hunger and to ensure food security and nutritious diets for all.
It also provides the opportunity for the global world to show its commitment to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) “End Hunger” and achieving Zero Hunger by 2030.
The World Food Day was celebrated in 2014 under the theme: “Family Farming: Feeding the world, caring for the earth”, in 2015 it was “Social Protection and Agriculture: Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty”; in 2016 it was Climate Change: “Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too”, which echoes the theme of 2008, and of 2002 and 1989.