The Global Partnership for Agriculture and Food Security (GPAFS) to support Africa through CAADP

By Andrew Kanyegirire

Madrid, Spain - “Poor people are constantly being put to the test by food insecurity. We need to do more to protect people from the social insecurity that is caused by food insecurity”, said United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon yesterday.

“We worked hard to bring food assistance to those that most needed it in 2008. This year it is going to be harder because of the financial crisis which impacts on food security, but we must remain focused on improving food production” he advised.

Mr. Ban was speaking at the end of a two-day ‘High Level Meeting on Food Security for All, 26th -27 January’ in Madrid, Spain. The meeting was co-chaired by the Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
The meetings were a follow-up to last June’s High-level Conference on World Food Security in Rome.

Speaking on behalf of the African Union, Prof. Richard Mkandawire who is the head of NEPAD’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) called upon the participants to use the meetings as an opportunity for kick-starting action-driven and globally-oriented attempts to end world hunger.

The severe food shortages in countries such as (more…)