A new joint program led by UN Women, FAO, IFAD, and WFP aims to empower rural women to work for food security, economic development, and social progress. " Accelerating Progress Toward the Economic Empowerment of Rural Women " is a five-year initiative that will be implemented beginning in Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Nepal, Niger, and Rwanda.

During the Second APEC Ministerial Meeting on Food Security in Kazan, Russia, APEC Ministers unanimously endorsed a comprehensive plan to address food security and development issues. The Kazan Declaration focuses on increasing agricultural productivity, facilitating trade and developing markets, enhancing food safety and quality, and improving vulnerable populations' access to safe food sources, and ensuring sustainable development.

At the G8 summit held over the weekend, world leaders focused on the issue of food security in the developing world, announcing a new initiative to reduce hunger and poverty. The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition is a collaborative effort among G8 countries, African countries, and the global private sector and aims to lift 50 million people out of poverty in the next 10 years. This ambitious plan hinges on sustainable agricultural growth, with particular attention paid to smallholder and women farmers.

To revisit some of the most pressing issues to have emerged from the 2011 Policy Dialogue on the Importance of Statistical Information Systems in Improving Food Security in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the National Institute for Agronomic Study and Research (INERA) are announcing a joint Call for Papers (CFP). IFPRI and INERA call for the development of two papers.

On June 18-19, leaders of the G20 will meet in Los Cabos, Mexico to continue addressing global challenges such as food security and food price volatility. The 2011 G20 Summit led to important steps to reduce price volatility, including the creation of the Excessive Food Price Variability Early Warning system and the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) . This year's summit will need to expand upon these steps in order to reach the goals of reduced volatility, poverty reduction, and global food security.

GIEWS has released a special alert for the Syrian Arab Republic, citing continued civil unrest that is threatening food security in the country, particularly for vulnerable groups. According to the World Food Programme, approximately 1.4 million people have become food insecure since the start of the civil unrest. The outlook for the 2012 winter cereal crops could suffer due to disruptions in overall agricultural activities and limited access to fertilizer and seeds.

Improving global food security and ending hunger worldwide are daunting tasks, and policymakers striving toward these goals face many obstacles, from changing climate conditions to increasing financial speculation to highly concentrated export markets. These factors and more can contribute to high, and highly volatile, food prices, threatening global food security and causing widespread human suffering.

India's Department of Food and Public Distribution has released a draft of the National Food Security Bill on its website and is encouraging the public to comment and make suggestions by the end of September.

Keep up to date on the latest reports from FAO GIEWS on the ongoing food security crisis in the Horn of Africa. This page will be regularly updated with new information and resources released by GIEWS.

Drought-related Food Insecurity: A Focus on the Horn of Africa
(English)

Famine Thresholds Surpassed in Somalia
(English)

Latest GIEWS Country Brief for Ethiopia
(English)

Latest GIEWS Country Brief for Somalia
(English)

Image Source: World Bank

The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) has launched a global and inclusive online consultation on the Global Strategic Framework for Food Security and Nutrition – a document being developed to improve coordination and support global, regional and country-led actions to prevent future food crises, eliminate hunger and ensure food security and nutrition for all.

It is an opportunity for all stakeholders around the world to participate in the global policy debate and ultimately contribute to this important framework.