Conference Objective

Introduction Objective Methodology

Introduction

In a world prone to natural and human disasters, where more than 850 million people are suffering from acute and chronic hunger, food aid can be life-saving. But, despite long-standing experience in this field, food aid is one of the most complex and easily misunderstood instruments of international policy. A body of international regulatory mechanisms has emerged around food aid. One of the most visible of them is the Food Aid Convention (FAC). Because of the links between food aid and the WTO/Doha negotiations the food aid reform process – and, as a consequence, also the renegotiation of the FAC – has been protracted. The German government as well as the European Union are still of the opinion that reform processes in the international food aid system are needed, and therefore wish to hear stakeholders' views.

Objective

The conference is being organised by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in Berlin, Germany, to provide a forum for discussion and for an exchange of views on the food aid agenda and as an input for the process of renegotiating the Food Aid Convention. The meeting offers an opportunity for a frank exchange of views and independent exploration of the current challenges in the international food aid regime. It is not intended to be a place for negotiations or for finding “common language”.

Remarks on the methodology

Marc Cohen (IFPRI), the conference rapporteur, will collect important conclusions and recommendations elaborated during the plenary and parallel working group sessions with the active participation of all invitees. The conference rapporteur will present a synthesis report on the final day.

The main issues, conclusions and recommendations that come up during the conference will be compiled in a conference report, which will be made available to all stakeholders after the conference.