On 15-16 April 2013, Dublin Castle was the stage for the Foundation's Conference on Hunger · Nutrition · Climate Justice, during the year of Ireland’s EU Presidency.
The Dublin Conference on Hunger · Nutrition · Climate Justice took place in Dublin Castle from 15-16 April 2013, during Ireland’s Presidency of the EU.
Watch video coverage of the conference on www.eu2013.ie.
The Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice, together with the Irish Government, hosted this unique event, combining key policy makers in global development with the people living on the frontlines of climate change and food insecurity.
Hunger – Nutrition – Climate Justice Multimedia Conference Report – Key messages for the global development process are outlined in our Multimedia Conference Report
The conference was organised in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP) and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) also supported the event, which will open dialogue and debate on the linked challenges of hunger, nutrition and climate justice, while encouraging and inspiring innovative thinking and solutions.
With the international community beginning to review progress on the Millennium Development Goals – two years before the target date for their achievement – policy discussions are also beginning on the Sustainable Development Goals and the post-2015 framework for international development.
Video animation credit: Irish Aid
By bringing together key international policy makers with those who are living with the impacts of climate change and are often the most vulnerable to hunger and under nutrition, the conference was an important first step in enabling a respectful dialogue on the future of development.
“The devastating effects that climate change has on the food crisis facing millions of people in the developing world is clear to see in the unpredictable weather patterns experienced across the globe, destroying crops, increasing food prices and pushing millions into poverty and hunger,” Mrs Robinson said. “By holding this conference, we will give voice to those who all too often go unheard – the poorest and most vulnerable. Listening to their experiences and learning from their actions is essential in building solutions that will have a clear and definite effect to their daily lives.”
Today nearly one billion people still suffer from hunger, most of them women and children. Under nutrition among mothers and children is the underlying cause of 2.5 million deaths every year.
With the world’s population set to reach 9 billion by 2050, agricultural production will need to increase by 60% just to meet the growing demand. Over the same period climate change, water scarcity and land degradation could reduce food production by one quarter, leading to further increases in the number of people suffering from hunger.
The global challenges of hunger, nutrition and climate justice are linked – so our response also needs to be linked, coherent and consistent. To be credible, the global response must be based on a clear understanding of the rights and the reality of the lives of the people most affected, now and in the future. We need to move away from a business-as-usual approach to development if these global challenges are to be resolved in our lifetimes.
In anticipation of this conference, Mary Robinson; Irish Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore; Ertharin Cousin, executive director of the World Food Programme; and Frank Rijsberman, CEO of the CGIAR Consortium wrote about the need for climate justice in the most vulnerable communities in the world. You can also read more about hunger, nutrition and climate justice on the websites of Irish Aid and EU2013, the blog of CGIAR CCAFS and the latest WFP Global Food Security Update.
Related:
Our Work: Food and Nutrition Security
Day One: Opening of Hunger – Nutrition – Climate Justice 2013 – 15 April 2013
Case Study: The right to food security in a changing Arctic – The 160,000 indigenous Inuit who live in four countries across the Arctic — Canada, Greenland, United States (Alaska) and Russia (Chukotka) have seen major changes in their food security over the past 60 years…
Case Study: Food security in the face of climate risks – Mongolia, with 2.87 million people living on 1.5 million hectares, is the world’s most sparsely populated country. With 15 animals for every person, 70 percent of the adult population work in animal husbandry…
View more photos from the conference
Gore calls for action on climate change – Irish Times, 17 April 2013
Al Gore warns of climate devastation in Dublin visit – Irish Independent, 17 April 2013
Small farmers take the stage to sway climate justice debate – AlertNet, 17 April 2013
Climate Conversations – Sustainable agricultural intensification: Tackling food insecurity in a resource-scarce world – AlertNet, 17 April 2013
Robinson still breaking down barriers as she takes on global hunger – Irish Independent, 16 April 2013
Two-day international Hunger Conference opens in Dublin – Irish Times, 16 April 2013
Severe weather ‘pushing millions’ into starvation – Irish Independent, 16 April 2013
Hunger ‘grossest rights violation’ – Irish Independent, 16 April 2013
Climate justice and hunger top agenda for Dublin summit – Famine, drought and food security will dominate the agenda of a climate change summit hosted by the Irish government. – The Guardian, 15 April 2013
Impact of climate change, hunger and poor nutrition to be explored at major international conference
– EU2013.ie, 15 April 2013
Dublin hosting international hunger and climate change conference – RTÉ, 15 April 2013
Child food issues stunting progress in global welfare – Irish Times, 15 April 2013
Robinson links climate change to hunger and undernutrition – Irish Times, 15 April 2013
Climate change: how a warming world is a threat to our food supplies – The Guardian, 15 April 2013
Climate change and hunger: an issue of justice – AlertNet, 15 April 2013
Robinson: Previous targets on world hunger have ‘not served us well enough’ – Irish Examiner, 15 April 2013
Tackling climate change and hunger on agenda at major conference – TheJournal.ie, 15 April 2013
Al Gore visits Dublin for global hunger conference – NewsTalk.ie, 15 April 2013
Al Gore to attend Dublin summit on hunger next month – Irish Independent, 27th March 2013
Provisional Agenda now availble
Media Notification: Hunger – Nutrition – Climate Justice Conference – Irish Aid, 27 March 2013