14 November 2013: The UN and Expo 2015 have signed an agreement signaling UN support, led by the Rome-based food agencies, for Expo 2015, which will focus on the theme ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.’

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) will guide UN participation at the Expo, which will take place in Milan, Italy, from May to October 2015. The UN’s work will be spotlighted through a common UN message. To date, 22 UN agencies have submitted proposals for exhibits.

IFAD notes that 842 million people worldwide are chronically undernourished, despite progress in other areas of the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG 1) on reducing hunger and poverty, and that the end of 2015 will mark the deadline for achieving this and the other seven MDGs. In the context of the need to produce more food and to cope with weather shocks and climate-related emergencies, it says, the international community is crafting a new set of goals to address sustainable development in the post-2015 era. [IFAD Press Release]