19 January 2009: UN officials and representatives of international agencies belonging to the High-Level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis, ministers and several Heads of State will convene from 26-27 January 2009, in Madrid, Spain, for a High-Level Meeting on Food Security for All. Hosted by the Spanish Government, the meeting will review progress since the “High-Level Conference on World Food Security: The Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy,” held in June 2008, during which 181 States and the European Community pledged to alleviate the suffering caused by soaring food prices, stimulate agricultural development and food production, and address obstacles to food access.

The meeting, which will be co-chaired by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, aims to establish a partnership for food security including governments, regional bodies, civil society, businesses, international agencies, development banks and donors. During a press briefing held at UN Headquarters in New York, US, David Nabarro, coordinator of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis, explained that countries are expected to develop a road map to combat hunger more effectively and commit more resources for agriculture and food security. Warning that the recent decline in food prices does not imply the end of the food crises, he also called for greater attention to the impacts of using cereals and other food stuffs for biofuel production on market stability. [UN Press Release] [UN News Centre] [UN Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis]