Co-organized by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Common Fund for Commodities (CFD), this special event, to be held on the eve of the fourth UN Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDCs), will examine the impact of the multiple global crises on LDCs' commodity sector and their socio-economic progress. Key issues include: the impact of multiple crises on productive capacities of commodity dependent LDCs; the effect of volatility on the growth potential in LDCs’ commodity sectors, including food-security and food self-sufficiency; and the policy responses and specific actions required to address the development challenges facing commodity dependent LDCs. The objective of the Special Event is to reach consensus on priority areas of commodity-based strategies and on a commodity policy for action in the decade 2011-2020. The event will also feature a presentation of a study on the recent food crisis, including the impact of price rises and price volatility on food security, to assist in formulating a common platform for addressing food-security problems and an exchange of views on policy conclusions and lessons learned on the subject.  

date: 8 May 2011   location: Istanbul, Turkey   contact: Mussie Delelegnarega   phone: + 41 22 917 50 38   fax: + 41 22 917 00 49   e-mail: mussie.delelegnarega@unctad.org   www: http://www.unctad.org/sections/ldc_dir/docs/aldc2011_05_en.pdf