25 August 2008: A UN-sponsored International Symposium on
Climate Change and Food Security in South Asia, taking place from 25-30 August
in Dhaka, Bangladesh, aims to develop an agriculture mitigation and adaptation
framework for climate change implementation in South Asia. Participants are
also expected to recommend policy and financial innovations to enable the
implementation of the framework and its integration into the sustainable
development planning of South Asia countries.

The event brings together over
300 experts and is organized by the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO),
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the UN Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), together with Ohio State
University and the University of Dhaka. The workshop will examine the effects
of climate change on this predominantly agricultural region, where close to 300
million are undernourished and live in poverty. During the opening ceremony,
WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud underlined that climate change is a key
factor in formulating sustainable development strategies and noted that it
could hinder progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, in
particular in terms of poverty reduction and food security. He Changchui, FAO
Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, also emphasized the linkages
between climate change and food security, and called on governments to
implement national development strategies to cope with climate change’s impacts
on the farming sector. Siva Thampi, Director, Environment and Development
Division of ESCAP, stressed the importance of policy innovations and the need
to adopt a holistic approach in tackling climate change in South Asia. [Symposium
website] [UN
press release] [WMO/FAO
press release]