12 May 2008: The inaugural meeting of the UN High-level Task Force on the Global Food Crisis, convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, focused on elaborating a comprehensive framework for tackling the challenges posed by the food price crisis. In his opening remarks at the 12 May 2008 meeting, Secretary-General Ban recognized that soaring food prices are “essentially linked to the global demand for food exceeding supply, the drivers of the crisis are complex and the consequences are varied. Tackling this issue will require international leadership and coordination at the highest level.”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s statement | UN Press release | Task Force website

The Task Force brings together the heads of major UN specialized Agencies, Funds and Programmes, Bretton Woods Institutions and relevant parts of the UN Secretariat to “promote a comprehensive and unified response to the global food price challenge in support of governments and affected populations.”
The Task Force’s strategy, which will be presented at the FAO High-level Conference on World Food Security, to be held from 3-6 June 2008, in Rome, Italy, will outline actions, such as food aid, social protection initiatives and measures for boosting agriculture, to address the impacts of the recent increases in food prices on people in poor countries. The Task Force also launched a website to provide updates on its activities, including task force participants, upcoming events, key statements and documents.