The world faces a real and worsening food crisis. More than 700 million people go to bed hungry every night. Climate change, conflict and instability are active threats to an already precarious situation. Extreme floods, fires and heat waves are destroying ecosystems and triggering greater food insecurity.

Australia’s New International Development Policy, released in August 2023, focuses on building regional resilience, particularly in the Pacific, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, with climate change as a key strategic challenge. This policy emphasizes partnerships that create economic and social value, which will be achieved through building effective and accountable states that drive their own development as well as enhancing resilience to external pressure and shocks.

IFAD, as an international financial institution and specialised United Nations agency mandated to improving the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable rural people around the world. With total investments of US$7.6 billion in the Asia and the Pacific region, IFAD was purpose-built to respond to the root causes of instability, conflict and crisis, by strengthening the productivity, livelihoods and climate resilience of small-scale producers and rural people.

In this critical time of unprecedented rising global food and nutrition insecurity, compounded by the polycrisis, this forum presents an important platform for the IFAD President to engage with Australian partners, to share insights, inspire action, and collaborate towards a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient global food future.

Chair: Colin Chartres, Chief Executive Officer, The Crawford Fund

This is a joint event between the Development Policy Centre and the Crawford Fund.