Necessary for FAO to play a more significant role to eradicate hunger

17 June 2013, Rome - FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva today has called on FAO’s Conference to approve a Programme of Work and Budget that sharpens the focus of the Organization's actions to improve the assistance it gives to Member Countries in reaching their food security and agriculture goals.

“Since I took up office, brick by brick we have laid the foundation we need to improve the assistance we offer our Members,” Graziano da Silva told the Conference.

La FAO salue plusieurs institutions et individus pour leur action exceptionnelle contre la faim – et compte trois nouveaux pays membres

15 juin 2013, Rome - L'Union européenne (UE) continuera à renforcer la résilience à long terme des plus vulnérables, à s'attaquer aux causes de la faim et de la pauvreté, et à améliorer la nutrition, a annoncé José Manuel Barroso lors de la Conférence de la FAO.

16 June 2013, Rome - FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva formally recognized 38 countries for reducing hunger by half well ahead of international targets for the year 2015.

During a high-level ceremony attended by several heads of state, 18 countries received diplomas for early achievement of targets set by both Millennium Development Goal 1 (MDG1) — to halve the proportion of hungry people by 2015 — plus the more stringent World Food Summit (WFS) goal of halving the absolute number of hungry people by 2015.

Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen calls for broader approach to ending hunger

15 June 2013, Rome - If the world wants to conquer hunger, it needs to tackle all the causes of hunger simultaneously particularly poverty, and not just concentrate on producing more food, Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate in Economics, told the opening session of the FAO Conference.

The FAO Food Outlook Team is pleased to present this new edition of Food Outlook which incorporates many improvements, including extended coverage and a revised layout. The new edition takes account of feedback received through a recent readership survey while also taking into consideration advances in digital publishing, which is envisaged to become the main means of disseminating Food Outlook reports in the near future.

La FAO elogia que hayan cumplido los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio y los compromisos de la Cumbre Mundial sobre la Alimentación

12 de junio de 2013, Roma - Treinta y ocho países han cumplido los objetivos establecidos internacionalmente en la lucha contra el hambre, anotándose estos éxitos antes del plazo límite fijado para 2015, según ha informado hoy la FAO.

Key messages

• International maize prices rose significantly in May, partially reversing losses of the previous month. Wheat export prices from the United States remained firm, but those from Black Sea and Argentina continued to weaken. Rice prices strengthened or weakened slightly according to origin.

• In Southern Africa, prices of maize generally fell in May with the progress of the 2013 harvest but remained at high levels in several markets on expectations of an overall reduced maize crop.

There are several seasonal rainfall prediction products estimating the probability that precipitation will be above or below the long-term average during a particular season. Each product employs a slightly different methodology; hence, the results often differ amongst products. A general analysis of the main products is presented for July to September 2013, which corresponds to the summer breeding period for the Desert Locust.

Western Region

FAO stepping up its own nutrition efforts

8 June 2013, London/Rome - FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva welcomed the new funding pledges, commitments and targets for action on nutrition announced by governments, the private sector and civil society at the high-level Nutrition for Growth meeting held in London today.

"I welcome the Global Nutrition for Growth Compact agreed at the meeting. FAO will work with all committed governments to realize their food security and nutrition goals," Graziano da Silva said.