G8 leaders meet in L’Aquila

Date: 10 July
Venue: G8 Summit, Coppito, L’Aquila

Rome – July 6, 2009 - Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), will speak to the G8 Heads of State or Government gathered in the Italian city of L’Aquila, during the Working Session on Food Security on Friday 10 July.

Since taking office in April, Nwanze has participated in three of the G8 ministerial meetings in the run up to the summit; the Agriculture Ministers meeting in Treviso, the Development Ministers meeting in Rome and the Finance Ministers meeting in Lecce.

He will remind the leaders of the world’s industrialised nations that smallholder agriculture is vital to beating back poverty and hunger and that agriculture must regain its central place on the development agenda, particularly in this time of crisis.

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The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) works with poor rural people to enable them to increase their incomes, build their livelihoods and have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. Since 1978, IFAD has invested over US$11 billion in grants and low-interest loans, helping 340 million people in developing countries worldwide. IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized UN agency based in Rome – the UN’s food and agricultural hub. It is a unique partnership of 165 members from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), other developing countries and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development