Middle East and North Africa Discussion of IFPRI’s 2021 Global Food Policy Report: Transforming Food Systems After COVID-19

Name: Middle East and North Africa Discussion of IFPRI’s 2021 Global Food Policy Report: Transforming Food Systems After COVID-19
Start: Wed, 09 Jun 2021 09:00:00 -0400
End: Wed, 09 Jun 2021 10:30:00 -0400

IFPRI Egypt

Jun 9, 2021 - 9:00 to 10:30am EDT

Information

COVID-19 has upended local, national, and global food systems, and put the Sustainable Development Goals further out of reach. But lessons and momentum from the world’s response to the pandemic can contribute to food system change. In the 2021 Global Food Policy Report, IFPRI researchers and experts explore the impacts of the pandemic and government policy responses to date, particularly for the poor and disadvantaged, and consider what it all means for transforming our food systems to be healthy, resilient, efficient, sustainable, and inclusive.

The chapters in this flagship report explore key requisites for such a transformation in light of the current shock — balancing health and economic policies, promoting healthy diets and nutrition, strengthening social protection policies and inclusion, integrating natural resource protection into food sector policies, and enhancing the contribution of the private sector — and how best to achieve them.

The MENA regional section examines the diverse experiences of countries in the region, highlighting how the pandemic has compounded other serious challenges — including low oil prices, ongoing conflicts, and political transitions, as well as natural disasters — and has tested the resilience of the national food systems that are heavily dependent on food imports. At the launch event, speakers will share updates on the post COVID-19 recovery plans and discuss the way forward for strengthening the food system’s resilience to shocks.

Opening Remarks