About the Author: Nancy Lindborg serves as Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at the U.S. Agency for International Development.

On July 20, 2011, I got a call from Dina Esposito, USAID’s Director of the Office of Food for Peace, alerting me of the official declaration of famine in Somalia. That moment, more than a year ago, is still deeply, vividly and painfully with me.

Famines are entirely man-made and have become increasingly rare. In my confirmation hearing, I quoted Amartya Sen’s famous words that famines don’t happen in democracies. So as the worst drought in 60 years gripped the Horn of Africa last year, it was only in Somalia, racked by 20 years of conflict and instability, and with limited access for humanitarian action, that famine was declared. The United States’ commitment and long-term work with Ethiopia, Kenya, and many of their neighbors have reduced… more »

About the Author: Karen Johnson is the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Rome, Italy, where she works with FAO and other UN agencies in Rome to support innovative and effective development projects.

It’s normal to think that food assistance is simply about keeping stomachs full. But, in fact, it’s far more complex than that. It’s also about empowering and enabling people to support themselves and their communities on a sustainable basis. A couple of weeks ago, I traveled to Zimbabwe and Mozambique to visit development projects supported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in partnership with local authorities. It was there that I saw what a difference agricultural development efforts can make in people’s lives.

Women Take the Lead

It was clear to me that women play the key role in providing food and income to their families in both these countries. In the areas I visited, small-scale farmers are almost exclusively female. Many of the local men have moved to South Africa to work in mines, therefore women are the community leaders… more »

About the Author: Jonathan Shrier serves as Special Representative for Global Food Security (Acting).

This morning, Secretary Clinton announced that Dr. Daniel Hillel, a U.S. and Israeli citizen, is the winner of the 2012 World Food Prize for pioneering work in micro-irrigation and promoting sustainable agricultural development. His work over 50 years, in over 30 countries, has allowed countless farmers to maximize water efficiency in agriculture, improve crop production, and minimize environmental impacts. Dr. Hillel is an international authority on soil and water management, and we congratulate him on today’s well-deserved announcement.

Micro irrigation technologies such as drip irrigation are simple yet highly effective techniques of applying water in small, continuous amounts directly to plant roots. This method is a cost-effective alternative to… more »

SECRETARY CLINTON: It is indeed a pleasure to be back here in Copenhagen. This is my first stop on a trip that will take me to several European countries over the next week to underscore America’s commitment to our transatlantic allies and our shared values. You are, after all, our partners of first resort. And together, we are facing the challenges of a complex, dangerous, and fast-moving world. And I’m particularly grateful for Denmark’s leadership in the area of humanitarian and development assistance as well as the staunch contributions to our shared security.

The friendship between our two countries dates back more than two centuries and the bonds between our people have endured over that time. Our commitment to democracy, to human rights, to human dignity is core to all of us. And this morning I had the great privilege of speaking with a group of Danish young people about the kind of future that we hope awaits them.

We had a very productive lunch, talked through a range of issues as the minister has said, because after all we are working together on matters ranging from nuclear proliferation in Iran to global food security. MORE

About the Author: Maura O’Neill serves as Chief Innovation Officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and Kat Townsend serves as Special Assistant for Engagement at USAID.

Recently, President Obama announced the G-8’s commitment to the “New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition,” the next phase of the G-8’s shared commitment to achieving global food security and nutrition goals. One of the elements of this New Alliance is a focus on science, technology, and innovation including the importance of open and available food security data. The group also committed to convene an international conference on food security and open data for G-8 members and stakeholders to determine how to increase openness and access to data. Seizing on the commitment… more »

About the Author: Tjada McKenna serves as the Deputy Coordinator for Development for Feed the Future, and Jonathan Shrier serves as the Acting Special Representative for Global Food Security and as the Deputy Coordinator for Diplomacy for Feed the Future.

1. What is the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, and who is participating?

The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition is a commitment by G-8 members, African countries, and private sector partners to achieve sustained and inclusive agricultural growth to lift 50 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years. It builds upon the progress and commitments made in 2009 at the L’Aquila G-8 Summit, and offers a broad and innovative path to strengthen food security and nutrition.

The New Alliance includes specific commitments from:

- African leaders to refine policies in order to improve investment opportunities and drive their country-led plans on food security;
- Private sector partners, who have collectively committed more than $3 billion to increase investments; and
- G-8 members, who will support Africa’s potential… more »

Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Ronald Reagan Center
Washington, DC
May 18, 2012

Oh, thank you all. Thank you. Thank you. Well, that was really a wonderful introduction from someone who I’ve had the great pleasure of working with on a number of important issues and am delighted to be working so closely with Senator Lindsey Graham again, as he is the ranking member on the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee. And I’m so appreciative of his strong support of America’s development and diplomatic efforts around the world. We promised him that we would seize and erase all tapes of what he has just said. (Laughter.) So don’t take it personally, any of you in the press, but this is to protect him going forward. (Laughter.)

Well, this has been an amazing day, and I’m all that stands between you and getting out into this absolutely beautiful afternoon and enjoying some of the sights that Washington has to offer. But I wanted to come to close out the formal part of the program to express great appreciation, first and foremost, to the Chicago Council – in particular, Catherine Bertini and Dan Glickman for bringing us all together today to our very special guests, the heads of state and government from Tanzania, Benin, Ethiopia and Ghana, and to tell you how exciting it is that we have this partnership at the highest levels with the countries that you represent here at this conference and for the months and years ahead. I also want to thank Raj Shah and his great colleagues at USAID. Raj has led a tireless effort on behalf of advancing food security worldwide along with the wonderful help of people not only here in Washington but in our posts and missions across the globe. MORE

Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Benjamin Franklin Room
Washington, DC
May 17, 2012

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, this is a very exciting time for all of us, which includes everyone in this room who has been working together in order to realize the dream of an effective, functioning partnership around food and nutrition security. And to those of you who have traveled from afar to be here in Washington, we welcome you. And in particular, we are honored to have the heads of state and government who have been introduced. These gentlemen are here because they understand the opportunity that is being presented to have a true partnership, a global partnership around the ending of food insecurity, hunger, and malnutrition. And we are very impressed that you have taken this leadership position and the time to be with us.

Also in this room are representatives of the G-8 nations. This G-8 effort began in Italy, and I see friends of mine from the Government of Italy who began this process in L’Aquila. And at Camp David this weekend, in partnership with our African partners, we take it to the next level. MORE

Notice to the Press
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
May 17, 2012

On May 18^th, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will deliver remarks at the Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security: Advancing Food and Nutrition Security at the 2012 G8 Summit, at the Ronald Reagan Building. The event, hosted by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, will feature announcements of significant new business commitments for African agriculture and discussions on addressing hunger and poverty in the changing development landscape.

For more information about the Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security and to view the agenda visit:www.thechicagocouncil.org/GlobalAgSymposium.

The Secretary will deliver remarks at approximately 4:00 p.m. The event will be open to the press and streamed live atwww.state.gov.

Pre-set time for cameras: 2:45 p.m. from the 14^th Street Entrance of the Ronald Reagan Center.
Final access time for journalists and still photographers: 3:30 p.m. from the 14^th Street Entrance of the Ronald Reagan Center.

Media representatives may attend this event upon presentation of one of the following: (1) A U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense or Foreign Press Center), (2) a media-issued photo identification card, or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification card (driver’s license, passport).

For further information, please contact the USAID Office of Press Relations at (202) 712-4320 or the Department of State Office of Press Relations at (202) 647-2492.