Welcome: Shenggen Fan, Director General, IFPRI (Video)
Keynote: Kanayo Nwanze, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) (Video)
Perspectives:
- Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder and Chairperson, BRAC (Video)
- Wolfgang Jamann, Secretary General and CEO, CARE International (Video)
- Kathy Spahn, President and CEO, Helen Keller International (Video)
Moderator: Catherine Bertini, Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University
Closing Remarks: Shenggen Fan, Director General, IFPRI (Video)
Blog recap: A Window of Opportunity to End Hunger and Undernutrition
Hunger and undernutrition persist as major global challenges, yet some countries have proven successful at rapidly reducing both. For example, Compact2025 focal countries—Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Rwanda—have each reduced the prevalence of hunger by roughly half from 1990 to 2015. In Peru, hunger rates fell by even more than half, from 32 percent to just 7.5 percent in the same period. Some countries have also made great strides to reduce undernutrition. Bangladesh reduced child stunting rates by 1.3 percent annually from 1997 to 2007—and then made accelerated reductions from 2011 to 2014 when stunting rates fell from 41 to 36 percent. Successes like these show that rapid progress is possible. How to sustain progress in these countries and accelerate progress in others are key questions that will be addressed in this special event convened by Compact2025.
Compact2025, a bold new initiative facilitated by IFPRI, aims to accelerate progress and scale up investments in ending hunger and malnutrition by 2025. Since its launch, the initiative has hosted country roundtables, released the book Nourishing Millions: Stories of Change in Nutrition, and is developing a Knowledge and Innovation hub, and much more.