The Global Panel joins partners at Tokyo International Conference on African Development
14 August 2019 – The Global Panel will be participating at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) in the city of Yokohama, Japan, from the 28-30 August 2019. The conference, ‘Africa and Yokohoma, Sharing Passion for the Future’, will be led by the Japanese government and co-sponsored by the UN, UNDP, the African Union Commission, and the World Bank.
As one of the largest international conferences held in Japan, with over 4500 attendants expected this year, TICAD7 will focus on the theme of, ‘Advancing Africa’s Development through People, Technology and Innovation’. Bringing together Heads of State and government, global organisations, civil society, NGOs, and private sector representatives, TICAD7 aligns with the government of Japan’s objective to boost Africa’s development through the use of technology and science. A push for innovative, sustainable food systems will be emphasised through a 3-hour GGG+ Forum Event, Malnutrition in Africa: Towards Nutrition for Growth 2020 and Beyond.
This high-level discussion will be moderated by Gerda Verburg, UN-Assistant Secretary General of the Scaling Up Nutrition movement (SUN) with a panel comprising Prof. Sandy Thomas, Director of Global Panel, Dr. Jennifer Blanke, Vice President Agriculture, Human and Social Development at the African Development Bank, Howdy Bouis, Founding Director of Harvest Plus, World Food Prize Laureate, and a representative of SUN Youth Leaders for Nutrition.
TICAD7 presents an opportunity to catalyse high-level political commitments to ending malnutrition in Africa, achieving SDG2, and supporting the delivery of other SDGs. It will also act as a platform to build momentum for the next Nutrition for Growth Summit (N4G) in 2020 which will be held in Japan. The first Nutrition for Growth Summit in London in 2013 brought together an unprecedented group of distinguished leaders to create new global initiatives, including the Global Panel.
TICAD7 comes at a time when the pressure on global food systems to deliver more food as cheaply as possible is increasing dramatically. Recent research from IFAD suggests that by 2050, the number of young people residing in rural Africa will have reached almost 180 million, nearly double current figures. The growing youth population and our ability to harness new technologies presents many new opportunities for Africa. Equipped with the knowledge and technical innovation which will be discussed at events such as TICAD7, young people have the chance to revolutionise agriculture and food systems in Africa, through which we can deliver healthier diets and better nutrition for everyone.