The Global Panel appoints Tom Arnold as new Panel Member
“Agriculture and food systems are at the heart of having a better nutritional outcome for all” said Tom Arnold. “I am delighted to have been asked to be a member of the Global Panel. The issues the Panel is dealing with are really important for now and for the future.
“The world today still has too many undernourished people, but we also have a growing number of overweight and obese people. Nutrition policies will need to have a dual focus in the future. They will need to continue making progress on reducing stunting, but also will need to address the rising obesity levels, which have very significant long-term consequences for public health. Policy makers will need to address both of these issues,” continued Mr. Arnold.
Sir John Beddington, co-Chair of the Global Panel, warmly welcomed Mr. Arnold “Tom brings considerable expertise and we are delighted to welcome him on the Panel. He is highly respected and a very knowledgeable about food and nutrition security”. President Kufuor, co-Chair of the Global Panel added “As one of the best in the field of food and nutrition, Tom’s addition to the Panel is a great boost to our efforts”.
Tom Arnold is Director General of the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA). Since September 2014 he has also served as Interim Coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement. He was also CEO of Concern Worldwide, an NGO dealing with humanitarian matters, with a particular focus on nutrition.
“We also want to thank Tony Lake for his valuable contribution to the Panel during the past 2 years. Tony’s contribution has been critical to linking maternal and child health agendas with agricultural ones, which is one of our greatest challenges,” said Sir John.
The Global Panel is an independent group comprising of 12 influential experts with a commitment to tackling global challenges in food and nutrition security. The Global Panel aims to inform and influence policy makers in agriculture and food systems in low- and middle-income countries to improve diets and nutrition outcomes for all.
Read Tom’s profile
Watch Tom’s video
Notes to the editors
About Tom Arnold:
Tom Arnold is Director General of the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA). Since September 2014 he has also served as Interim Coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement. He was Chairman of the Irish Constitutional Convention (2012-14) and Chief Executive of Concern Worldwide (2001-13).
He has served on a number of governmental and non-governmental bodies at national, European and international level including the UN Millennium Project’s Hunger Task Force, the Irish Hunger Task Force, the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the Irish Government’s Commission on Taxation, the Consortium Board of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, the International Advisory Board of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the NGO European Food Security Group, the Montpellier Panel and the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice. He is Chairman of the Irish Times Trust and a member of the Board of the Irish Times, Ireland’s leading newspaper.
In his earlier career, he was Chief Economist and Assistant Secretary General with the Irish Department of Agriculture and Food, Chairman of the OECD Committee for Agriculture (1993-98), Chairman of the OECD Working Group on Agricultural Policies and Market, Senior Economist with ACOT, the Irish farm advisory service. He worked as an administrator for the European Commission (1973-83) in agriculture and development, serving in Brussels and in Africa.
He has a degree in agricultural economics from University College Dublin and has Masters degrees from Leuven University and from Trinity College, Dublin. He was the recipient of the 2014 Helen Keller International Humanitarian Award.
About the Global Panel:
The Global Panel is an independent group of influential experts with a commitment to tackling global challenges in food and nutrition security. The Global Panel is working to ensure that agriculture and food systems support access to nutritious foods at every stage of life.
We believe that nutrition is not about just feeding people, it is about fuelling growth – the growth of individuals, communities and entire nations.
We aim to provide effective guidance to decision-makers, particularly governments, on generating nutrition-enhancing agricultural and food policy investment in low and middle-income countries.
For more information, including the list of Global Panel members, visit www.glopan.org