Trade and Sustainable Development, main issues discussed in Pan-African Congress

The Pan-African Congress on Food Security, Trade and Sustainable Development held its second session in mid April at UN-HABITAT in Nairobi, Kenya.

The congress, organised by the Coalition of African Organisations on Food Security and Sustainable Development (COASAD), seeks to stimulate and sensitize the importance of combating food insecurity in the African Continent. COASAD was formed in 1996 during the World Food Summit in Rome by a group of civil society organisations working in combating poverty and hunger in Africa.

The conference discussed specific topics such as the Globalization and food trade liberalization under the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Bretton Woods institutions with specific focus on African food security and farmers' organizations as the basis for the eradication of Hunger on the African continent.

COASAD, through its second conference, made a critical focus on the effectiveness of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) as an instrument to combat Africa's chronic hunger as well as the effectiveness of global conferences to combat African food insecurity.

"Africa remains the most food deficient continent and the predictions are so grim, that unless radical measures are undertaken, starvation in the continent will be much worse into the next decade than it is today," said Anna Tabaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT in her opening speech.

To read the full speech of the executive director of UN-HABITAT, please click here.