Sponsored by 1818 Society AgFRD with IFAD and IFPRI
The joint hybrid event between IFAD, IFPRI and the 1818 Society of the World Bank will showcase and discuss the findings of the IFPRI’s Global Food Policy Report 2023 “Rethinking Food Crisis Responses.” The report sets forth learnings on crisis response in recent multiple food system shocks, including COVID-19, war in Ukraine and other conflicts, the growing impacts of climate change, and explores how to move towards a more holistic and systematic approach of addressing crises while also building resilience.
Presenters:
Dr. Jo Puri is the Associate Vice-President, Strategy and Knowledge Department at IFAD. She leads the organizations strategy work in IFAD’s key areas targeting agriculture, climate, gender, nutrition, youth and social inclusion. Puri has worked previously at the Green Climate Fund, 3ie, UNEP, the World Bank and UNDP. She is also adjunct associate professor at Columbia University, New York where she was also a research scientist. She has published in many academic journals and written for newspapers and provided advice as a board member to several development organizations. In 2019, Puri was selected one of 16 women who have shown leadership in restoring the earth through their efforts, by the Global Landscape Forum.
Dr. Katarina Kosec, is a senior research fellow in the Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) where she leads the CGIAR research program on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration as well as a cluster of research under the CGIAR research program on Gender Equality focused on women’s voice and agency in governance. She is also a Lecturer in Political Economy at Johns Hopkins University. Her research focuses on the linkages between governance, fragility, gender, and poverty.
Discussant:
Dr. Kevin Cleaver, is currently a consultant with the Centennial Group where he updates the World Agriculture situation, including the employment potential of agriculture, the impact of climate change on agriculture, and the causes for varying country agriculture performance. Previously, he has supported preparation of the African Development Bank’s new agriculture strategy. He is a former chairperson of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Development Thematic Group of World Bank’s 1818 Society. Prior to that, he served as an Associate Vice President at IFAD in which he managed IFAD’s lending and grant operations world-wide.
Moderator:
Preeti Ahuja, is the current Chair of the Agriculture, Food & Rural Development Thematic Group at the 1818 Society of World Bank Group alumni. She is also a volunteer with Bankers without Borders/Grameen Foundation, advising on Asia & Pacific Region agri-operations, and a consultant with FAO. Preeti has held several managerial, operational and team leadership roles at the World Bank Group. She served as Practice Manager in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Region, leading the Agriculture and Food (AGF) practice group.
IFAD is hosting the Zoom session, to join virtually and receive the Zoom connection details, register here!
If you will be attending in person (MC 8 -300), please RSVP.
Participating institutions:
Established in 1975, IFPRI currently has more than 500 employees working in over 70 countries and works with a range of partners. It is a research center of CGIAR, the world’s largest agricultural innovation network. IFPRI’s vision is a world free of hunger and malnutrition. Its mission is to provide research-based policy solutions that sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition.
A United Nations specialized agency created in 1977, IFAD is an innovative partnership between members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and developing countries. Today, 177 countries are IFAD Member States. Through partnership, we spur greater investment in rural development and broker mutually beneficial relationships between the diverse parties working in development and poor rural people themselves. We work closely with other United Nations agencies, especially those based in Rome. We also partner with the private sector, agricultural research centres, NGOs and civil society organizations. IFAD brings the perspective of small-scale producers and rural entrepreneurs to bear on international policy deliberations. We also help them build their capacity to participate in and influence policy processes.
Established in 1978, the 1818 Society unites World Bank Group former staff including retirees, serving among others, as a nexus for knowledge exchange, fostering connections, professional engagement, and networking. The 1818 Society counts with 12 Thematic Groups, including the Agriculture, Food, and Rural Development Thematic Group (AgFRD TG) chaired by Preeti Ahuja. The AgFRD TG offers an avenue to share and discuss publications, papers and blogs (including by members); moreover, the TG hosts/co-hosts seminars, professional learning meetings, and interactions with partner agencies, including IFIs, think tanks, academia and private sector, for its 325 active AgFRD TG members.
