HLPE-FSN Steering Committee elects new Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson

The first in-person meeting of the new Steering Committee of the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN) took place last week in Rome, Italy.

The Steering Committee comprises Marie-Josèphe Amiot-Carlin, Sayed Azam-Ali, Malek Batal, Tilman Brück, José Luis Chicoma, Eve Crowley, Cecilia Elizondo, Mohammad Hossein Emadi, Evan Fraser, Mei Xu Rong, Sonny Ramaswamy, Hettie Schönfeldt, Rachid Serraj, Madhura Swaminathan and Valmaine Toki, bringing together a wide range of disciplinary expertise and regional perspectives in support of the evidence-based policy processes of the Committee on World Food Security.

The Steering Committee elected Sayed Azam-Ali as Chairperson and Madhura Swaminathan as Vice-Chairperson of the HLPE-FSN.

The group engaged in substantive discussions on the various topics within the broader set of activities supporting the work of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS).

These include a note on critical and emerging issues affecting food security and nutrition to inform the next program of work of CFS, notes on AI for food security and nutrition, and on family farming, the preparation of the report on sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, among others.

Members also met with the drafting team working on the report on Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and food systems, and exchanged with the FAO Chief Scientist ad interim, Beth Crawford, the FAO Chief Economist, Maximo Torero, as well as other key partners and long-standing friends of the HLPE-FSN.

Commenting on his election, Sayed Azam-Ali stated:

“The need for independent, scientific evidence on food security and nutrition has never been greater. The HLPE-FSN, with subject matter experts from across the world, provides that evidence. It is a privilege and honour to lead this group of outstanding individuals at this most critical time for humanity and the planet.

Sayed Azam-Ali is an internationally recognized crop scientist with extensive experience in agricultural development, science-based policy and science communication. He is a national of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Pakistan, has lived and worked across Asia, Europe and Africa and has built partnerships in over 30 countries. Over the past 12 years, he has secured more than USD 43 million in research funding and has authored over 200 scientific publications and two books. He has been a member of the HLPE-FSN Steering Committee since 2023.

Madhura Swaminathan has over 25 years of experience in research and higher education in development economics, with a focus on agriculture and food security in India and other developing countries. Her work has addressed agrarian distress, farmers’ incomes, women in agriculture, climate change and agricultural productivity. A national of India, she has served on national and international advisory bodies, including committees of the Government of India, CGIAR boards and the UN Committee on Development Policy.

Find out more about the renewal of the Steering Committee

All Steering Committee members' short bios

See the ongoing public consultation on sustainable fisheries and aquaculture