FAO policy seminar in North Africa to address high food prices
Policy decision-makers from countries throughout North Africa gathered in Tunis, Tunisia,from 2 to 4 May 2011, for a policy seminar on the current rise in food prices.
The event, organized by FAO in collaboration with the Union du Maghreb Arab (UMA), was aimed at convening decision-makers from government ministries (agriculture, trade and finance) in order to exchange experiences from the 2008 food price crisis and to become better acquainted with the various policy measures mapped out in FAO’s newly updatedGuide for policy and programmatic actions at country level to address high food prices(available also in Arabic and French).
A representative of the Gender, Equity and Rural Development Division of FAO participated in the event with a contribution on the “Promotion of rural employment as a mean to react to food prices crises". Working poverty and unemployment increasingly represent a major cause of vulnerability to shocks, including soaring food prices and price volatility. Promoting more and better employment opportunities for women and men should therefore be a crosscutting priority at the centre of crisis’ responses. The contribution focused in particular on gender-sensitive youth employment promotion and employment-based safety nets, such as public works programmes.
Similar seminars are being rolled out in the other regions and subregions. For further information, please go to: FAO Initiative on Soaring Food Prices