Food for Humanity: Unlocking the Potential of Universities to End Hunger and Malnutrition
Conflict, climate extremes, and COVID-19 have disrupted food production and supply chains, leading to unprecedented global hunger, with 735 million people affected. The Food for Humanity Initiative, Climate School’s inaugural program on food systems, harnesses university expertise from various fields to address these challenges.
This one-day event, timed before the UN Summit of the Future and Climate Week in NYC, brings together scholars, practitioners, and organizations to forge new partnerships for food system transformation.
Agenda:
09:00AM – 09:30AM: Coffee and Registration
09:30AM – 10:00AM: Welcome and Introduction
Dr. Jessica Fanzo, Professor of Climate & Director of the Food for Humanity Initiative
Dr. Jeff Shaman, Interim Dean of Columbia Climate School
Dr. Keren Yarhi-Milo, Dean of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs
10:00AM – 11:00AM: Panel of World Leaders
Moderator: Dr. Glenn Denning, Professor of Professional Practice & Director of MPA-DP
H.E. Lazarus Chakwera, President of Malawi
H.E. Garry Conille, Prime Minister of Haiti
Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, Founder and CEO of Food Systems for the Future
11:00AM – 11:30AM: Fireside Chat
Moderator: Dr. Thomas J. Trebat, Director of Columbia University Global Center in Brazil
Mrs. Rosângela da Silva, First Lady of Brazil
11:30AM – 12:00PM: Coffee Break
12:00PM – 01:15PM: Role of Research in Addressing Hunger and Malnutrition
Moderator: Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, Executive Vice President, Columbia Global
Ms. Afshan Khan, Assistant Secretary-General of the UN and Coordinator of the SUN Movement
Dr. Ana Maria Loboguerrero, Director of Adaptive and Equitable Food Systems at Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Dr. Corinna Hawkes, Director, Division of Food Systems and Food Safety for the UN FAO
Dr. Jemimah Njuki, Chief of the Economic Empowerment section at UN Women
Dr. Purnima Menon, Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy for the CGIAR and IFPRI
01:15PM – 02:15PM: Lunch
02:15PM – 03:00PM: Youth Perspectives
Moderator: Dr. Pamela Koch, Mary Swartz Rose Associate Professor of Nutrition Education at Teachers College
Mr. Michael Sheldrick, Co-Founder and Chief Policy Officer of Global Citizen
Student Projects
02:45PM – 04:25PM: University Partnerships Case Studies
Dr. Cary Fowler, US Special Envoy for Global Food Security & Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
Dr. Jyotsna Puri, IFAD & Mr. Kyle Murphy, University of Chicago
Dr. Mario Herrero, Cornell University
Dr. Dhanush Dinesh, Clim-Eat
Dr. Ruth De Fries, Columbia University
04:25PM – 04:30PM: Closing Remarks
Join us to drive meaningful change in global food systems.
