TEHRAN — A national conference is planned to be held on the occasion of the World Food Day 2017 on October 15 in Tehran.

Health Minister Hassan Qazizadeh-Hashemi, Food and Drug Administration Director Gholamreza Asghari, some parliament members, and a number of officials active in the food industry will attend the event. 

Food and beverage companies that comply with and live up to standard manufacturing practices and have improved food safety will be honored over the conference. 

Change the future of migration

World Food Day 2017, October 16, will be observed under the theme “change the future of migration; invest in food security and rural development.”

According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) official website in 2015, there were 244 million international migrants, 40% more than in 2000. 

Large movements of people today are presenting complex challenges, which call for global action. Many migrants arrive in developing countries, creating tensions where resources are already scarce, but the majority, about 763 million, move within their own countries rather than abroad.

Three-quarters of the extreme poor base their livelihoods on agriculture or other rural activities. Creating conditions that allow rural people, especially youth, to stay at home when they feel it is safe to do so, and to have more resilient livelihoods, is a crucial component of any plan to tackle the migration challenge.

By investing in rural development, the international community can also harness migration’s potential to support development and build the resilience of displaced and host communities, thereby laying the ground for long-term recovery and inclusive and sustainable growth.

What FAO is doing?

FAO is working with governments, UN agencies, the private sector, civil society and local communities, to generate evidence on migration patterns and is building countries’ capacities to address migration through rural development policies. 

FAO supports governments and partners as they explore the developmental potential of migration, especially in terms of food security and poverty reduction.

MQ/MG