DUSHANBE, April 15, 2010, Asia-Plus — The United Nations World Food Programme yesterday held an international consultation on a ground-breaking food security analysis tool that will enable key stakeholders in the food security field to achieve optimal impact in fighting hunger in Tajikistan, press release issued by the WFP CO in Tajikistan said.
The international consultation, which was opened by Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mr. Umed Davlatzod, brought together more than 40 participants from the international community, donor countries and the Government of Tajikistan. They achieved consensus on a single consolidated approach to classifying the food insecurity in any given setting.
Called the Integrated Phase Classification of food security (IPC), the process unites national governments, aid agencies, scientists and other specialists in sharing their data and knowledge of the factors influencing food security. The idea is to agree on the severity, causes and forecast of food security in their region. These conclusions become the foundation for designing the most appropriate response to food needs and long-term projects to fight hunger by giving people productive, sustainable access to food and livelihoods.
“I am proud that WFP, with its partners, is in the vanguard of the drive to achieve harmony in measuring food security,” said WFP Country Director Alzira Ferreira. “The consensus we witnessed today is a testament to the dedication and hard work of all the stakeholders in this sector in Tajikistan. The credit goes to them.”
The consultation, held with the support of the Global IPC Partnership, is the culmination of a pilot project in Tajikistan on food security analysis which was launched in 2009. Over the last two months, seven regional workshops were held across Tajikistan and attended by more than 150 people, mainly representatives of the local authorities, with whom WFP and other agencies work closely to determine the degree of hunger and want in the rural areas.
The IPC process is currently being developed in 20 countries (including five in Asia) in partnership with the World Food Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), FEWS Net, USAID, Oxfam, Care, Save the Children and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.
WFP is the world”s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. In 2010 WFP aims to feed more than 90 million people in 73 countries.
