World Food Prize Laureates 2018 to speak at SDG conference in Wageningen

Louise O. Fresco, president of WUR and member of the World Food Prize Council of Advisors, is looking forward to their visit. “I am delighted that Dr. Lawrence Haddad and Dr. David Nabarro, the 2018 winners of the prestigious World Food Prize, will visit Wageningen University & Research. Their presence, with Ambassador Ken Quinn, the President of the World Food Prize, during the international SDG Conference will be a great inspiration to our students and staff. Their relentless commitment to food security mirrors that of WUR. I look forward to discuss how we can bring the best of science together to improve the quality, quantity, availability of food while safeguarding the sustainability of production. In these efforts we share the legacy of Dr. Norman Borlaug, the father of the Green Revolution and creator of the World Food Prize.”

Drs. Haddad and Nabarro will give a joint presentation Thursday, August 30 during the conference, with introductory remarks by Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation. This luncheon session in the Orion building will be open to the conference guests as well as all students and staff of WUR.

When: Thursday 30 August, 13:15-13:55

Where: Wageningen Campus, Orion Building, Waaierzaal (room opens at 13:00)

Who: SDG Conference participants, WUR students & staff. Registration is not necessary but be in time.

“Having the two 2018 World Food Prize Laureates speak at Wageningen University & Research as it celebrates its 100th anniversary is the perfect intersection of long-standing world class research capability and extraordinary application and impact, for which both our Laureates and this distinguished century-old institution are deservedly renowned,” Amb. Quinn said.

Lawrence Haddad and David Nabarro were selected as 2018 World Food Prize Laureates for their complementary work in bringing global attention to the critical issue of child and maternal nutrition and driving significant change. Dr. Haddad used scientific evidence to persuade policy-makers to make nutrition a central part of their global development strategies, while Dr. Nabarro, as coordinator of the UN’s Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, united more than 50 countries for the same purpose. Their work significantly improved maternal and child nutrition and reduced the world’s number of stunted children by 10 million between 2012 and 2017. Haddad and Nabarro will be honoured for their efforts during World Food Prize Week, October 17-19, in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.

“The evidence that nutrition is a driving force for the SDGs is clear and rock solid,” Dr. Haddad said. “Now every one of us who cares about nutrition has to reach out to champions across all sectors and — together — find ways of advancing their own goals while improving nutrition outcomes at the same time.”

“Young people aspire to a sustainable world where everyone can live well and enjoy life. It is our collective responsibility to nurture this future but it requires major transformations in all spheres of life everywhere,” Dr. Nabarro said. “These can only be achieved through connections and bridges between disciplines, people and territories.”

The Wageningen SDG conference Towards Zero Hunger gathers key stakeholders from around the world to discuss solutions and celebrate progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly through strategic partnerships. This conference focuses on SDG2 (end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture) and SDG17 (create partnerships). Wageningen University & Research combines efforts in the natural and social sciences to focus on food, food production, living environment, health, lifestyle and livelihood. Other speakers at the conference are Akinwumi Adesina (President African Development Bank), Carola Schouten (Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality), Etharin Cousin (former President World Food Programme) and Paul Polman (CEO Unilever).

The World Food Prize

The World Food Prize is the foremost international award recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. The Prize was founded in 1986 by Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize. Since then, the World Food Prize has honoured 48 outstanding individuals who have made vital contributions throughout the world. The World Food Prize annually hosts the Borlaug Dialogue international symposium and a variety of youth education programs to help further the discussion on cutting-edge global food security issues and inspire the next generation to end hunger.