Watch the recording

The International Organization for Migration and the United States of America Department of State's Office of Global Partnerships are inviting you to their panel discussion and public forum on exploring efforts toward food security and sustainability. As the second event in the Diaspora Voices' initiative, the aim of the discussion is to examine efforts by diaspora movements to foster greater food security and sustainable practices. These initiatives are critical as many countries are facing heightened food risks resulting from climate change.

The event will bring together key diaspora experts to discuss the nexus between food security and sustainability, and the event will conclude with an open conversation with all participants.

Event Agenda:

• Introduction by Bryan Gerhart, Senior Partnerships Advisor with the U.S. Department of State's Office of Global Partnerships

• Opening remarks by Marta Costanzo Youth, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary with the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration

• Special remarks by Shawn Kana'iaupuni, PhD, President and CEO of Partners in Development Foundation

• Panel Discussion on Diaspora Climate Solutions with:

  • Dr. Esther Ngumbi, Assistant Professor of Entomology and African American Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and New Voices Senior Food Security Fellow at the Aspen Institute
  • Dr. Kiruba Krishnaswamy, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Food Systems Engineering at the University of Missouri
  • Manuel Hernández, PhD, Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute

• Special presentation by Ruby Au, Head of Ecosia North America

• Closing remarks by Dr. Cary Fowler, Special Envoy for Global Food Security for the U.S. Department of State

• Public Forum and Question and Answer Session with the Audience

Recording of the First Diaspora Voices Event