Welcome to the joint FAO-UNITAR online course on "Trade, Food Security and Nutrition"
Course Title: Trade, Food Security and Nutrition
Course Dates: 11 May to 12 June, 2020
Language: the online course will be delivered in Russian
Registration Status: OPEN
Registration deadline: 22 April, 2020
Course Background
The relationship between trade and food security is attracting increased attention on both the trade and the development agendas. Ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030 is a key objective in the Sustainable Development Goals – and trade is one of the means for achieving it. As patterns of consumption and production continue to evolve, global trade in agricultural products is expected to continue to increase over the coming decades. Trade will increasingly influence the extent and nature of food security across all regions of the globe. The challenge, therefore, is how to ensure that the expansion of agricultural trade works for, and not against, the elimination of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.
In the post-Soviet countries, trade plays an important role in ensuring availability and variety of food and as a source of income from expanding exports. The region plays an increasingly important role as a supplier of agricultural commodities in the world markets. To facilitate participation in international trade, the majority of the post-Soviet countries have joined the World Trade Organization, and many countries actively participate in regional and bilateral trade agreements.
While agricultural trade contributes to the economic growth in the region, malnutrition, in its various forms (undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight and obesity) continues to be present to varying degrees in all countries of the region, with relative weights gradually shifting from undernutrition to overnutrition. Dietary changes, as part of broader lifestyle changes, explain these trends. However, trade, with its impacts on food systems, also influences consumer choices and the ultimate composition of diets. In this context, changes in market structures, driven by the broader economic policies, including trade measures, can have important implications for food security and nutrition in terms of effects on prices, variety and quality of available food, as well as incomes.
This course seeks to strengthen capacities of FAO member countries in Europe and Central Asia to develop and implement trade policies, taking into consideration their implications for food security and nutrition within the global governance context.
Additional Information
This course is offered free of charge as part of FAO’s support to Member Countries from Europe and Central Asia. The course will be conducted in Russian language. Limited slots are available and will be subject to a selection process conducted by FAO, taking into account, in particular, the geographical distribution and gender balance. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
In the preparation of this course, FAO draws from its extensive experience with providing guidance, capacity building and technical advice to its Member Countries on the topics of trade and food security, agricultural trade policy and multilateral trade negotiations, as well as its normative work on sanitary and phytosanitary issues.
A certificate of completion will be issued to participants who successfully complete all course-related assignments and assessments.