The Asia Pacific Parliamentarians Forum on Hunger and Inequality

On 16 and 17 February, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 36 Parliamentarians from 13 countries in the Asia Pacific region met to discuss the urgent issues of hunger and inequality. Asia and the Pacific is home to over sixty per cent of the worlds hungry, and despite phenomenal economic growth in recent years, both inequality and the number of hungry people are actually growing in many countries. The Forum was jointly organized by the UNDP Regional Centres of Asia and the Pacific, UN Millennium Campaign, and the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development, and aimed to allow participants to: * Exchange lessons and experience among their peers from across the region; * Enhance connection between parliamentarians and electorates on the issues related to hunger and poverty; and * Formulate national and regional strategies for action, with a view to urgent implementation.

Over the course of the forum, participants heard from a distinguished group of international experts on hunger and inequality, drawn from UN agencies, academia, Government, NGOs and from the ranks of parliamentarians themselves. Participants used these presentations as a launch pad for discussions on subjects including climate change; food safety nets; gender, inequality and hunger; hunger as a legally enforceable human right; and agricultural productivity.

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• Hunger
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• Inequality