UNIDO Director General arrives in Addis Ababa ahead of World without Hunger Conference

Addis Ababa, November 4, 2024 (FBC) – The Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Mr. Gerd Müller has arrived in Addis Ababa today ahead of the “World Without Hunger Conference”.

Upon his arrival at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, the UNIDO chief was greeted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Gedion Timothewos and Minister of Industry Mr. Melaku Alebel.

After his arrival in the Ethiopian capital, Gerd Müller shared a social media posting showing his arrival and the welcome accorded to him by senior government officials, and praised the partnership between Ethiopia and UNIDO.

Over 1 500 participants will convene in Addis  Ababa, Ethiopia on 5 to 7 November 2024 to deliberate on the greatest challenge of our time “ending hunger” leveraging technology, investment, and   innovation in the food and agriculture sector, UNIDO said in a recent press release sent to FBC.

Hosted by the Government of Ethiopia, UNIDO collaborates with the Ministry of Industry, and the African Union with a technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to organize the conference that brings together Heads of State, UN agencies,   policy makers, international financial institutions, private companies and   leading scientists.

Hunger and food insecurity have continued affecting millions of people around the world.   Recent figures (2023) indicated that more than 733 million people still suffer from hunger which equates to 1 out of 11 worldwide and 1 out of every 5 people in Africa despite SDG-2 target to end hunger and ensure access by   all people to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round by 2030. In recent years, the decline in domestic and public investments as well as FDI   has adversely affected sustainable development and fall short in addressing developmental challenges.

The conference will be concluded by a high-level political forum on Global Action Against Hunger, in which governments and the private sector deliver   statements about their efforts to combat hunger.