Johanns to Address International Food Aid Conference

JOHANNS TO ADDRESS INTERNATIONAL FOOD AID CONFERENCE

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns will be the keynote speaker at the International Food Aid Conference VII, "Strengthening the Food Aid Chain," to be held May 3-5, 2005, at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown in Kansas City, Missouri. The conference provides the food aid community with an opportunity to gain perspectives on current challenges, practices and programs related to food aid. The event is hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

"Our efforts to strengthen the food aid chain focus on working with our partner agencies and organizations to improve coordination, cooperation and communication," said Johanns. "This conference provides an opportunity to enhance these relationships and meet the challenge of reducing hunger worldwide."

Other conference speakers include U.S. Senator Pat Roberts from Kansas; Andrew Natsios, USAID administrator; Ambassador Randall L. Tobias, U.S. Global AIDS coordinator; Dr. J.B. Penn, USDA under secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services; John Powell, deputy executive director for Fundraising and Communications, United Nations (U.N.) World Food Program (WFP); James Little, USDA Farm Service Agency administrator; and Lauren Bush, honorary spokesperson for the U.N. WFP.

During the conference, government agencies, as well as the U.N. WFP, private voluntary organizations, non-government organizations and agricultural industry representatives will discuss food aid in the post 9/11 environment, the changing landscape of world trade negotiations, the role of food aid in national security and strengthening the food aid chain through partnerships. This year's conference, the seventh, is expected to attract nearly 800 participants from all segments of the food aid community, both domestic and international.

Persons with disabilities, who require accommodations to attend or participate in this conference, please contact Debbie Crow at (816) 926-6301, or at Deborah.Crow@kcc.usda.gov. For more information about the conference, visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/daco/default.htm.

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