*Press Release*
World Food Day October 16th
Silver City, NM October 10, 2006 – The 23rd annual international World Food Day Teleconference, entitled the “Power of the People: Bottom-up Solutions for Hunger” will take place at Western New Mexico University in the Martinez Building Room 160 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Ray Suarez, a senior correspondence with the PBS Jim Lehrer NewsHour, the discussion will feature three notable proponents of grassroots development: Dr. Makanjuola Alaseinde Arigbede, a Nigerian medical doctor with 25 years’ experience as a development activist;
Ms. Eva Clayton, a former U.S. congresswoman who served as Assistant Director General of the UN World Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); and Dr. Deepa Narayan, World Bank Senior Advisor for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management, who was the lead author of the much-acclaimed three-volume publication, Voices of the Poor, which offers the perspectives of developing-country poor people.
In addition, a special film produced by the University War on Hunger – “Power of the People: Universities Fighting World Hunger” will be shown. The hour-long program will feature a variety of student activities and interviews as well as comments by university faculty and leading hunger experts. The documentary will highlight the unique ways that institutions of higher education can contribute to the reduction of domestic and global hunger as intellectual discovery and social responsibility come together in pursuit of a sustainable world.
The 2006 Teleconference, which will reach 1,000 sites worldwide, will be aired with simultaneous transmissions in Spanish and French. The annual event will originate from the television studios of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is sponsored by the U.S. National Committee for World Food Day, a coalition of some 450 private volunteer organizations.
For more information, please contact: Dr. Emma Bailey, Asst. Professor of Sociology
Western New Mexico University
505.538.6824
baileye@wnmu.edu