Italy: Food Security
Prospects:
Food security has been particularly volatile in the past several years, and the discussions of the G8 have reflected this situation, particularly in Africa. At the 2009 Summit, the G8 committed themselves to the L’Aquila Food Security Initiative (AFSI), and at the 2005 Gleneagles Summit, they committed to increasing ODA to Africa by at least US$25 billion per year by 2010. This particular attention to Africa by the G8 has not diminished, and it is likely that the other G8 members’ priorities in this regard will coincide with Italy’s. The French Presidency lists strengthening the G8 partnership with Africa as one of its priorities, and specifically mentions that it wishes to follow up on the past commitments made by the G8, particularly regarding food security. Therefore, it is likely that Italy’s objectives regarding food security will be met at the Summit.
Emily Evangelista