U.S. Leadership in Fighting Hunger, Poverty, and Undernutrition, Jonathan Shrier

Jonathan Shrier '85, Acting Special Rep, Global Food Security, U.S. State Dept, discusses diplomatic efforts and Feed the Future Initiative to advance food and nutrition security.

January 28, 2014
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Location
Room 003, Rockefeller Center
Sponsored by
Dickey Center, Rockefeller Center
Audience
Public
More information
Joanne Needham
603-646-2207

Nearly 870 million people suffer from chronic hunger. The world’s population will exceed 9 billion by 2050. Population growth and changes in diets will require at least a 60 percent increase in global food production in the face of pressure from climate change and strained natural resources. Jonathan Shrier '85 discusses how the U.S government through diplomatic efforts and the Feed the Future Initiative is advancing food and nutrition security in the global policy agenda and contributing to worldwide efforts to end poverty, hunger, and undernutrition. The lecture will explain how the U.S. government is helping countries develop their economies through sustainable agriculture; promoting technological innovations to improve food and nutrition security; building resilience to climate change; and leveraging partnerships to maximize impact.

Speaker Bio: On June 6, 2011, Jonathan Shrier became the Acting Special Representative for Global Food Security and as such, is responsible for coordinating all aspects of U.S. diplomacy related to food security and nutrition, and serves concurrently as Deputy Coordinator for Diplomacy for Feed the Future, the U.S. global hunger and food security initiative. He focuses on major donors, strategic partners, multilateral fora such as the G8 and G20, and policy reforms in partner countries. Mr. Shrier came to the State Department’s Office of Global Food Security from the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff.

He has served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy, where he helped design and establish the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas launched by President Obama. While at the National Security Council and National Economic Council, Mr. Shrier coordinated interagency policy at the intersection of energy, climate, and agriculture, including responses to the spike in commodity prices in 2007-2008. A career Foreign Service Officer, Mr. Shrier handled international trade and investment issues for then Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs Josette Sheeran, just prior to her appointment as head of the World Food Program.

During his service at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, Mr. Shrier worked with USAID to establish a development assistance program for Tibetan communities in China, with a focus on agriculture-led development. Mr. Shrier has earned degrees from the National Defense University (M.S. in National Security Resource Strategy), University of London (M.B.A. in International Management), London School of Economics (MSc in International Relations), and Dartmouth (A.B. in Government). His languages include Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, French, and Spanish.

Co-sponsored by the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding

Location
Room 003, Rockefeller Center
Sponsored by
Dickey Center, Rockefeller Center
Audience
Public
More information
Joanne Needham
603-646-2207