Seminar on emerging issues on trade, climate change and food security

The Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS ) and the South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE) ) have organised a South Asia regional seminar entitled, ‘Emerging Issues on Trade, Climate Change and Food Security: Way Forward for South Asia,’ from 31 May to 1 June at the IPS Auditorium.

It is targeted at researchers, policy makers, journalists, and development practitioners working in related areas.

The Chief Guest at the event will be Minister for the Environment, Government Anura Priyadharshana Yapa. Key speakers over the two day seminar will include, IPS Executive Director Dr. Saman Kelegama, SAWTEE Executive Chairman Dr. Posh Raj Pandey, Climate Change Action Network in South Asia (CCANSA)Director Sanjay Vashist, former Foreign Secretary and former Secretary General – SAARC Ambassador Nihal Rodrigo, Climate Negotiator for the Maldives at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Male Amjad Abdulla and a host of eminent intellectuals and activists from across the South Asian region.

The seminar has been organised in view of recent important  developments that have taken place on an international level as well as in South Asia on issues concerning trade, climate change and food security.

The objectives of the seminar are to have a comprehensive dialogue on the current developments that have taken place regionally and internationally with relation to trade, climate change and food security, and subsequently prepare advocacy agendas; discuss some of the important issues such as the SAARC Food Bank, Seed Bank, competition issues and food security, etc.; and to build alliances with relevant stakeholders and media from the different SAARC countries to take the advocacy agendas forward.