Agriculture, livestock, forestry, fisheries, landscapes and food systems all have a vital role to play in achieving sustainable development and climate change goals.

Drawing global attention to this role, the inaugural CGIAR Development Dialogues were held in New York on 25 September 2014 with an impressive line-up of speakers, including leading scientists, Heads of State, prominent private sector players, philanthropic organizations and prestigious academic institutions.

The one-day, invitation only, high-level event intended to inform policy interventions and other efforts to address pressing global challenges. In particular, it aimed to highlight how key and innovative research in agriculture can be linked to the emerging United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

“There can be no sustainable development or halting the effects of climate change if we do not pay due attention to the billions of people engaged in agriculture that manage the world’s natural resources and produce the food our ever increasing population demands,” said Frank Rijsberman, Chief Executive Officer of the CGIAR Consortium. “Agriculture research is the backbone of sustainable development.”

Among the speakers at the event were President Nwanze, Nigerian agriculture minister Akinwumi Adesina, Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union, and Peruvian environment minister and UNFCCC COP20 president Manuel Pulgar-Vidal.

For details, visit the CGIAR Development Dialogues website