Global Food Security Symposium 2012
Barack Obama was joined by other senior global leaders to discuss new G8 efforts on food security and the opportunity and benefits of private sector investment in African agriculture and food sectors.
About this Event
On the eve of the 2012 G8 Summit, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs brought together senior global leaders to discuss new G8 efforts on food security and the opportunity and benefits of private sector investment in African agriculture and food sectors. Sessions identified ways business, civil society, and international organizations could complement and amplify G8 action on agricultural research and innovation, markets and trade, and nutrition. President Barack Obama, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, His Excellency Professor John Evans Atta Mills, His Excellency Jakaya Kikwete, His Excellency Dr. Boni Yayi, His Excellency Meles Zenawi, Bono, and other dignitaries addressed over 700 attendees.
About the Speakers
44th President of the United States of America
President Obama’s years of public service are marked by his belief in America’s indispensable leadership and strong, principled diplomacy. On the world stage, his administration ushered in an end to US war in Iraq, oversaw the capture of Osama bin Ladin, negotiated the Iran nuclear deal, and included the United States in global coordinated action to combat climate change.
He delivered his first major foreign policy speech from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ stage as a US Senate candidate for Illinois in 2004 and spoke to Council audiences two more times on his path to the White House and once as President. He was elected the 44th President of the United States on November 4, 2008, and was re-elected in 2012.
President Obama and his wife, Michelle, are the proud parents of two daughters, Malia and Sasha. Photo by Pari Dukovic courtesy of Penguin Random House.
John Evans Atta Mills
President of Ghana
John Evans Atta Mills serves as the President of Ghana. He was previously the Vice-President from 1997 to 2001 under President Jerry Rawlings.
Jakaya Kikwete
President of the United Republic of Tanzania
President of the United Republic of Tanzania
Boni Yayi
President of the Republic of Benin & Chairman of the African Union
President of the Republic of Benin & Chairman of the African Union
Meles Zenawi
Prime Minister of Ethiopia
Prime Minister of Ethiopia
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary, United States Department of State
Secretary, United States Department of State
Distinguished Fellow, Global Food and Agriculture
Prior to joining the Council, Ertharin Cousin served as executive director of the UN World Food Programme where she led the world’s largest humanitarian organization from 2012 to 2017. She also previously served as US ambassador to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome. Cousin is founder and CEO of Food Systems for the Future.
Rajiv Shah
President, Rockefeller Foundation
Dr. Shah serves as President of The Rockefeller Foundation, a global institution with a mission to promote the well-being of humanity around the world. The Foundation applies data, science, and innovation to improve health for women and children, create nutritious and sustainable food systems, end energy poverty for more than a billion people worldwide, and enable meaningful economic mobility in the United States and around the world.
Lindsey Graham
United States Senator, South Carolina
United States Senator, South Carolina
Patrick Leahy
United States Senator, Vermont
United States Senator, Vermont
Bono
Co-Founder of ONE and (RED)
Co-Founder of ONE and (RED)
Dyborn Chibonga
Chief Executive Officer, National Smallholder Farmers' Association of Malawi (NASFAM)
Chief Executive Officer, National Smallholder Farmers' Association of Malawi (NASFAM)
Jeff Simmons
Senior Vice President, Eli Lilly and Company, and President, Elanco Animal Health
Senior Vice President, Eli Lilly and Company, and President, Elanco Animal Health
Jack Sinclair
Executive Vice President, Grocery Merchandise, Walmart
Executive Vice President, Grocery Merchandise, Walmart
Ann M. Veneman
Former Executive Director, United Nations Children’s Fund, former US Secretary of Agriculture
Ann M. Veneman was the first and only woman to lead the United States Department of Agriculture as Secretary. She currently serves as a co-leader of the Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative at the Bipartisan Policy Center. She was included on the Forbes World's 100 Most Powerful Women list and is a recipient of the Women Making History Award from the National Women’s History Museum.
Foundation Support
Flagship Corporate Sponsor
Lead Sponsors
Supporting Sponsors
Event Partners
Bread for the World
Concern Worldwide
Initiative for Global Development
InterAction
International Food Policy Research Institute
ONE
Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa
The World Food Prize
Women Thrive Worldwide