July 2015
2015 World Food Prize Laureate Leading a Generation out of Poverty
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed of Bangladesh was announced today as the 2015 winner of the World Food Prize, the most prominent global award for individuals whose breakthrough achievements alleviate hunger and promote global food security.
The $250,000 prize honors Sir Fazle's unparalleled achievement in building the unique, integrated development organization BRAC, which is headquartered in Bangladesh and operates programs in 10 other countries around the globe. Since he created it over 40 year ago, Sir Fazle's organization has provided the opportunity for nearly 150 million people worldwide to improve their lives, have enhanced food security and follow a pathway out of poverty through its dynamic and effective development programs.
Sir Fazle will receive the World Food Prize at a ceremony that will be held in the magnificent Iowa State Capitol building in Des Moines, Iowa on the evening of October 15, 2015. The event is the centerpiece of a three-day international symposium entitled the Borlaug Dialogue, which regularly draws over 1,200 people from 65 countries to discuss cutting-edge issues in global food security.
Also included in the World Food Prize week-long series of events is the Iowa Hunger Summit on October 13 the three-day Global Youth Institute, which includes 400 participants from the U.S. and abroad and is designed to inspire the next generation of high school students to explore careers in agriculture and fighting hunger.
Iowa Hunger Summit Workshop Proposals
Afternoon Workshops at the Iowa Hunger Summit provide a diverse group of participants from across Iowa with the opportunity to dig deeper into specific issues of hunger and practical action steps that Iowans can take to alleviate hunger at home and abroad.
To propose an afternoon workshop session, please visit www.worldfoodprize.org/hsworkshop. Workshop proposals are accepted through Friday, July 10th. Please contact Stephen Lauer at slauer@worldfoodprize.org or 515-245-3730 with any questions.
Iowa Homeless Symposium Resources Now Online
Each year, the Iowa office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) hosts a Peer-to-Peer Homelessness Symposium.
On June 3rd and 4th, the third annual symposium provided a diverse range of topics and networking opportunities for approximately 300 professionals from across Iowa and neighboring states.
Topics included:
- An overview of the state of homelessness in Iowa,
- The role of schools in combatting homelessness,
- Recognizing and addressing trauma among vulnerable populations, and;
- Strategies for alleviating homelessness among veterans and in rural Iowa.
All presentations and participant contact information can be found at this link.
For more information about the symposium or the work of HUD, please contact Ms. Julie Sleeper at (515) 284-4366 or Julie.K.Sleeper@hud.gov