WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Thursday, November 17, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah will travel to Chicago to deliver a speech at The Chicago Council for Global Affairs. Dr. Shah will deliver an address on the Horn of Africa famine and the role of the U.S. government in promoting global food security.

The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. Conditions are so dire, the United Nations has declared famine and emergency conditions in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. To date, the United States has aided more than 4.6 million people in the region and has provided over $750 million in emergency assistance. However, emergency assistance alone cannot solve the problem of food insecurity. President Obama's Feed the Future initiative is addressing the root causes of poverty and undernutrition. With a focus on smallholder farmers, particularly women, Feed the Future supports countries in developing their agriculture sectors as a catalyst to generate broad-based economic growth that increases incomes and reduces hunger. As the overall framework to address global hunger, Feed the Future recognizes the importance of providing food aid and other humanitarian assistance during crises to save lives and protect livelihoods. It integrates nutrition interventions to ensure that investments lead both to improved agriculture and better health, and supports conflict mitigation and good governance efforts required to achieve the goals of reducing poverty and undernutrition.

In his remarks at the Chicago Council, Dr. Shah will address the U.S. commitment to global food security, the UN role and why we all should especially care during this time when Americans celebrate Thanksgiving and typically reflect upon all for which we are thankful. He will also highlight USAID's first-ever public awareness campaign to help victims of the famine in the Horn of Africa. The "FWD Campaign" is an innovative campaign to engage citizens about the crisis and to spur relief efforts for those affected. Americans are encouraged to share facts about the famine, support the humanitarian organizations conducting relief operations, and learn more about solutions.

WHAT

Join The Chicago Council for a discussion with the head of USAID, Rajiv Shah, who has recently returned from Kenya and Ethiopia, on the agency's initiatives for mitigating the Horn of Africa famine and the role of the United States in promoting global food security

WHEN

Thursday, November 17, 2011
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. CST

WHERE

Fairmont Chicago
200 North Columbus Drive
Chicago, IL 60601

For press inquiries regarding the Administrator's travel, or to attend the speech at The Chicago Council, please contact USAID press officer Natasha Jackson at njackson@usaid.gov.

For information about the FWD campaign, please visit www.usaid.gov/fwd.