2018
World Food Day today: UCC’s PUSH addresses global hunger
UCC President Professor Patrick O’Shea today signed the Presidents United to Solve Hunger (PUSH) commitment, making UCC the first Irish University to sign, joining about 100 Universities worldwide who have already done so.
Global hunger is a major challenge facing society. Currently 820 million people worldwide face starvation. Malnutrition affects one in three people worldwide. UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 aims to achieve zero hunger by 2030 and calls on societal actors to join together to achieve this goal. Universities can play a major role in contributing to tackling global hunger and malnutrition, through advanced research, teaching and societal engagement.
UCC has fully committed to World Food Day by addressing global food security issues especially through its implementation of a number of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The spread of knowledge and expertise in relation to tackling hunger and malnutrition is no more evident than, among those already running, a new MSc programme on Food Security Policy and Management will be launched in 2019.
AN EXCITING STEP
Food security and food policy analysis, agricultural economics, public health and nutrition, plant sciences, geography, history and cultural studies feature strongly in these areas of expertise.
Dr Nick Chisholm, Director of UCC’s Centre for Global Development, says: “This is an exciting step in the development of UCC’s growing portfolio of actions focussed on addressing major global societal challenges. Worldwide, hunger and malnutrition are increasing and Universities such as UCC can play a major role, through harnessing the interest and knowledge of staff and students in developing innovative ways to solve such major issues. It’s great to see UCC’s deserved reputation as a University with great strengths in the Food area being expanded to address the global food security dimension.”
This commitment is in line with UCC’s approach in its Strategic Plan to “an international outlook and informed and creative engagement on local and global issues”, and its strong focus on Sustainability across the University. UCC is signing the PUSH commitment on UN World Food Day, which is dedicated to events signalling that a Zero Hunger world by 2030 is possible.
For more on this story contact:
Lynne Nolan, Media & PR Officer, UCC: 087 210 1119.