Secretary-General discusses food security on visit to St. Louis

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is in Missouri today to deliver a speech at St. Louis University on food security and other global issues, part of his campaign to reach out to the American public, his spokesperson said.

In a speech entitled, “Solving the World’s Food and Security Problems,” Mr. Ban will talk about “the ways that the United Nations and the United States can work together in pursuit of common goals …and discuss the challenges that are common to all of us, from rising food prices to climate change,” Michele Montas told reporters in New York.

Before the speech, Mr. Ban met with representatives of corporations, growers’ organizations and research institutes.

“They explored how to increase agricultural productivity in the developing world and how to create synergies between smallholder and commercial farming,” Ms. Montas said. “They also talked about climate change and technology, including biotechnology.

“All agreed to keep the collaboration going and to explore how to bring the power of these players to the table,” she added.

While in St. Louis, he is expected to visit the Boeing Company to discuss global warming, the environment, energy-friendly corporate culture and business responsibilities.

The visit is part of the Secretary-General’s ongoing outreach campaign which has already taken him to a number of US cities, including Jackson Hole, Chicago and Atlanta.