Dhaka 15 October 2008: On the eve of global week of IFI, debt and climate change, today EquityBD, in association with Media Foundation for Trade and development and Rupantar, organized a round table discussion on “Attaining Food Security under the Sprit of Food Sovereignty: Perspective SAARC Food bank & SAARC Agriculture policy 2020”. Speakers in the seminar argued the present concept of food security is a market-led approach; it does not recognize the sovereign rights of the small farmers over the agricultural practices. To ensure the food security, the interest of the small farmers should be protected, it requires political commitment; major parties should agreed in common political commitment on agricultural policy.

Speakers also presented some specific demands in respect of newly formed SAARC food bank, first board meeting of the bank now being held in Colombo during 15-16 October, they demanded more contribution of grains in the bank specially from advance developing countires of the SAARC region, price of the bank's grains should be at least half from the international price, and primary objective of the bank should be reframed that this should meet all the food demand of the region in course of time. Speakers also urged SAARC agricultural ministers who are due to meet in Delhi during 3-4th November to outline SAARC agriculture policy 2020, they demanded that prior to prepare the poicy there should be a participatory road map on the way to its preparation, which should be declared first. Speakers also crtisized the SAARC as it does not recognized the role of civil socity in its decission making discourse.

On the seminar former Parliamentarian and Agricultural secretary of   Bangladesh Awami League Dr. Abdur Razzaque  ,  former Parliamentarian and Agricultural secretary of   Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Samsuzzaman Dudu , Women leader  Rokia Kobir, Former ambassador Waliur-Rahman, former parliamentarian Golum Habib Dulal of Jatio Party also present and spoke on the occasion.  Mr Rezaul Karim Chowdhury Convener EquityBD, Mustafa Kamal Akand and Faruk Ahmed of Media Foundation participate in the discussion.  Member secretary of EquityBD Md Shamsuddoha presented the  keynote paper on the topic while Chief  Executive of Rupantar  Swapan Guha acted as moderator.

On 16th October on the eve of World Food (less) day and also to mark the global week of action the allinec and the National Committee on Observation of International Rural Women Day have had a cultural program in front of National Parliament house, the functions attended by hundreeds of audiences and it was moderated by Ferdousi Sultana Munni, Shadat Islam Chowdhury and Mostafa Kamal Akanda

View all the Photo of cultural program. Album

Online Print Media Coverage		Details
	Attaining food sovereignty a must	New Nation Click
	Bangladesh loses 1pc of its farmland every year	New Age Click
Power Point Presentation
Perspective SAARC Food bank & SAARC Agriculture policy 2020		Download
Position paper
SAARC Food Bank: Should Not Be A Mere Distance Reality		Download