- In a bid to eliminate poverty and hunger, more than 20 countries have committed to the Changsha declaration on agricultural and rural development.
- The Changsha Declaration was announced at the end of a forum on international development cooperation in Changsha, China on November 2, 2018.
- The declaration aims to ramp up the efforts towards South-South Cooperation, an initiative working to eliminate hunger and malnutrition through the mutual sharing and exchange of good practices, resources, and know-how between countries of the global south.
- At the forum’s conclusion, 26 countries and 11 international organisations including Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organisation (WHO) signed the Declaration.
- Director-General for FAO Jose Graziano da Silva announced plans to establish an International Centre of Excellence for Agriculture Innovation and Rural Development in Beijing during the forum; a facility that will provide training in agriculture innovation and promote investment in rural areas in an effort to reach the first 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger.
