Necessities of Life: Food, Clothing and Shelter Week
Youth Driving Change: Rethinking Food Loss on a Global Scale
United Nations ・ International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations, established the “IFAD Youth Club Japan (IYCJ)” in 2024. Since then, IFAD and IYCJ have been actively working to raise awareness about global challenges related to food and agriculture.
This event offers a unique opportunity to engage in dialogue on the pressing global issue of food loss. Join IFAD staff, student members of IYCJ, and experienced panellists from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for an open and interactive discussion.
Together, let’s explore diverse perspectives and ideas on how we can tackle this urgent challenge.
Discussion
- Food loss
- Food education
- Ethical consumption
| Transmission of simultaneous interpretation | Not provided |
|---|---|
| Language of interpretation | Japanese and English |
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Track Programme
- Time and
Date of
the event -
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2025.06.07[Sat]
13:00 ～ 14:00
(Venue Open 12:50)
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- Venue
- Pavilion
- UN Pavilion
Programme details
About 14% of food produced globally is lost before it even reaches the market. At the same time, approximately one in every eleven people in the world still suffers from hunger - highlighting a serious and deeply contradictory reality.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations, has been dedicated to investing in rural areas of developing countries - where poverty and hunger are most concentrated - since its establishment in 1977. IFAD works to promote sustainable agriculture and food systems.
In collaboration with the IFAD Youth Club Japan (IYCJ) - a group of high school and university students who share IFAD's mission - IFAD will host an interactive event to deepen understanding and encourage dialogue on the global issue of food loss.
Through research presentations by IYCJ members, and by bringing together the perspectives of youth, the expertise of government and international organizations, and the voices of attendees, this event aims to inspire collective reflection on the future of food, agriculture, and our planet.
Reports
【Reflection】
As an outcome of a two-month research initiative, the youth-led event was successfully hosted at the Expo by JLO in collaboration with the IFAD Youth Club Japan (IYCJ). The project aimed to enhance youth engagement in addressing global food loss through research, advocacy, and active participation, fostering closer collaboration between IFAD and IYCJ.
Leveraging the platform of the Expo, the event sought to raise awareness of the global impact of food loss among a diverse audience—students, tourists, and families—while promoting the public visibility of both IFAD and IYCJ. The IYCJ EXPO Team comprised twelve high school and university students from across Japan—Yokohama, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Fukuoka. Their collective effort from April to June resulted in a compelling and well-researched presentation.
The event featured not only the presentation by IYCJ but also the panel discussion with two panellists from JICA and MAFF, and the interactive session with audience.
The panel discussion began with encouraging feedback from the external panellists, followed by brief overviews of their current work related to food loss. Despite minor time constraints, the event concluded on a high note, with IYCJ members presenting a set of forward-looking proposals in response to an audience question about their future ambitions.
Overall, the event served as a platform to: 1) Strengthen the partnership between IFAD and IYCJ; 2) Facilitate connections with MAFF and JICA for potential future collaboration; 3) Enhance public awareness of food loss issues; and 4) Elevate the visibility of IFAD and IYCJ among an audience of over 70 attendees at the UN Pavilion.
This initiative not only showcased youth leadership and innovation but also highlighted the value of inter-organizational collaboration in addressing global challenges.
【Post EXPO Initiatives】
The IFAD Japan Liaison Office reported to IFAD Headquarters in Rome on the outcomes of the EXPO event. In addition, IYCJ prepared activity reports through posts on its website and Instagram, as well as by creating a newsletter. Some IYCJ members are students of Fukuoka Prefectural Kokura High School, and four of them took the lead in reporting on the activities within their school by publishing a student newspaper.
Using these resources, the IFAD Japan Liaison Office also presented an exhibition on EXPO as part of its collaboration with IYCJ at the “African Stage” event, organised by the City of Yokohama in late July. The IFAD exhibition booth attracted significant attention from families, high school students, and university students, which is considered to have contributed to raising the visibility of IFAD, IYCJ, and EXPO.
Cast
Moderator
Mariko Kato
Representative, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Japan Liaison Office
Mariko Kato was appointed to her current position in January 2021, following her work in the field of education in Japan, at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Philippines Office, the UNICEF Offices in Kyrgyzstan, and the UNICEF Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division (outposted in Tokyo). She is responsible for strengthening partnerships between IFAD and various stakeholders, including government, the private sector, academia, and the media. She holds a master’s degree in International Relations, with a specialization in International Educational Development.
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Speakers
Federica Cerulli Irelli
Chief Partnership Officer, Members Engagement
Federica Cerulli is a development economist. She supports IFAD in its outreach to Member States by bridging dialogue between donors and recipient countries, and strengthening the institutional dialogue with key public, private and civil society stakeholders. Cerulli’s main focus is on advocacy, partnerships scoping, building and maintaining, and resource mobilization and management, including under innovative financing mechanisms for rural poverty eradication (e.g. multi-donor frameworks, blended finance, Unrestricted Complementary Contributions, Concessional Partner Loans).
In her 20-year career in rural development in different environments – with civil society organizations, the private sector and IFAD – Cerulli has experience in strategy design and partnership development; strategic planning and policy dialogue; research analysis; monitoring, evaluation and reporting; and community-driven rural development project design and management.
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IFAD Youth Club Japan (IYCJ)
Youth Organization
IFAD Youth Club Japan (IYCJ) is a youth-led organization that has formed a strong partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Launched in February 2024, IYCJ’s mission is to contribute to building a better society through food and agriculture by deepening understanding of global and local issues, sharing these perspectives and engaging in dialogue with others - particularly in collaboration with IFAD. Currently, 46 high school and university students from across Japan are actively involved in IYCJ’s activities. The organization is also expanding its outreach through partnerships with other organizations and the development of new initiatives.
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Motohiro Hayami
Deputy Director of Food Waste Reduction and Food Recycling, Food Waste and Recycling Management Office, New Business and Food Industry Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Mr. Motohiro Hayami has held a variety of key roles at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan since joining in 2009. His responsibilities have included participating climate change negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the agri-food sector, participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, and promoting Japanese agri-food exports. He has also gained experience through both domestic and international secondments, including to Okagaki Town Office in Fukuoka Prefecture in 2011 and to the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago, USA, in 2018.
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Hirofumi Watanabe
Special Advisor, Team 4, Agricultural and Rural Development Group 2, Economic Development Department, JICA
Mr. Watanabe has extensive experience in international development through his work with JICA and partner organizations. He served as Head of the Myitkyina Field Office in Myanmar for the World Food Programme (WFP) and led rural development projects in African countries including Kenya, Botswana, and Ghana, as a JICA expert. Currently, he is with the Economic Development Department at JICA, supporting the “Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD)” initiative. He holds a Master of Professional Studies in International Agriculture and Rural Development from Cornell University.
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Co-organiser
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Necessities of Life: Food, Clothing and Shelter Week
Youth Driving Change: Rethinking Food Loss on a Global Scale
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations, established the “IFAD Youth Club Japan (IYCJ)” in 2024. Since then, IFAD and IYCJ have been actively working to raise awareness about global challenges related to food and agriculture.
This event offers a unique opportunity to engage in dialogue on the pressing global issue of food loss. Join IFAD staff, student members of IYCJ, and experienced panellists from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for an open and interactive discussion.
Together, let’s explore diverse perspectives and ideas on how we can tackle this urgent challenge.
-
2025.06.07[Sat]
13:00～14:00
(Venue Open 12:50)
- Pavilion
- * Programme times and content are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website and via the ticket booking system.
- * The schedule is subject to change depending on the organiser's circumstances.
OTHER PROGRAM
Necessities of Life: Food, Clothing and Shelter Week
