Tom Arnold is appointed to the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition

On 22 July 2015, the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition announced the appointment of Tom Arnold as a new Panel Member. Tom Arnold joins the Global Panel to replace Anthony Lake, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) who had made a valuable contribution to the Panel for the past two years.

Tom Arnold is the Director General of the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) and the SUN Movement Coordinator ad interim. He started his career as Chief Economist and Assistant Secretary General at the Department of Agriculture, before moving on to roles at the OECD, European Commission and UN bodies. He was chairman of the Irish Constitutional Convention and chief executive of Concern Worldwide between 2001 and 2013.

“The world today still has too many undernourished people, but we also have a growing number of overweight and obese people. Nutrition policies will need to have a dual focus in the future. They will need to continue making progress on reducing stunting, but also will need to address the rising obesity levels, which have very significant long-term consequences for public health. Policy makers will need to address both of these issues,” – Tom Arnold, Director General, Institute of International and European Affairs, SUN Movement Coordinator ad interim and Global Panel Member

The Global Panel is chaired by John Kufuor, former President of Ghana and John Beddington, former UK Chief Scientist. It is an independent group comprising of 12 influential experts with a commitment to tackling global challenges in food and nutrition security. The Global Panel aims to inform and influence policy makers in agriculture and food systems in low and middle income countries to improve diets and nutrition outcomes for all.

Read the Press Release: The Global Panel