Before the break, Arnold Timmer, Nutrition Specialist in UNICEF regional office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, came to UBC to speak as part of the IDRN/Liu Institute/Green College Millennium Development Goals speaker series. He gave an open lecture on his thoughts on progress on the Hunger MDG. Slides from his talk can be downloaded here: Arnold Timmer GC talk.
He also participated in a Round Table Discussion with about 13 students from several departments at UBC. We talked about how national-level nutrition stats can hide localized issues and how obesity rates can obscure averages, about what kinds of indicators of malnutrition might be appropriate, about the links between food security and nutrition and how both issues would likely benefit if they were better-linked, and about the relationships between areas of food deficit and food production in different regions of the same country. We discussed fair trade and local promotion of food crops and how these relate to nutrition, the gender dimension of nutrition issues, and agricultural approaches and nutritional supplement approaches to addressing malnutrition. Mr. Timmer talked to us about what it was like to work for UNICEF and the United Nations in general and about what these agencies do and career paths that lead to this type of work.
Round Table Discussions are a chance for students to connect with a International Development expert in a small group, informal setting. The discussion is facilitated, but goes wherever the group wants. There are opportunities to discuss and ask questions that range from topical to practical, and to network with a potentially important contact in a field.
Round Table Discussions in 2012 will be held in connection with the Green College MDG Speaker Series. To participate, sign up for the IDRN mailing list and watch for announcements about MDG series speakers. When an upcoming speaker is announced, watch for an invite to participate in the Round Table. Or, email IDRN for more information.
