In early December 2016, the Ministry of Food and the IFPRI-led consortium, including Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will announce the launch of the five-year Bangladesh Integrated Food Policy Research Program at an event in Dhaka. The program aims to combine policy research with capacity strengthening in order to tackle all four aspects of food security— that is, availability, access, utilization, and stability—in a holistic and sustainable manner.
The inauguration will be attended by representatives from various government ministries, including the Ministry of Food; public and private research institutes; academia; civil society organizations; and partner institutions from Bangladesh and the United States. High-level guests include the Honorable Minister of Food M. Qamrul Islam, the Secretary of Food AM Badrudduja, and the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food and Agriculture M. Abdul Wadud.