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By Danai Jedrzejczyk, World Food Forum Fellow 2024
18th of October 2024
I have just returned from an inspiring 3 days in Canberra, the heart of Australian affairs and foreign relations. In Canberra, I was met with a cohort of people from all ends of Australia poised and ready to discuss the most pressing issues present in Australia, from the perspective of youth who are directly and indirectly impacted by these issues.
Each fellow came prepared with a policy paper addressing the issue identified and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to learn from those that I met in Canberra, to have met a group of people with such distinct study and career fields, yet with the desire to positively impact and help our communities as the uniting factor. It is a great experience to bounce ideas off of one another, and to hear other perspectives of the same topic that perhaps wasn’t thought about before.
In Canberra, as part of the World Food Forum delegation, I had the opportunity to meet with experts in the field of agriculture and sustainability. As an International Relations student, I had limited knowledge in this area and despite the short time spent in Canberra, I learnt a lot about agriculture and sustainability, and developed a profound appreciation for those working in the field of sustainability and agriculture. Much of my studies in International Relations has been focused on national security, and very little regarding other aspects such as food security and how these play into global governance. In Canberra, I gained a deeper appreciation for other fields of study and opened my mind to other aspects of International Relations, beyond the typical studies surrounding war and conflict.
The pre-departure briefings were an intense few days filled with many meetings, training sessions and running Uber to Uber between various places around Canberra. However, this set me, and other delegates, up perfectly for their own delegation with some of us going to Rome, some to Washington DC and the others Baku where it will be a totally different environment, totally different people and routines yet so valuable for our futures.
Now, I am in Doha airport with other members of the World Food Forum delegation, reflecting on my experience in Canberra and how it prepared me immensely for the experience ahead. In two hours, we will depart for Rome ready to engage in discussions surrounding all things agriculture, sustainability, and food security. It truly is a surreal experience to be travelling for the first time, not only to the other side of the world, but also to an event so important in terms of development and to be able to be in the very same place where leaders, organisations and individuals alike are striving to reach the Sustainable Development Goal 2 of zero hunger by 2030. The agenda itself is quite overwhelming, there is so much to do and so much to learn yet it is at the same time incredibly exciting to have this once in a lifetime opportunity.
As an International Relations major, it is an incredible experience to be apart of the World Food Forum delegation. Furthermore, as an individual it is an incredible experience to have the opportunity to experience this level of dialogue and cooperation regarding one of the most important issues of our time. In my policy paper, I aim to draw attention and offer policy solutions regarding price gouging and food insecurity in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, and am very excited to see how I can learn from global approaches and how best it applies to my own region of the world.
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The views and opinions expressed by Global Voices Fellows do not necessarily reflect those of the organisation or its staff.