The ONE WORLD – No Hunger. Future of the Rural World G20 conference, which took place April 27-28 in Berlin, saw the adoption of the Berlin Charter, which calls upon political decision-makers from G20 countries to increase their involvement in efforts to foster rural development and youth employment. This charter was prepared by an international advisory committee that was co-chaired by the PARI Director Prof. Joachim von Braun and Dr. Agnes Kalibata, the president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

The Berlin Charter, which was discussed over the course of the conference and formally presented to Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Müller, calls upon G20 governments to “commit to significant, quantified and time-bound targets in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. (page 2)” The charter focuses in on the issue of food security in the context of climate change and outlines specific targets, notably lifting 600 million people out of hunger and undernutrition and “facilitating access to innovative education and youth training for all” by 2025 (page 2).

The ONE WORLD – No Hunger. Future of the Rural World conference is part of Germany’s plan to use its G20 presidency to shine the spotlight on Africa and was attended by 150 young people from Africa, G20 countries and Germany, as well as actors from the worlds of politics, the private sector, academia, and civil society. The conference highlighted the importance of youth employment, rural exodus and foodsecurity and will help build momentum on these issues in the lead up to the 2017 G20 summit taking place in Hamburg in July.