Knowledge Hub
Welcome to our Event
Last year, 733 million people faced hunger – that’s one in 11 people globally. At the same time, UK cuts to aid funding have halted critical support to the world’s least-developed countries.
At this special, invite-only, parliamentary event, experts and practitioners will discuss the root causes and key issues impacting extreme poverty — and tell us how we can end it.
They will cover climate change, gender inequality, conflict and displacement – and explore how the international community can shift power and decision-making to those living with extreme poverty.
Our speakers
Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham, is the event’s parliamentary sponsor. Sarah is former Chair of the International Development Committee, a role she hopes to resume shortly. In 2022, she said: “Our Official Development Assistance allocation is legally designated to reduce poverty, and my committee will redouble its scrutiny to make sure the government adheres to that.”
As Director of the Somali NGO Consortium, Nimo Hassan MBE ensures that the country’s diverse agencies speak with one voice and work together to carry out sustainable development and humanitarian aid. She says, “Empowering local institutions/communities is crucial for sustainable, ethical aid delivery.”
Amina Abdulla is Concern’s Regional Director for the Horn of Africa. An expert in strategic management and policy, across Somalia, South Sudan, Kenya and Ethiopia, she says, “Nowhere else do we see the confluence of climate and hunger more than in the Horn of Africa… 32 million people in the region are unable to afford a meal a day.”
Alex de Waal is Executive Director at the World Peace Foundation. Professor de Waal is one of the foremost experts on Sudan, South Sudan and the Horn of Africa with reference to humanitarian crisis and response, conflict, mediation and peacebuilding. He writes: “Famine tears apart communities and destroys livelihoods. People are forced into the utmost indignities, breaking taboos in what they can eat and how they can get the necessities of life.”
The Panel discussions will be moderated by Martine Dennis, broadcaster and journalist with over 40 years of experience working for leading news organisations, including Sky News, BBC, and Al Jazeera. She currently hosts the Africa Here and Now podcast and says, “There is a growing demand for accurate, incisive information about Africa. We are dedicated to asking the questions that matter and offering, at least, some of the answers.”
Useful information on the day
Entry is via the Cromwell Green visitors’ entrance (number 9 on the map below). Please ensure you have your invitation and photo ID with you, you will need this to pass through security. If your invitation is digital, you will need to show it on a device. If you would prefer to have a printed invitation, please contact us at [email protected] or by phone on 020 4587 9155 and we will be happy to send you one.
Please allow up to 45 minutes to clear security.
Once through security, please make your way to Central Hall, where you will be met by a member of staff who will show you to the Churchill Room.
Unfortunately, as Parliament will be sitting on the day of our event, we are unable to offer a tour of the Palace of Westminster. However, to access the Churchill Room, you pass through a large part of the building, so if you have not visited the Palace of Westminster before and would like to view Westminster Hall, St Stephen’s Hall and Central Hall, we recommend you arrive a little earlier so you have time to enjoy them. There is also a café at the Palace, which is open until 5.45pm.
