"Climate Change and its Health Impacts on Food/Water Safety and Nutrition"

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that health security is seriously at risk and projects that temperatures in Europe could rise up to 6C° during the 21st century. Climate change is expected to pose considerable challenges to nutrition and the safety of food and water. It could also impact upon the food chain by affecting plant and animal health, and could even threaten the security of food supply.

The World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO Europe), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), are organizing a seminar on 14 October 2008 to address "Climate Change and its Health Impacts on Food/Water Safety and Nutrition". The seminar – which is being organized in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs – is being held within the framework of World Food Day 2008 and its theme “World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy”.

Journalists are hereby invited to attend the seminar from 9am to 12.30pm on Tuesday 14 October in the Iran Room at the FAO in Rome. Registration will begin at 8.30am with a welcome coffee. Media accreditation will take place at that main entrance of FAO headquarters upon presentation of a valid press card or a letter of assignment signed by the bureau chief.

The seminar will be held in English and Italian with simultaneous interpretation.

Please confirm your participation to Ms Cristiana Chiapparelli, cch [at] ecr.euro.who.int (cch[at]ecr[dot]euro[dot]who[dot]int), phone +39 06 4877 560.