Global Food Security Gets Boost, As Crop Trust Flagship initiative Agenda moves to International Conference FfD4 Summit 2025.
By Raymond Enoch
In a world increasingly shaped by conflict, climate crises, and economic uncertainty, the message from global food leaders is louder and clearer than ever: Food security is not a side issue—it is the issue.
Under the visionary leadership of Dr. Conrad Rein, the Crop Trust’s Global Flagship Initiative on Food Security is rapidly gaining momentum, emerging as the central force rallying the international community around a simple, urgent truth: sustainable food systems are humanity’s strongest defense against instability, inequality, and hunger.
As world leaders gather in Seville in July 2025 for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), the Flagship Initiative—spearheaded by Crop Trust in partnership with the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND)—will take center stage with a unified demand: elevate food security to the top of the global agenda.
“This is not the time for incremental change,” said Dr. Rein, Secretary of the Global Flagship and chief architect of the movement’s strategic vision. “We are building a coalition that is bold, ambitious, and unapologetically focused on delivery—not promises.”
What began as a partnership has grown into a formidable alliance of nearly 50 committed members—ranging from governments and multilateral development banks to private sector innovators, research institutions, and grassroots advocacy groups.
Under the co-chairmanship of Dr. Stefan Schmitz (Executive Director, Crop Trust) and Dr. Nasser Alkahtani (Director General, AGFUND), the coalition is already transforming global conversations into coordinated, science-driven action.
The Flagship focuses on: Scalable, evidence-based solutions with measurable outcomes,
Community-centered approaches that protect livelihoods and empower the vulnerable, strategic investment appeals to drastically increase funding for resilient food systems.
“Despite its vital role in health, peace, and prosperity, food security remains one of the most underfunded areas in global development,” noted Dr. Rein. “That has to change—and it has to change now.”
At the heart of the Flagship’s presence in Seville is a powerful call to decision-makers: make food security the cornerstone of development financing.
The initiative’s agenda for FfD4 is both practical and transformative. It will showcase cutting-edge agricultural innovations, financing frameworks, and policy pathways designed to strengthen food systems from the farm to the fork. But more importantly, it will demand urgency.
“This is the moment,” Dr. Rein emphasized. “The world must move from promise to delivery.”
For Dr. Rein, the Flagship Initiative is more than just a campaign—it’s a movement. His leadership has been praised across sectors for combining technical expertise with political acumen, coalition-building with policy muscle.
As the world watches Seville, all eyes will be on the Global Flagship’s ability to turn momentum into long-term, institutionalized change. With Dr. Rein at the helm, expectations are high—and so is the hope.
“Food security must be the heartbeat of global development,” Rein concludes. “This is our call to the world: act boldly, act together, and act now.”
