The 2023 Sir John Crawford Memorial Address – Dr Éliane Ubalijoro video now available
September 14, 2023
Sir John Crawford contributed at the highest levels to the development of Australia and other countries and passionately supported international agricultural research for development. The Crawford Fund was established in his name, and since 1985, in his honour, there has been the annual Sir John Crawford Memorial Address.
This year’s Memorial Address at the Crawford Fund’s annual conference dinner was presented by Dr Éliane Ubalijoro, Chief Executive Officer of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and Director General of World Agroforestry (ICRAF). An accomplished leader with a background in agriculture and molecular genetics, Éliane serves on several boards and has been recognised for outstanding contributions in the areas of innovation, gender equity, and sustainable prosperity creation.
In her address titled “Food and Nutrition Security: the Climate, Food Systems, Agroforestry and Forestry Nexus, Dr Ubalijoro outlined some of her personal journey to her current position and the challenge of achieving food and nutrition security as we navigate climate change, whilst also facing additional agricultural food security challenges. She emphasised that solutions to these challenges can be achieved through global cooperation, knowledge sharing and a deep commitment to building a better world.
Dr Ubalijoro concluded her speech by encouraging scientists around the world to work together to develop innovative solutions to scale up investment in sustainable development and address the global challenges of our time.
The Vote of Thanks was presented by Dr Wendy Craik, Crawford Fund Board Member.
The most recent Sir John Crawford Memorial Addresses have included:
- 2022 – Food and Nutrition Security in the Pacific and the Road Ahead for Small Islands and Developing States, Dr Audrey Aumua, Chief Executive Officer, Fred Hollows Foundation NZ and Member, ACIAR Policy Advisory Council.
- 2021 – Five Reflections to Transform Our Food Systems and Achieve the SDGs, Dr Agnes Kalibata, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy to the 2021 Food Systems Summit.
- 2019 – Weathering the ‘perfect storm’, Professor Ross Garnaut AC, Professor of Economics, University of Melbourne.
- 2018 –Food, Climate Change and National Security, Ms Frances Adamson, Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
- 2017 – A New Narrative for Ending Hunger, Lindiwe Sibanda, Vice President for Country Support, Policy, and Delivery of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.
