Date: 14/11/2025
Time: 11:00 – 12:00 (GMT)
Location: Online
The geopolitics of food: Can we achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 by 2030.
Commonwealth Alumnus Dr Leonard Mizzi will discuss the role of the European Union (EU) in addressing food and nutrition security at the local, sub-regional and global level.
Having worked in different services of the European Commission for over two decades, Dr Mizzi will share his experience of working on EU and EU Member States interventions in the African, Caribbean and Pacific States.
Dr Mizzi will highlight the changing role of the global community in achieving food security given the complexities in addressing food crisis hotspots. He will take a human rights and gender transformative sensitive lens, outlining whether the global multilateral or continental structures in place are ‘fit for purpose’ to address the root causes of all forms of malnutrition. He will also discuss what world leaders and international organisations such as the G7, G20, and UN agencies can or cannot do given the realities unfolding in 2025.
A particular focus will be made on the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and World Food Programme (WFP), organisations operating on the frontline of food crisis hotspots, from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa.
This webinar will address the CSC development theme, Strengthening resilience and response to crisis.
The CSC’s Development in Action webinar series provides an opportunity for Commonwealth Scholars and Alumni to present on their work and contribution to development across a range of contemporary global challenges and provide insight into ongoing research and action.
Open to all Commonwealth Scholars and Alumni, the monthly webinars will address one of the CSC’s six development themes and provide an opportunity for attendees to engage in real-time Q&A discussion on the topic presented.
You can watch previous webinars on the CSC’s YouTube channel.
Dr Leonard Mizzi is Head of Unit at the European Commission, Directorate-General (DG) for International Partnerships – Sustainable Agri-Food systems and Fisheries. Prior to this post he was Head of Unit for 10 years in DG Agriculture and Rural Development, first in charge of agri trade and development issues (2007-2014) and from 2015-2016 leading the inter institutional unit relations with the European Parliament, Council and consultative bodies and well as steering the Civil Dialogue Groups.
Dr Mizzi has a broad working experience in the Maltese public administration and the Maltese private sector. He first worked in the Economic Planning Division of the Office of the Prime Minister (Malta) and from 1996-2006 was the first Director of the Malta Business Bureau in Brussels- the office of the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association.
He was also visiting lecturer at the Boston University (Brussels campus), Open University and Malta University. He often lectures at the College of Europe in Bruges.
His areas of specialisation are global food security governance, agriculture and food and nutrition security, the Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa. He has been an author of a number of articles and publications on agri food issues and nutrition in the Mediterranean region.
Dr Leonard Mizzi is a 1992 Commonwealth Shared Scholar from Malta. He completed his PhD in Economics (Agricultural) at the University of Reading.
