We offer an exciting set of tasks with responsibility in a small and motivated team as well as the possibility to bring in own ideas.

//  Main tasks

As part of the team, his/her specific tasks include:

• Organise and follow-through of work in the area of Aid Effectiveness and Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Security, including supervising studies, organising networking and information sessions, corresponding with members, partners etc., preparing inputs for website
• Prepare and disseminate minutes from meetings, and input into conference reports
• Support organisation of the Platform Annual General Assembly
• Support event organisation such as meetings, conferences, workshops (previous interns have helped to organise and report from CFS 37, ShareFair, HLF4 Busan)
• Support Secretariat activities where needed

//  Requirements

• Advanced university degree in Agriculture and Rural Development or related fields
• Fluency in English with excellent writing and spoken skills
• Good German language skills
• Experience or keen interest to work in the area of international development cooperation
• Interpersonal and intercultural competencies

//  Location and duration

Starting period: 12 August 2013

Length of assignment: 6 months

Compensation: 950 €/month

Location of assignment: Bonn, Germany

Important: Based on GIZ internal rules any internship will have to start no later than 6 months after graduation!

//  Contact

Please send a brief CV and a letter of motivation to Sonja Phelps at (This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) .

Closing date for applications: 2 June 2013

//  Main tasks

The intern supports the Platform´s communication activities. Specific tasks include:

• Support to manage the contents and further development of the website, incl. social media and knowledge exchange tools
• Assist in the compilation of electronic newsletters
• Responsible for online conferencing (WebEx) and Twitter messaging
• Prepare the production of print publications such as reports, posters etc.
• Support the preparation of Platform events (previous interns have helped to organise and report from CFS 37, ShareFair, HLF 4 Busan, the Platform´s Annual General Assembly)

//  Requirements

• First level university degree in communications, rural development, political science or related field
• Excellent English language skills, with a capacity to draft and edit text for the Platform website
• Basic German language skills
• Experience or keen interest to work with an online content management system, ideally Joomla
• Experience or keen interest to work in the area of international development cooperation
• Interpersonal and intercultural competencies

We offer an exciting set of tasks with responsibility in a small and motivated team; we expect commitment and enthusiasm.

//  Location and duration

Starting period: 12 August 2013

Length of assignment: 6 months

Compensation: 950 €/month

Location of assignment: Bonn, Germany

Important: Based on GIZ internal rules any internship will have to start no later than 6 months after graduation!

//  Contact

Please send a brief CV and a letter of motivation to Sonja Phelps at (This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) .

Closing date for applications: 2 June 2013

//  Why be a host? 

For a focal point the AGA provides an opportunity to showcase Platform activity at the doorstep of his/her institution, advocating for ARD-related matters and bringing in an illustrious crowd of donors and partners. For the host institution it is also the opportunity to point the attendees to other areas of their expertise and connecting individuals. Members and partners of the Platform gather at the AGA to exchange experience, discuss joint initiatives for the forthcoming year and plan ahead to address critical questions around the issues of agriculture and rural development.

The 2012 Platform AGA held in January 2013 was hosted by The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The role of a host for the 2013 AGA is still vacant - and members are encouraged to come forward and take the lead.

//  Source

Platform Annual General Assembly

On 14-15 May, UNICEF brings together 30 sub-Saharan African countries, principal donor countries, the European Union, international organisations, international experts and other actors to the International Conference Against Child Undernutrition in Paris. The Platform secretariat is attending the conference.

Responsible for one-third of child mortality, and chronically affecting 165 million children worldwide, stunting or low height for age is not only a human catastrophe, but also a major brake on development. By reducing the physical and cognitive capacities of individuals, it reduces productivity, impedes economic growth and perpetuates the cycle of poverty.

//  Aim of the conference

To make malnutrition a global priority and put it at the heart of the post-2015 development agenda.

//  Main objectives

• To mobilise states, donors and international organisations to scale up strategies that have been proven effective
• To advocate for the integration of nutrition in public health policies, social protection policy and development policy
• To promote stronger and lasting funding for the interventions that are most effective against malnutrition

Organised in Paris, this conference is an opportunity to engage France as well as key states of the European Union, especially given the upcoming G8 summit and the discussion of the post-2015 development agenda.

UNICEF-initiated conference is supported by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Action contre la Faim, Agence Française de Développement, the Alliance for International Medical Action, the Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation and Médecins Sans Frontières. It will also benefit from inputs of other key stakeholders at global level and at regional level in West and Central Africa.

// Downloads

Programme__ PDF

//  Source

Follow the most recent conference updates in Twitter using the hashtag #ConfMalNut

Conference website

Conference livestream

//  GFAR announces new appointments

The Steering Committee of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research has selected a new chair for the period 2013-2016: Juan Lucas Restrepo Ibiza, from Colombia. Juan Restrepo has an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University and has great administrative experience in the public, private and producer federation sectors, where he has addressed various issues ranging from policy making to entrepreneurial development, strategies, planning, institutional change and project design and execution.

The Steering Committee also appointed Ruth Oniang'o as vice-chair of GFAR from the start of October 2013, when she will succeed the current vice-chair, Claudio Barriga of Chile.

//  GFAR Steering Committee

The Committee reviews and approves the Global Forum’s general policy and strategy. The aim is to ensure that both the Global Forum’s policy and strategy are consistent with its mission and objectives.

The Steering Committee comprises of 13 members that represent private sector, farmer organisations, facilitating agencies, NGOs and donors working in agricultural research for development. Currently, following Platform member-organisations are represented at the GFAR Steering Committee: IFAD (Shantanu Mathur, Senior Technical Adviser), CGIAR (Anne Marie Izac, Chief Science Office) and FAO (Yao Xiangjun, Director of FAO's Office of Knowledge Exchange, Research and Extension). Nikita Eriksen Hamel, CIDA Focal Point, is representing the GFAR Donor Support Group and is also a member of the Steering Commitee management team.

//  Source

GFAR website

GFAR Donor Support Group

Video__ Juan Lucas Restrepo introduction