The Middle East Institute (MEI) convened a half-day hybrid conference on May 15, 2026, examining how the US-Iran war and the resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz are threatening global food security. The event brought together leading voices from the World Food Programme, the World Bank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the International Food Policy Research Institute, World Central Kitchen, and The Washington Post, with an audience drawn from government, the diplomatic community, think tanks, the private sector, and media, and additional participants joining virtually from Europe and the region.
Conference Agenda
Opening Remarks
Gov. David Beasley, Former Executive Director, World Food Programme, Former Governor of South Carolina
Amb. Yael Lempert, Vice President for Outreach, Middle East Institute
Panel 1: Supply Shocks: Politics, Production, and the Strait of Hormuz
Charlotte Hebeband, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, International Food Policy Research
Caitlin Welsh, Director of Global Food and Water Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Dr. Karen E. Young, Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute
David J. Lynch, (Moderator), Global Economics Correspondent, The Washington Post
Panel 2: Downstream Risks: Fertilizer Shortages, Food Insecurity, and Regional Instability
Eugenio Da Crema, Senior Early Warning Economic Risk Analyst, World Food Programme
Aaron Renenger, General Counsel and Chief of Strategic Relations, The World Central Kitchen
Çağlar Özden, Deputy Chief Economist, World Bank
Intissar Fakir (Moderator), Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute
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