May 12, 2008	Monday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 6, 1429

UNITED NATIONS, May 11: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will chair the first meeting of the UN Task Force on the Global Food Crisis on Monday, the UN has announced.

It will bring together representatives from across the UN system to discuss a global response to rising food prices, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters at the UN Headquarters.

Meanwhile, the secretary-general has sent out urgent letters of invitation to all heads of state of UN member countries to join him in next month’s meeting in Rome to discuss short-term and long-term strategies to address the global food crisis, she added.

The UN chief said early this week that he would get the task force on the global food crisis “moving at full speed,” since an urgent response is required for the worldwide emergency.

—APP