Rome — Numerous heads of state and top-level ministers are set to gather in Rome this week for a high-level meeting to address ways of mitigating the suffering of the world's poorest people from the food crisis.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) World Food Security Conference will take place from 3-5 June and will focus on food security with the challenges of climate change and bio-energy.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will also attend while FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf and World Bank President Robert Zoellick have both stressed on the urgency of the current global food situation.

The World Bank had recently announced that it was making available $1.2 billion in loans and grant financing for the poorest countries to help them face the impact of soaring food and fuel prices.

The High-Level Conference on World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy will take place at FAO headquarters here and will comprise two segments - the High-Level Segment and the Committee of the Whole.

The High-Level Segment will hear statements from heads of state and government, as well as heads of UN agencies, inter-governmental and international non-governmental, and private sector organisations, and will adopt a declaration at the conclusion of the conference. - BuaNews-NNN