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'There are people in the world so hungry that God cannot appear to them, except in the form of bread'- Mahatma Gandhi

The Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro‐algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition (IIMSAM) is an intergovernmental organization based in New York City that has a Permanent Intergovernmental Observer status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

Constitution[link]

IIMSAM has been established through two international agreements beween various Member States of the Constituting Treaty. The said agreements are recognized in the United Nations Treaty Series and duly deposited with the concerned authorities as per the Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations. IIMSAM is accredited as a Permanent Intergovernmental Observer with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), in keeping with resolution E/2003/212, dated 5 March 2003.

IIMSAM strives to make Spirulina, an edible micro-algae as a key driver to eradicate malnutrition, achieve food security and bridge the health divide in order to secure the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Spirulina which is the most researched food by the scientists was declared by the 1974 United Nations World Food Conference in Rome as 'the best food for the future' .^[1]

United Nations FAO has studied Spirulina extensively^[2] in the regions and societies where it has been harvested and consumed traditionally especially in Africa, and refers to it as the 'green gold' for its inherent and significant nutritional value.

Spirulina has been a traditional food in many societies such as the Mayans and the Aztecs. Micro-algae Spirulina is also an area that has been extensively studied in Phycology in the recent past. It has varied applications besides countering malnutrition and associated pathologies. In 2004, FAO produced a report called 'Agricultural Biotechnology: meeting the needs of the poor'. The report claimed that "agricultural biotechnology has real potential as a new tool in the war on hunger".^[3]

In its report in 2008, FAO further underlined the utility of Spirulina as food for humans and its applications in pisciculture and improve the livestock.^[4]

Spirulina has significant relevance not only to address the present challenges on earth but also in space missions that humankind shall undertake in the near future. The NASA(CELSS)^[5] has extensively studied Spirulina for its diet potential during the manned space missions^[6]. The European Space Agency (MELISSA)^[7] proposed Spirulina as one of the primary foods to be cultivated during long-term space missions. The People's Republic of China has declared Spirulina as a 'strategic' crop.^[8]

The Spirulina Nutritional Initiatives and other affirmative action programmes of IIMSAM have a special priority for the developing and the least developed countries.^[9]

IIMSAM maintains scientific exchange and has communication channels open with leading entities around the world that deal with Spirulina. These include: Instituto Tecnologico de Canarias, Spain; Kenya Agricultrural Research Institute, Kenya; National Research and Development Corporation, Republic of India; Shenzhen Ludebao Health Food Co. Ltd., China; Laboratorio Tecnologico del Uruguay, Uruguay; State Biotechnology Programme, Government of Uttarakhand, Republic of India; Algae-Tech, Malaysia; Magic-Line-Industry, Hong Kong - Germany, AEH, Mexico and Solarium Biotechnology, Chile^[10] among others.

IIMSAM has an International Panel of Scientific Experts that provide technological, scientific, operational and institutional support to spread, establish, and mainstream the use of Spirulina in the sustainable development agenda . These include some of the world's leading experts on phycology and microalgae Spirulina such as Professor Yunming Lu, President of the government owned Shenzhen Ludebao Health Food Co. Ltd.- the largest Spirulina producer in the People's Republic of China; Dr. Theodore Sotiroudis from the Institute of Biological Research and Biotechnology, Hellenic Republic; Dr. Marcelo Decoud of Argentina, Dr. Salomon Shamosh of Mexico; Dr. Surendra Singh M.Sc. Ph.D. (B.H.U.); P.D.F., F.B.S., F.N.R.S from the Republic of India; Dr. Jean Louis Vidalo of France; Prof. Klaus Wagener of Germany-Brazil; Dr. Maria J. Barbosa of the Wageningen University, the Netherlands; Prof. Salvatore Musumeci of Italy; Dr. Salomón Shamosh^[11] from Mexico among others.

IIMSAM maintains communication with the following Specialized Agencies of the United Nations at the headquarters level as well as their respective Liaison Offices at UN Headquarters in New York ^[12]:

• FAO
• UNIDO
• WHO
• UNDP
• IFAD^[13]

IIMSAM has also advocated the cause of food fortification through Spirulina to counter malnutrition and to achieve food security from various established platforms such as the Banque de France, France; International Meeting of Universities with Africa at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; the European Algae Biomass Association, Brussels, Belgium; and at the 2012 International Algal Summit-Algae for Sustainable Development at TERI, The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi, India^[14] among others.

Secretary General[link]

• H.E. Ambassador Remigio Martin Maradona; Secretary-General^[15]

IIMSAM Spirulina Nutritional Initiatives[link]

• H.R.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan IIMSAM Spirulina Feeding Centre, Kenya - In August 2011, the centre provided emergency Spirulina aid to counter malnutrition and hunger prevalent in the Northern Kenya-Somalia region affected by famine and drought^[16].

IIMSAM started its Spirulina Nutritional initiatives in Chiapas, Mexico in May 2011.

Till December 2011, over 2.1 million people from across the world have benefited from the use of Spirulina through various nutritional initiatives of IIMSAM that underline fortification of food through Spirulina.

In the past, IIMSAM has been quite active to provide relief in various emergency situations such as in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, and in Chengdu in the Sichuan province of the People's Republic of China. The song 'Stand Tall'^[17] by Ms. Lauren Irwin, IIMSAM's youth ambassador was dedicated to the memory of the victims; and was one of the official songs selceted for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

IIMSAM Biennial Conferences[link]

To advocate and sensitise the international community about the relevance of Spirulina to address the issue of malnutrition-the biggest challenge to secure the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, IIMSAM organises its biennial conferences.

Starting with its headquarters in New york, United States of America, IIMSAM held its second biennial conference in Amman, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in August 2010 under the patronage of H.R.H. Princess Basma bint Talal and in cooperation with the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture and the Hashemite Charity Organisation.

IIMSAM has scheduled its third biennial conference for June 2012 in the Shenzen province of the People's Republic of China.

Regional Offices[link]

• Aguascalientes, Mexico
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Kenya
• Uruguay

Goodwill Ambassadors[link]

• The Obamas from the Republic of Kenya (Grandmother of the U.S. President Barack Obama, Mama Sara obama; and his uncle Said Obama)
• Mr. Tushar Gandhi^[18]
• Mr. Diego Armando Maradona^[19]
• Ms. Monica Seles^[20]
• Mr. Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Prize Recipient from Argentina in 1980.^[21]

• Mr. Emmanuel from Mexico

• Ms. Carolina Herrera

• Dr. Susan Perry-Hinton
• Mr. Mauricio Macri^[22]
• Dr. Donald Kaberuka^[23]

• Mr. Hussain Al-Jassmi^[24]
• Ms. Fatima Samantar

References[link]

1. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=p37stTXFMXk&NR=1 SPIRULINA- a brief introduction- courtsey EXOPTRON Ltd. @2010.
2. ^ ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/y5118e/y5118e09c.pdf SPIRULINA- under the microscope, United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation, FAO 2002.
3. ^ Agricultural Biotechnology: meeting the needs of the poor?, FAO, 17 May 2004 [1]
4. ^ ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/011/i0424e/i0424e00.pdf A REVIEW ON CULTURE, PRODUCTION AND USE OF SPIRULINA AS FOOD FOR HUMANS AND FEEDS FOR DOMESTIC ANIMALS AND FISH, United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation, FAO 2008.
5. ^ Characterization of Spirulina biomass for CELSS diet potential. Normal, Al.: Alabama A&M University, 1988.
6. ^ http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19890016190_1989016190.pdf NASA- Characterization of Spirulina Biomass for CELSS Diet Potential, October 1988.
7. ^ Cornet J.F., Dubertret G. "The cyanobacterium Spirulina in the photosynthetic compartment of the MELISSA artificial ecosystem." Workshop on artificial ecological systems, DARA-CNES, Marseille, France, October 24–26, 1990
8. ^ http://www.springerlink.com/content/v70547535mg31843/ Spirulina industry in China: Present status and future prospects by Ding-Mei Li and Yu-Zao Qi- Journal of Applied Phycology, Volume 9, Number 1, 25-28, doi:10.1023/A:1007973823532 .
9. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxnPrSx32IE IIMSAM Official Promotional Video.
10. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMQHjWkrDUs Spirulina Farms of Solarium Biotechnology under the able leadership of Dr Salomon Shamosh in Atacama Desert, Chile.
11. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbep2PgGDek Dr. Salomon Shamosh en el 5to Congreso Mundial para el Talento de la Niñez, en Santiago de Chile.
12. ^ United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification:Chinese experience to combat desertification in inner Mongolia shared with the United Nations, UNCCD, 26 March 2012 [2]
13. ^ http://www.iimsam.org/purpose.php
14. ^ Algal Summit in India Explores Diverse Applications, AlgaeIndustryMagazine, February 27, 2012 [3]
15. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL_Oe3h20cU H.E. Ambassador Remigio Maradona, IIMSAM Secretary General speaking to CNBC- Mid East on the mandate and programmes of IIMSAM.
16. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euO23m8nr6Q H.R.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan IIMSAM Spirulina Feeding Centre, Kenya.
17. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5ZLyHUMe9M STAND TALL, Song dedicated to the memory of the victims of the earthquake in Sichuan, China
18. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEHsPbO0CbA Tushar Gandhi speaking on Be The Change, Maastricht
19. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtKnipY267M GOAL OF THE CENTURY
20. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbHel4wBptc&feature=related Monica Seles vs Jennifer Capriati
21. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLc8gnKtRoE Adolfo Perez Esquivel speaking on Globalization
22. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KhNHh1xzTE Mr. Mauricio Macri in Argentina
23. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvHwbjsl73c Dr. Donald Kaberuka, Chairman of the African Development Bank Group
24. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfTlLLAwnjk Hussain Al-Jassmi 2010