UNITED NATIONS, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The president of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has announced plans to hold a meeting of the council early next month to discuss how to respond to the growing food crisis around the world, a UN spokesperson said Wednesday.

    Ambassador Leo Merores of Haiti, the current ECOSOC president, made the decision after consultations with the bureau of the council and with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters.

    Montas noted that the UN system had been discussing its response to the food crisis,, with agencies like the World Food Program (WFP) and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) stepping up their efforts.

    Earlier this week, Ban Ki-moon called on the international community to take "urgent and concerted action" to tackle the growing global food crisis.

    "The rapidly escalating crisis of food availability around the world has reached emergency proportions," Ban told international finance and trade officials attending an annual high-level meeting at the UN Headquarters.