Asia-Pacific discuss COVID-19 and hunger in virtual UN FAO conference

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By Editor_1
(L-R) Dr R.S.K. Keerthisena – Additional Director General of Agriculture, Dr W.M.W. Weerakoon – Director General of Agriculture, Dr D.B.T Wijeratne – Assistant FAO Representative (Program) joining the FAO Asia and Pacific Regional Conference on virtual mode from Colombo -FAOLK
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COLOMBO/BANGKOK/THIMPHU– Government representatives from 46 UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) member nations in Asia and the Pacific, including Sri Lanka, are participating in the 35th Session of the FAO Asia and Pacific Regional Conference (#APRC35), a  four-day virtual conference, which got underway on Tuesday (Sept 1). The conference, hosted by the Royal Government of Bhutan, is closely examining the present situation of the region’s food security, with a particular emphasis on implications linked to the spread of the coronavirus and its impact on food systems region-wide.

A statement from the UN FAO office in Sri Lanka, said COVID-19, which continues to threaten lives and livelihoods across many countries of the Asia-Pacific region, has led to setbacks in the fight to end hunger and malnutrition.

Noting that the Asia-Pacific region is home to more than half of the world’s undernourished, it said with COVID-19 the number of hungry people in Southern Asia is projected to rise by nearly a third to 330 million by 2030, the Sustainable Development Goal deadline set by the global community to eliminate hunger and malnutrition in all its forms.

More than 400 delegates, including government ministers, private sector, civil society, academia and technical experts in the food and agriculture sectors, are participating in the virtual meeting of the #APRC35.  The statement said the Sri Lanka delegation consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs joined the Regional Conference through virtual mode from the United Nations Compound in Colombo.  Minister of Agriculture, Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture Major General (Rtd) Sumedha Perera and the Director General of Agriculture Dr W.M.W. Weerakoon are also expected to participate in the sessions.

 The statement noted that from Afghanistan and Iran in the west, across populous South and East Asia, and far out into the Pacific Islands, new ways and approaches would be needed to battle back from the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and hunger, and identified climate change as another aggravating factor menacing efforts to increase resilience across our food systems.

“We must come to terms with what is before us and recognize that the world and our region has changed. We must find new ways to move forward and ensure sustainable food security in the face of these twin pandemics, as well as prepare for threats that can and will evolve in the future,” the statement quoted  Jong-Jin Kim, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, who also added, “This virtual conference brings together the people and ideas to chart a true course of action for the benefit of all.”

The conference is set to highlight FAO’s recently launched comprehensive COVID-19 Response and Recovery Program designed to provide a flexible and coordinated global response that aims to ensure access to nutritious food for everyone. The program includes the mobilization of all forms of resources and partnerships at country, regional and global level, with the main aim being to mitigate the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic while strengthening the longer-term resilience of food systems and livelihoods.

The conference, the statement said,  will also consider new marketing channels (such as e-commerce) and new technologies (including better storage facilities) that will help reduce food losses, as these are critical to ensure the flow of nutritious foods and to generate improved incomes for those who work across the entire food and agriculture sectors.

Equally critical is enabling smallholder and family farmers – those who produce most of the food we consume – to become more dynamic, entrepreneurial and competitive through continual innovation, it said, adding that smallholders will need much greater access to financial resources, technology and innovation.

The statement quoted Dr. Xuebing Sun, FAO Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives as saying, the 35th Session of the FAO Asia and Pacific Regional Conference was being held at an important juncture, and that in order to better serve Sri Lanka and the Maldives, the FAO Representation will take active and proactive steps to implement decisions of the 35th Session of the APRC, further enhance its advisory and analytical capacity, and accelerate implementation of the plans for strengthening and transforming FAO’s country program through a programmatic approach and innovation. “I am confident that in partnership with the government and development partners, we can make significant contributions to the national efforts in realizing the Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.”

Bringing all players together will be crucial to realizing these gains and FAO is in the process of implementing the Hand-in-Hand Initiative to enable that. The conference will have a special session to examine the progress made in the region through this initiative, the statement added.

The conference will continue until Friday (4).

-ENCL
Editor_1
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