FAO Submitted Draft Plan of Action in Support of ASEAN

FAO Submitted Draft Plan of Action in Support of ASEAN Vision, Objectives And Strategies for Cooperation in Food, Agriculture And Forestry towards 2025

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia – 19 August 2014

ASEAN nations have moved a step closer in their efforts to formulate a framework of a new vision and priorities for the years 2016-2025 in food production , agriculture and forestry sectors, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today.

The acknowledgment was made by FAO’s Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative, Hiroyuki Konuma, during the Special Senior Officials Meeting of the Thirty Fifth Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (Special SOM-35th AMAF), in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

Following a request in March of this year by the ASEAN Secretariat, and after subsequent consultative meetings, a draft ‘Strategic plan of action for ASEAN cooperation in food, agriculture and forestry (2016 – 2025)’ was drafted jointly by FAO and GIZ and presented to the ASEAN senior officials today for consideration. The plan has been developed through collaboration of FAO, the German development agency GIZ and consultants. The draft includes a detailed situational analysis of food, crops, livestock and fisheries in the ASEAN countries. It examines challenges and opportunities and offers suggestions for a coordinated way forward.

During his introductory remarks, Konuma said the process provided “a crucial framework for ASEAN integration in food, agriculture and forestry sector which are critical to the food security and economic progress in the ASEAN Community.”

The FAO Assistant Director-General also presented the Special SOM-AMAF meeting with an update on the Save Food Asia-Pacific Campaign, supported by the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. The regional initiative, launched in Bangkok in August 2013 under the umbrella of global Save Food Campaign, has attracted the interest of several countries in Asia and the Pacific including ASEAN member countries.

“Cambodia, Viet Nam, Indonesia and Thailand have officially requested FAO’s support to implement Save Food Campaigns and launch national networks,” Konuma said. “Lao PDR, Singapore and Malaysia have also communicated to FAO their interest in implementing national Save Food Campaigns,” he added.

ENDS

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