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VIRTUAL-FAO-MEET
Bangladesh, other Asia-Pacific countries convene virtual FAO conference
DHAKA, Sept 1, 2020 (BSS) – As COVID-19 continues to threaten lives and livelihoods across many countries of the Asia-Pacific region, it has led to setbacks in the fight to end hunger and malnutrition, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced today.
The Asia-Pacific region is home to more than half of the world’s undernourished, and with COVID-19 the number of hungry people in Southern Asia is projected to rise by nearly a third to 330 million by 2030, according to a message received here.
In response, Government representatives from 46 FAO Member Nations in Asia and the Pacific have convened a four-day virtual conference to closely examine 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.
More than 400 delegates are participating in a virtual meeting of the 35th Session of the FAO Asia and Pacific Regional Conference (#APRC35), hosted by the Royal Government of Bhutan.
Their numbers include Government Ministers, private sector, civil society, academia and technical experts in the food and agriculture sectors. All sessions of the conference can be followed live via Webcast.
Members of the high level delegation representing Bangladesh include: Dr. Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, Minister of Agriculture; Sadhan Chandra Majumder, Minister of Food; Md Nasiruzzaman, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture; Dr Mosammat Nazmanara Khanum, Secretary, Ministry of Food; Abdus Sobhan Sikder, Ambassador, Embassy of Bangladesh, Rome, Italy; Dr Md Abdur Rouf, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture; Md Nazrul Islam, Director-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Md Towfiqul Arif, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock; Rabbi Miah, Joint Secretary, Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance; and Dr Md Ashfaqul Islam Babool, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. They were joined by FAO Representative in Bangladesh, Robert D Simpson.
Addressing the conference, Dr Mosammat Nazmanara Khanum spoke about Bangladesh’s progress in improving diets and nutrition.
She said: “Bangladesh has been making remarkable gains in improving nutrition and dietary diversification over the last decade. Regrettably, COVID-19 has threatened progress and it is likely that the crisis will have a long-term impact on health and nutrition.”
She added: “Bangladesh is committed to a food system approach that recognises the importance of sustainable natural resource use, improved nutrition, and resilience. The Government of Bangladesh is putting in place a Food and Nutrition Security Policy to ensure safe and diversified diets for all. Our Plan of Action seeks to ensure that diets are enhanced and nutrition outcomes are improved for all citizens.”
BSS/PR/MRI/RY/2105 HRS