11 March 2016: The 33rd session of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific endorsed FAO’s future course of work towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture) in the region. The agreed work plan includes four regional initiatives and several support measures for SDG implementation.

Highlighting the region’s achievement of reducing hunger by 50% between 1990-1992 and 2015, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said Asia and the Pacific can lead the way in fulfilling Goal 2 and other SDGs by empowering smallholders, pastoralists, landless and marginal farmers and fisher folks, while providing social protection as a safety net. He noted that the capacity-building provided by FAO’s regional initiatives offer opportunities to increase agricultural output, improve incomes and food security, and contribute to economic growth.

The Conference endorsed four initiatives that FAO has been implementing in the region since 2013. The Asia and the Pacific Zero Hunger Challenge focuses on: national food security and nutrition policies and investment plans; capacity building to measure and calculate undernourishment; and improving child nutrition and reducing stunting in Bangladesh, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Myanmar, Nepal and Timor-Leste. The Blue Growth initiative aims to support sustainable growth of aquaculture and responsible fisheries. The Regional Rice Initiative focuses on promoting sustainable rice production practices to enhance crop resilience and increase production efficiency. The Value Chains initiative, which focuses on Cook Islands, Fiji and Samoa, seeks to improve the role of local foods in domestic and export markets and national diets through evidence for policy-makers, strengthening regional enabling environments, and appropriate national actions.

With regard to SDG implementation, delegates to the 33rd Conference requested that FAO assist member countries in: reflecting the SDGs in national policies and programmes; monitoring and evaluating progress towards achieving relevant SDGs; developing robust data collection systems and capacities for analysis; and developing and strengthening policies, institutions and technical capacities to enable countries to increase agricultural productivity and to manage climate-related risks.

The conference also included a roundtable discussion on the future of youth in agriculture, during which participating delegates agreed on the need to make the agricultural sector more attractive to youth, including through training courses, improved school curricula and better use of modern technologies.

The FAO Asia and Pacific Regional Conference takes place every two years, and aims to address regional challenges and priorities in agriculture and food security and promote regional policy coherence. The 33rd session convened from 7-11 March 2016, in Putrajaya, Malaysia. [FAO Press Release, 7 Mar] [FAO Press Release, 10 Mar] [FAO Press Release, 12 Mar] [Conference Webpage] [Background on regional initiatives]