Bangkok, 27 and 28 May 2009

Bangkok − Taken together, the 10 country ASEAN group has been a net exporter of several food commodities, including rice, and has sufficient amounts of food for its people. However, the sharp increase in food prices as well as recent devastating natural disasters, have raised serious concerns to the ASEAN member states and calls for urgent actions to revisit food security issues and cooperation, including ways and means to address food security in the long-term.

Food security is a standing agenda on the ASEAN agenda. Over the years, regional initiatives and projects – such as the ASEAN Food Security Reserve Board, the East Asian Emergency Rice Reserve (EAERR) project, and ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) project – have been initiated and implemented to support national food security initiatives and address food security at the regional level.

At last February’s ASEAN Summit, the country’s leaders pledged to embrace food security as a matter of permanent and high priority policy, and adopted a Statement on Food Security calling also for strengthening regional mechanism in support of emergency food assistance.

With a view to advancing implementation and realization of the above commitments, ASEAN and FAO are organizing a Regional Conference on Food Security on 27 and 28 May 2009 to discuss in more detail specific mechanisms with which ASEAN, UN and other interest parties can implement the identified areas of cooperation.

With some 50 participants expected to be in attendance, the ASEAN-FAO Regional Conference on Food Security brings together senior agricultural representatives from the 10 ASEAN countries and three ASEAN Dialogue Partners (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea), as well as United Nations organizations and international non-governmental organizations.

The conference is held at the Plaza Athénee Bangkok hotel, Wireless Road.

The opening ceremony on Wednesday 27 May, from 09:00 to 10:00 hours, will be co-chaired by the ASEAN deputy secretary-general Sundram Pushpanathan and the FAO assistant director-general and regional representative for Asia and the Pacific, He Changchui, and is open to the media.

During the coffee break after the opening ceremony, journalists can have one-on-one interviews with delegates.

Journalists and media representatives should register with FAO prior to accessing the conference hall. In order to facilitate registration, journalists should bring along a valid Thai press accreditation card.

For more information on media attendance, contact the FAO information office on telephone +66 (0)2 697 4124 or email the Conference Information Officer, [email protected], tel: +66 (0)2 697 4126, 081-8997354.