FAO Regional Organizing Group for OCOP holds its first meeting to advance sustainable agrifood systems in Asia and the Pacific
The inaugural meeting was held for the Regional Organizing Group (ROG), to begin their work to coordinate and facilitate the successful and impactful implementation of the One Country One Priority Product initiative (OCOP) in the region of Asia and the Pacific (RAP). The ROG aims to work closely with the OCOP project countries in the region through their respective National Task Forces, while also supporting the OCOP Steering Committee established at FAO headquarters.
The ROG meeting was welcomed by Mr Jong-Jin Kim, Assistant Director-General/Regional Representative for RAP and Ms Beth Bechdol, FAO Deputy Director-General provided the opening remarks and emphasized the importance of establishing the strong regional coordination mechanism for making the OCOP a success.
The Terms of Reference and the composition of the ROG were discussed and endorsed at the meeting, with Mr Jong-Jin Kim as chair, and representatives of key stakeholders involved as the group’s three vice-chairs:- Mr Md. Baktear Hossain, Director of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Agriculture Center; Mr Chalat Santivarangkna, Director of the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Thailand; Ms Chuang Liu, Director of the Global Change Research Data Publishing & Repository (GCdataPR) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. Ms Xuan Li, Senior Policy Officer and OCOP Regional Focal Point for RAP will act as the ROG Secretary. ROG members include senior government officials, FAO Officers and FAO Representatives from the OCOP countries in Asia and the Pacific. Under the ROG, a Regional Working Team (RWT) is established to coordinate the daily activities.
The ROG meeting marked a significant milestone in advancing the OCOP initiative. Mr Jingyuan Xia, Director of FAO Plant Production and Protection Division (NSP), updated on the progress in the global implementation of the OCOP and Ms Xuan Li reported on progress and activities in the region. Mr Robert Simpson, FAO Representative in Bangladesh, Mr Ken Shimizu, FAO Representative in Nepal and Bhutan and Mr Lazarus Dawa, FAO National Focal Point in Papua New Guinea updated on OCOP implementation progress in their respective countries.
The overall objective of the ROG is to ensure effective support for the coordination of OCOP implementation in the region, including sharing & exchanging of knowledge, practices, and lessons learnt from OCOP activities at regional and national levels.
The inaugural ROG meeting was facilitated by Mr Robert Simpson and set the stage for the Regional Launch Event and Workshop on the Implementation of OCOP Country Projects in Asia and the Pacific region to be held in Dhaka from 19 to 20 July 2023.
Background and context about the OCOP approach to agrifood system transformation
The OCOP is closely aligned with FAO's Strategic Framework for 2022-2031 and aims to foster inclusive, profitable, and environmentally sustainable agrifood systems by focusing on the sustainable development of Special Agricultural Product (SAP) value chains. The OCOP prioritizes five key areas—(1) increasing productivity and ensuring healthy diets; (2) reducing food loss and waste while protecting biodiversity; (3) optimizing water usage and land utilization; (4) minimizing agricultural chemical inputs; and (5) addressing climate change. With concrete action in these areas, the OCOP initiative strives to develop more sustainable value chains for SAPs as a catalyst for the wider transformation of agrifood systems for the benefit of FAO member states. This approach aims to bolster food security, improve farmers' livelihoods, drive economic growth, and safeguard the environment and biodiversity.