The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today announced it will convene a Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 10 – 14 March, 2014.

Hosted by the Government of Mongolia, the conference will attract government ministers and high-level delegates from some 46 member countries in Asia and the Pacific. The Thirty-Second FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC), will cover a number of issues vital to the well-being of farmers, fishers, foresters, businesses, the environment and, of course, consumers of food and agricultural products in the world’s most populous region.

The delegates will focus their discussions on the state of food and agriculture in Asia-Pacific and progress made in meeting the MDG goal of reducing hunger by half. They will also examine ways and means to restore grasslands and forests, the introduction of greener agricultural practices across the region and improvements in food security in Pacific Island Countries. Improved nutrition will also be a major topic of discussion.

The first three days of the APRC (10-12^th March) will be attended by senior government officials. Government Ministers and high-level participants will arrive on the 12^th March for a two-day ministerial segment (13-14^th March). The FAO’s Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, will also travel to Mongolia to participate in the Conference. A round table discussion on the double burden of malnutrition will be held on the final day, moderated by a well-known BBC television presenter. 

What:              FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC)

When:             10 – 14 March 2014

Where:            Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel)

All formal sessions of the Conference are open to accredited media.