Today Man Ho So presented his credentials as the FAO Representative in Timor-Leste to vice-minister of foreign affairs Alberto Carlos. This agreement formalises the establishment of a permanent FAO Representation in the country and set the basis for expanded, long-term cooperation between Timor-Leste and FAO.

Mr So is concurrently the FAO deputy regional representative for Asia and the Pacific based in Bangkok, Thailand.

The establishment of the FAO Representation follows a formal request made by the government earlier this year. The letter from president Jose Ramos Horta thanked FAO for continuing support provided to Timor-Leste since 1999 and requested FAO to establish a permanent representation in Dili.

FAO and the ministry of agriculture and fisheries (MAF) will soon start the preparation of a country programming framework (CPF), a joint document that defines priority areas of cooperation for the coming five years.

The CPF will be aligned with Timor-Leste's Strategic Development Plan launched last July, and will identify areas of comparative advantage for FAO assistance to the country, such as food security, animal health and veterinary service, fisheries and disaster risk management.

Mr So, a national from the Republic of Korea, was the FAO Representative in Indonesia from 2005 to 2010. Before joining FAO, he occupied various senior level positions in the Ministry of Agriculture of his country.