FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

The Asia-Pacific region is home to more than half a billion (62 percent) of the world’s undernourished people and over 100 million stunted children, resulting in the suffering of millions and, all too often, premature death.

This is unacceptable in a region which has been showing strong economic growth in recent decades. It is also home to a vast majority of the world’s smallholder farmers who presently produce enough food for all.

 

 

Zero Hunger is a vision of the world free of hunger and malnutrition, in which no on is left behind.

The global Zero Hunger Challenge (ZHC) was initiated at the Rio+20 Conference in June 2012. Since then, FAO has been working to meet that goal. The Regional Initiative on Zero Hunger in Asia and the Pacific (RI-ZH) has been implemented in Bangladesh, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Nepal and Timor-Leste. It has been further extended to Cambodia, Viet Nam, Fiji, Pakistan and Thailand.

Three Main Thematic Components Structure Zero Hunger work:

  • Formulation of food security and nutrition strategy, policy and coordination mechanism including sectoral policy;
  • Promotion of nutrition-sensitive agriculture; 
  • Data analysis and monitoring of SDGs for decision-making.

RI-ZH is implemented under FAO’s Strategic Objective 1 (SO1), and is also contributing to the remaining four SO’s – SO2, SO3, SO4 and SO5, and, of course, directly contributes to achieving SDG 2 – the eradication of hunger by 2030.

Main Regional Activities: 

Main National Activities: 

Bangladesh

Nepal

Timor-Leste

Viet Nam

  • Decision on “Promulgating the National Action Plan on Zero Hunger In Vietnam By 2025” approved by the Prime Minister on 12 June 2018 
  • High-level meeting in February 2016 with the UN Resident Coordinator, Ministers of the Ministry of Rural Development and FAO in Viet Nam 
  • Establishment of a National Steering Committee on Zero Hunger in May 2016
  • Coordination Office for National Action Plan on Zero Hunger Challenge within the Department of Cooperatives and Rural Development in November 2016