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| Regional Priorities |
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Strengthening biosecurity for food security and agricultural trade
Goal: strengthened biosecurity to promote sustainable agriculture, food security, and regional and international trade.
Production systems in Asia and the Pacific are rapidly evolving in response to increasing demand for food and agricultural products as well as to globalization pressures. Modern biotechnological methods, and their capacity to enhance both the quality and volume of food and agricultural commodities and products, have moved to the forefront of policy discussions.
The new technology affects natural resources, the environment, biodiversity and food quality, and also raises significant concerns related to biosecurity in the region. In fact, biosecurity is now one of the urgent issues that confronts both the region and the international community.
The objectives of FAO are to:
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improve access to relevant, up-to-date information on biosecurity issues that meets the needs of stakeholders at all levels; |
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assist in the development of national policies and regulatory frameworks relating to biosecurity and biosafety; |
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support capacity building in biosecurity assessment and decision-making to address issues related to intensification and application of risky technologies in food and agriculture; |
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advance risk assessment and control of invasive species and transboundary diseases, and implementation of WTO SPS measures aimed at livestock, fisheries and agricultural trade expansion; and |
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enhance regional networking and international collaboration and provide a neutral forum on biosecurity issues. |
For more information on the six thematic programme areas guiding FAO's work in the region in its mission to help member countries halve the region's undernourished by 2015 see RAP Publication 2004/06 Towards a food-secure Asia and Pacific. Regional Strategic Framework for Asia and Pacific, second edition.
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