The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today formalized its partnership with one of Asia’s leading Academic Institutes aiming at consolidating, developing and detailing their cooperation and effectiveness to achieve their common objectives in the field of sustainable development of the Asia and Pacific region.

The Asian Institute of Technology is an international institute of higher learning that was established in 1959 to help meet the region’s growing needs for advanced learning in engineering, science, technology and management, research and capacity building and, particularly, to develop highly qualified and committed professionals in areas relating to the region’s sustainable development and its integration into the global economy.

FAO and AIT have a long history of collaboration. They share common objectives, with regard to promoting improved coherent actions for achieving the sustainable development goals in the Asia and Pacific region, and based on experience from successful collaboration under a previous cooperation agreement, this has resulted in better access and exchange of information and expertise in the fields of urban food systems, climate change, water, food and energy, agroecology, innovation and digitalization. This collaboration between FAO and AIT directly benefited many within the framework of their strategic objectives and regional priorities.

This relationship was renewed and formalized today, following a virtual signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between AIT and FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, both based in Bangkok, Thailand, to strengthen their partnership work.

“The collaboration of AIT and FAO has been very fruitful in the past, and this renewal of our formal arrangement will ensure an even closer partnership to accelerate our joint efforts to promote improved coherent action for achieving the sustainable development goals of the Asia and Pacific region,” said Jong-Jin Kim, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific. “FAO is committed to working with a wider range of development partners, including Academia, CSOs and the private sector, in general, and most particularly during this exceptional period when, as this region and the world are moving to recover from the effects of a pandemic.”

“Food-Energy-Water is one of the strategic focus areas of AIT.  Therefore, AIT is very pleased to renew our MoU with FAO and continue our collaboration in the fields of urban food systems, climate change, water, food and energy, agroecology and innovation/digitalization and to help in achieving the sustainable development goals of the region and beyond”, said Dr. Eden Woon, president of AIT. “Experts of both institutions in these six fields have jointly developed a work plan, and I am excited about other future cooperation too” added President Woon.