News and Press Releases
FAO and ASEAN-Republic of Korea Forest Cooperation (AFoCo) sign Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
29.05.2015 Bangkok, Thailand
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today formalized its collaboration with the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Forest Cooperation (AFoCo) during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), at FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
The signing took place between Hiroyuki Konuma,Assistant Director-General andFAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific and Hadi S. Pasaribu, Executive Director of AFoCo.
The MOU is designed to provide a framework for co-operation between...
Serious threat to the Pacific - FAO Director-General, Jose Graziano da Silva
Jose Graziano da Silva, says climate change poses a serious threat of the very survival of Southwest Pacific island countries and other smaller islands around the globe.
28.05.2015 Papua New Guinea
The whole planet is being affected by its devastating impacts. Shifts in rainfall patterns, rising sea levels and sea surface temperatures have had disastrous effects on rural production, food security and livelihoods, especially among developing countries.
Dr da Silva told the 11th FAO Southwest Pacific Agriculture Ministers Meeting in Port Moresby that this problem has existed for several decades, but unfortunately it has been neglected for many years by the international...
Agriculture must be smart
28.05.2015 Papua New Guinea
Agriculture has to be climate, environmentally and economically ‘smart’ now and for the future – there is no other option for sustainable livelihoods in the Pacific. This was the message delivered to the 11th FAO Southwest Pacific Ministers of Agriculture meeting.
Dr Andrew McGregor, managing director of agribusiness consulting firm, Koko Siga, in Fiji, made a presentation on the vulnerability of Pacific agriculture and forestry to climate change.
McGregor informed the meeting...
Agriculture Ministers greatly “satisfied” with meeting
28.05.2015 Papua New Guinea
The eight agriculture ministers and one associate minister have expressed great satisfaction with the outcome of the 11th FAO Southwest Pacific ministers meeting. The ministers thanked the FAO and the PNG Government for the successful hosting and chairing of the meeting in Port Moresby.
Cook Islands Minister for Agriculture, Kiriau Turepu, said it was his first meeting and described it as an “eye opener” on many agricultural issues affecting the people...
FAO representation for the Solomon Islands
28.05.2015
FAO Director General, José Graziano da Silva and Solomon Islands Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Augustine Maeue signed an agreement to establish FAO representation for the Solomon Islands. The agreement was signed at the 11th FAO South West Pacific Ministers of Agriculture Meeting.
Assistance in Solomon Islands has focused on building the evidence base for policy-makers and supporting local food production. FAO is working in partnership with stakeholders in the Pacific to...
Papua New Guinea Minister thanks FAO
28.05.2015
The Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Assik Tommy Tomscoll, has expressed his gratitude to FAO for its support to the Pacific region. Minister Tomscoll also acknowledged the presence of the ministers from the Southwest Pacific region who participated at the 11th FAO Southwest Pacific Ministers of Agriculture meeting.
Minister Tomscoll thanked the FAO Director-General, Dr Jose Graziano da Silva, for his efforts in giving special consideration to the needs of the...
Asia-Pacific region achieves Millennium Development Goal to reduce hunger by half by 2015
28.05.2015 Bangkok, Thailand
The Asia-Pacific region has achieved the Millennium Development Goal (MDG-1c) by reducing the proportion of people suffering from hunger by half by 2015, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced today.
“This is an historic achievement, a great milestone of which the Asia-Pacific region should be proud,” said Hiroyuki Konuma, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative. “Looking at the region as a whole, in the MDG base year of 1990,...
Lao People's Democratic Republic Launches National Zero Hunger Challenge
27.05.2015 Vientiane, Lao PDR
The government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, in collaboration with the United Nations, has launched the National Zero Hunger Challenge, joining other countries striving to eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.
The Global Zero Hunger Challenge was launched by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in 2012, calling on all countries to ensure every person has adequate nutrition and that all food systems are resilient. The Challenge comprises five elements to...
Thailand launches national Save Food Campaign in collaboration with FAO to reduce huge amounts of food loss and food waste
25.05.2015 Bangkok, Thailand
The Royal Thai Government in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today launched a major awareness-raising initiative to address food loss and food waste in Thailand.
The national Save Food Campaign in Thailand, endorsed by partners of the Save Food Network, is the first of its kind in the ASEAN region. It was launched during an event today at CentralWorld by Thailand’s Vice-Minister of Agriculture...
FAO helps member countries in Asia-Pacific better communicate risk awareness, prevention and response mechanisms in their efforts to ensure food safety
15.05.2015 Bangkok, Thailand
Improved communication about the risks associated with food safety are key to on-going risk analyses within responsible government agencies in order to better protect the public from food-borne illnesess, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today.
Forty participants from 13 countries in the region, representing senior managerial and technical staff from food safety, veterinary and public health institutions with formal mandates in risk analysis functions have wrapped up a...