FAO launches Asia-Pacific Food Forum to drive regional investment and innovation
Forum calls for urgent action to scale solutions, empower women and youth, and mobilize financing and recognizes two institutions as One Country One Product Centres of Excellence
©FAO
Bandar Seri Begawan: The first Asia-Pacific Food Forum (APFF) opened in Brunei Darussalam today, bringing together Ministers, development partners, financial institutions, private sector leaders, scientists, innovators, women farmers and youth to accelerate agrifood systems transformation across the region.
Organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Brunei Darussalam, the Forum focused on mobilizing investment, leveraging science and innovation for evidence-based decision making, and empowering women and young people as drivers of change.
Opening the Forum, FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol called for urgent action to scale up regional solutions already within reach. “We do not lack solutions — what we need is to scale them, and to better connect priorities with investment, innovation with markets, and people with opportunities,” she said.
In a message to participants, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said investment at scale is critical to enable agrifood systems transformation, calling for decisive action driven by science and innovation and inclusive and intergenerational leadership.
The Forum underscored the transformative role of FAO’s Hand-in-Hand initiative in supporting countries build targeted, bankable and data-driven investment pipelines, and identified opportunities to mobilize public and private financing through blended finance and de-risking instruments.
FAO’s One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative showcased how science and innovation is strengthening value chains of Special Agriculture Products, improving productivity, competitiveness, traceability, and market access. OCOP helps create sustainable, climate resilient and nutrition-sensitive agrifood systems.
Two regional institutions recognized as OCOP Centres of Excellence
At a ceremony during the Forum, FAO Assistant Director General and Regional Representative, Alue Dohong, designated the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Nutrition of Thailand’s Mahidol University as OCOP Centres of Excellence.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences institute was recognized for pioneering work on the Geographical Indications Environment & Sustainability methodology, which establishes product traceability linking agrifood producers and their production environment with consumers in high-end markets. Mahidol University’s Institute of Nutrition was recognized as a strategic hub for knowledge sharing and capacity building through its work in nutrition analysis and food product development.
“These new Centres of Excellence will enable Asia-Pacific smallholder producers to sustainably grow more with less, increase resilience to natural disasters and climate stress, bring healthier food to the table, and improve traceability of special agricultural products from farm to high-end consumers,” Dohong said.
Women and Youth at the forefront of change
A dedicated session on the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 highlighted the central role of women across agrifood systems and called for stronger action to address persistent barriers to resources, services and leadership opportunities.
As a platform for youth voices and youth-led innovation and entrepreneurship, the APFF emphasized the importance of enabling young people to access finance, skills, technology and markets to scale their solutions and drive the future of agrifood systems.
Participants stressed the importance of stronger partnerships across governments, regional organizations, development partners, financial institutions and the private sector to translate priorities into action and deliver measurable impact.
The Asia-Pacific Food Forum was convened alongside the 38th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific. It builds on the global momentum of the World Food Forum, serving as a regional platform to connect solutions with investment and accelerate implementation at country level.
FAO reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Members in advancing inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems transformation in Asia and the Pacific, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the FAO Strategic Framework.
