Major Asia-Pacific UN Conference in Colombo, in February

Colombo, Sri Lanka –Advanced planning and preparations are underway for a major Asia and Pacific regional conference to accelerate an agrifood systems transformation in 46 countries of the region, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), announced on Wednesday.

Hosted by the Government of Sri Lanka, the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (#APRC37) will convene at the Hilton Colombo Hotel, 19 – 22 February 2024, attracting government Ministers of Agriculture, Environment and Finance, among others, as well as representatives of the region’s Civil Society Organizations and the private sector.

The main issues to be addressed are finding the ways and means to: improve food security and ending all burdens of malnutrition, in a region lagging far behind in terms of ability to afford a healthy diet; increase sustainable agricultural production through a comprehensive agrifood systems transformation in countries across the Asia and Pacific region; combating climate change and its impacts on agriculture and increasing resilience over the longer term; ensure sustainable livelihoods derived from agriculture; reduce food loss and waste; incorporate science, technology and innovation as enabling tools to achieve these goals; and enhance and attract greater investment to realize all of the above.

The #APRC37 will be convened in-person, with hybrid capabilities to also follow the proceedings remotely.

Representatives of media organizations from across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond are welcome to attend either in-person or online. Regardless of attending in-person or virtually, advance registration is required by all. Kindly send your registration request to Allan.Dow@fao.org

A team of FAO Communications Specialists will Staff the #APRC37 to service all media requests, including advance assistance with accessing FAO pre-existing professional b-roll video material to complement the above issues, and to arrange field visits in Sri Lanka, or in your own country. FAO technical specialists on the above issues will also be available for interviews before, during and after the #APRC37.

Please visit the #APRC37 Conference Website for more information, which will be updated weekly with technical papers and a host of other information. https://www.fao.org/events/detail/aprc37/en