FAO, Asean to strengthen cooperation in farming, forestry
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The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation and the member governments of Asean signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Kula Lumpur yesterday, under which the two bodies will strengthen cooperation in agriculture and forestry with the goal of reducin
Speaking at the signing ceremony on behalf of the FAO’s director-general Jose Graziano da Silva, Hiroyuki Konuma, assistant director-general and regional representative for Asia and the Pacific, said: “The MoU signifies the mutual strategic vision and trust of the two organisations in working together in addressing growing challenges in agriculture, particularly in addressing global challenges in food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture, as well as in support of the sector in contributing to the realisation of the Asean Economic Community in 2015, and beyond.”
Through the MoU, Asean and the FAO will strengthen collaboration in the areas of trans-boundary animal-disease control, food safety, nutrition, food security and bioenergy development, he said.
It is agriculture that holds the key to food security, as well as to raising levels of nutrition and standards of living of the bulk of the hungry and poorly nourished, he added.
The agreement provides for Asean member states to gain greater access to information services and other programmes offered by the FAO, increases technical assistance in the fields of agriculture, forestry, and food security in order to promote development activities in those fields, and enhances and strengthens existing cooperation between Asean member states and the FAO. The MoU is subject to ratification or acceptance by all 10 Asean member states.
