FAO Asia Pacific Regional Conf begins in Dhaka today

Bangladesh is hosting the 36th Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the first time since joining the organisation in 1973.

In the conference, beginning today at hotel Intercontinental in Dhaka, delegations from 43 countries will participate in person and virtually. Of them, 42 are prime ministers, ministers and state ministers and officials of equivalent rank. 

Apart from them, 900 people, including the FAO director-general, representative of different UN organisations, development partners, NGO and civil society organisations, registered to attend the conference, Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque told a press conference at his office on Monday. 

“Current food and agriculture situation of the region during the Covid-19 pandemic, climate-resilient agriculture, hastening agriculture value chain digitalisation, identifying priorities to develop one health approach considering the rise of zoonotic diseases, protecting biodiversity to ensure food security, economic cooperation, and investment issues will be discussed in the conference,” he said. 

The first regional conference was held in Bengaluru in 1953.

The 36th biennial conference will end on March 11. Razzaque said it would widen the path of tackling the challenges of climate change, development of climate-smart agriculture system, modernisation of value chain and boost agricultural goods export, and enhance regional cooperation in agriculture.

“Bangladesh is honoured to host the event. All preparations have been taken. We are becoming a developing country, graduating from the least developed country group. At this stage, we want to show our ability to the world by organising the event successfully to encourage other international organisations to hold their conferences in Bangladesh,” he said.

Senior officials of the participating countries, including agriculture secretaries, will participate in discussions in the first two days (March 8-9), while ministerial meetings will take place in the last two days (March 10-11).   

There will be 17 exhibition stalls of the agriculture, food, and fisheries and livestock ministries at Hotel Intercontinental and the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. 

A ministerial session will be inaugurated at BCIC on March 10, where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be the chief guest, an agriculture ministry handout said. FAO said the host country would organise the inauguration programme under its arrangement. 

The FAO director-general is scheduled to meet President Abdul Hamid on March 9 and Prime Minister Hasina on March 13.