Government ministers and delegations from 46 members of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have gathered in Colombo for the opening of the 37th ministerial session of the FAO regional conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC37), the FAO said on Monday.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu will participate in the four-day forum and will make a statement to the conference on the second day of the APRC37. Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is also expected to speak on Tuesday, the FAO said in a statement.
According to the FAO, delegates will participate in several roundtable discussions, including lessons learned from the pandemic and its impact on food security and nutrition, and building resilience through agrifood systems transformation.
The Thirty-seventh Session of the Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC) will be held as a high-level Ministerial in-person event in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 19 to 22 February 2024.
It will be preceded by the Senior Officers Meeting (SOM) to be held virtually from 31 January to 2 February 2024. The state of food and agriculture in the region; agrifood systems transformation; and solutions particularly for smallholders and family farmers will be discussed.
