The agriculture related meetings held during the Food Security Week which kicked off the 2018 APEC SOM3 was hailed as a success.
The Policy Partnership on Food Security (PPFS), High Level Policy Dialogue on Agriculture Biotechnology (HLPDAB), Agriculture Technical Cooperation Working Group (ATCWG), and Ocean Fisheries Working Group (OFWG) meetings were well attended and achieved their objectives.
Department of Agriculture and Livestock acting Secretary and PPFS Chair, Mr Francis Daink, said it has been a wonderful six days of deliberations, during which delegates met in their respective fora meetings and discussed issues of importance to their APEC economies.
“The spirit of corporation and collaboration seems to be strong and remains robust as I have observed.”
Mr Daink, speaking at the closing of the joint meeting of the PPFS, HLPDAB, ATCWG and OFWG, thanked all those who assisted in preparing and organizing the meetings including DAL, National Fisheries Authority, ABAC, PNG APEC Coordinating Authority, PNG APEC Secretariat and APEC Secretariat based in Singapore.
Mr Daink reminded the delegate to remain focus in whatever capacity they performed in their roles and responsibilities towards addressing sustainable food and nutrition security as the number one priority.
“The related food security and the cross-cutting concerns, some of which we have deliberated on can be included in the mainstream policy objectives and strategies and others can be included during future dialogues.”
“As a mandatory requirement the outcomes or final statements from each Fora that we have concluded today, we anticipate and look forward to, will become the included and accepted in the “Era Kone Declaration: on the 26thAPEC Leader’s Summit later this year on 18thNovember which is only three months away.”
In his opening remarks earlier, Mr Daink said the PPFS draws its visionary strength based on the platform that APEC economies are free from hunger and poverty, malnutrition and shall aspire to contribute to the efforts of improving living standards of all, including marginalized smallholders in an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable manner.
The long-term goal of PPFS as stated in its TOR “is the attainment of a food system structure by 2020, sufficient to provide lasting food security to APEC member economies, enhance food security food supply, efficiency, provide more affordable food for lower income economies”. Also APEC economies will strive to reduce food losses and wastes by 10%”
PPFS fora plays an important role to provide policy direction for food and nutrition security in the APEC region, which is reflected in the APEC Food Security Road Map 2020, which is a comprehensive food security plan for APEC Region.
The priorities for PPFS focus on food security in agriculture and fisheries, climate change, and gender inclusivity.
Mr Daink said the PPFS fora continues to provide guidance to setting and implementing policies on food security in the APEC regions through strong spirit of cooperation that exist between the economies and “I believe this spirit of cooperation will continue into the future.”
“I must stress that APEC PPFS alone cannot address the task on food security concerns and priorities. It needs united and collaborative efforts from other fora, other sectors within the public/government, private sectors, national and international organizations, expert groups, financial institutions and everyone else in the food value chain for the benefit of mankind worldwide.”
