FAO Regional Conference for Asia and Pacific approaching

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The 32nd Regional Conference for Asia and Pacific of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) will run March 10-14 in Ulaanbaatar. The FAO considers this action will be next steps to achieve "zero hunger" across Asia and the Pacific, and it is expected government ministers and high-level officials from nearly 40 countries will gather in the conference to discuss ways and means to bring an end to hunger and improve food security across this vast continent. Impressive gains have been made in reducing hunger in Asia and the Pacific and, regionally, the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to reduce hunger by half by 2015 is now within reach. However, the region remains home to more than 60 percent of the world’s hungry people, with malnutrition disproportionately affecting millions of children. In many developing countries of Asia, the stunting of children, a condition caused by micronutrient deficiency where a child does not reach her/his full physical and cognitive development, afflicts as many as 30-50 percent of children. The delegates of Asia and Pacific will focus their discussions on the state of food and agriculture in the region and progress made so far in meeting the MDG goal, as well as the Zero Hunger Challenge, a UN campaign to eradicate hunger entirely by 2025. The participants will also examine ways and means to restore grasslands and forests, adopt greener agricultural practices across the region in ways that benefit family farms, and improvements in food security for Pacific Island Countries. The regional nations will also cover a number of other issues vital to the well-being of farmers, fishers, foresters, businesses, the environment and, of course, consumers of food and agricultural products in the world’s most populous region. The FAO’s Director-General, Jose Graziano da Silva will visit Mongolia to participate in the Conference. A round table discussion on the ‘double burden of malnutrition’ will be held on the final day, moderated by a BBC television presenter.