Government representatives from around the region will convene later this week with members of civil society and the
private sector at the Asia-Pacific Regional Food Systems Dialogue. As the culmination of a series of national
discussions, the conference will identify opportunities for regional and subregional cooperation to help change the way
we produce, process and consume food.
Organized by multiple United Nations agencies in preparation for the Global Food Systems Summit, the dialogue will
discuss cross-cutting issues such as digitalization, data, urban agriculture and women and other vulnerable groups, in
order to achieve healthy diets for all people in Asia and the Pacific and support the implementation of the SDGs within
the context of current realities.
Members of the media and public are invited to watch the proceedings online.
When: Thursday, 10 June, 13:30 (GMT+7)
Watch online: https://www.youtube.com/UNESCAP
Welcome and opening (13:30 – 14:00)
Key speakers:Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAPMr. Jong-Jin Kim, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the PacificDr. Agnes Kalibata, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy to the 2021 Food Systems Summit
Round 1: Messages from countries (14:00 – 15:00)
Key speakers:H.E. Azamat Mukashev, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management – National Dialogue
Convenor of KyrgyzstanH.E. Sok Silo, Secretary General, Council for Agricultural and Rural Development – National Dialogue Convenor of
CambodiaProfessor Ramesh Chand, Member Secretary, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog – National Dialogue
Convenor of IndiaMr. Ritesh Dass, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture – National Dialogue Convenor of Fiji
Round 2: Opportunities for regional action (15:00 – 16:00)
Key speakers:Dr. Jacqueline Hughes, Director General, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)Ma. Estrella Penunia Banzuela, Secretary-General, Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA)Mr. Salman Hussain, Coordinator of the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity initiative at the UN Environment
ProgrammeMr. Paul Nicholson, Vice President; Head of Rice Research and Sustainability at Olam International Ltd.