The Hon’ble Sanam Lyonpo led the high-level delegation from Bhutan and attended the 36th Session of FAO Regional Conference on Asia and Pacific (APRC) which was held virtually from 8-11 March 2022. The conference held Senior Officers’ Meeting from 8-9 March and the Ministerial Conference from 10-11 March 2022. The conference which was held in hybrid mode and organized by the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in collaboration FAO.
Speaking to the forum as the Chair of the 35th Session of APRC which was hosted virtually by Bhutan in 2020, Lyonpo highlighted some deliberation points discussed in the last APRC such as leveraging the potential of digitalization and innovation, water resource management and the need to urgently act on the impacts of climate change. While the COVID pandemic continues to take toil in the region, Lyonpo said that through sound policies and programs on resilient agri-food systems, nutrition-sensitive food diversification among others, the region can accelerate recovery and advance further.
Going forward, Lyonpo urged member countries to work in the spirit of hope, perseverance and collectivism to address the challenges the region is facing. The COVID pandemic, food and nutrition security, poverty, digitalization and innovation among others were highlighted as some pressing regional and country’s priorities requiring immediate actions.
Further, Lyonpo took part in the Ministerial Roundtable Meeting on Climate Actions for Resilience and Sustainability. Speaking as the panel member, he talked about the impacts of climate change faced by the region and its millions of smaller holder farmers. He highlighted how small and landlocked nations like Bhutan stands acutely vulnerable to climate change impacts. To that end, Lyonpo called upon the support of regional and global members and institutions in enhancing the mitigative and adaptive capacity of countries, with special emphasis on small and vulnerable countries.
Lyonpo also a delivered keynote statement on the HiHi Project side event organized by FAO.
-PPD
