FAO hosts virtual consultation on food, nutrition insecurity in South Asia
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has hosted a series of webinar discussing the crucial role of civil society organisations and media can play in the fight against food and nutrition insecurity in South Asia.
Titled "Consultation with CSOs and media for Thirty-sixth Session of FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific", the consultation also focused on advancing sustainable, resilient, and nutrition-sensitive agri-food systems in the South Asia region.
The webinars were organised to draw on the FAO's upcoming 36th Asia Pacific Regional Conference to be held in Dhaka from 8-11 March, reads a press release.
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Bangladesh will host the conference for the first time since it joined the FAO in 1973.
Participants stressed the importance of effective collaboration, innovation as well as intersectoral action as essential approaches to the progressive realization of the right to food.
GAIN Country Director of Dr Rudaba Khondker has highlighted the importance of nutrition and the critical work of the 'Scaling Up Nutrition' (SUN) Movement to address malnutrition and hunger across the globe including Bangladesh.
Participants in the discussion also highlighted on ease the access of farmers to different financial schemes like flood insurance scheme, with focus on farmers from flood-prone and heard-to-reach communities.
During the webinar's opening ceremony, FAO's Assistant Representative in Bangladesh Dr Nur Ahammed Khondaker said, "the workshop opens a new opportunity of cooperation between development partners, actors and FAO as we work to overcome the difficulties to transiting a sustainable and healthy agri-food system".
Moderated by Dr Monirul Hasan, Market and Trade System Advisor of FAO Bangladesh, the webinars ended with the promises and commitment to act on a coordinated multisectoral approach to boost up the scaling up nutrition activities and to develop a consensus on priorities to transform Bangladesh's food and nutrition security landscape.
Around 90 participants from developments partners, INGO, national NGOs, grassroots level NGOs namely, IFRI, CIMMT, CARE, SAVE, CONCERN Worldwide, ACDI/VOCA and media representatives from national print, online and broadcasting media attended the workshop.
