The Asia and the Pacific Regional Conference (APRC) is held once every two years by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The APRC is an official forum for government ministers and delegates from more than 40 countries in the region to meet and debate challenges related to food and agriculture. Its main outcomes are recommendations that guide FAO’s work in the region, and provide further guidance to FAO’s global conference in Rome in June the following year. Observers from the civil society, academia, and the private sector will also attend. The forthcoming 35^th APRC is scheduled in Thimphu, Bhutan from 17 to 20 February 2020. This year APRC will address current and emerging regional trends and challenges, but it will also highlight examples of innovation and digital technologies to improve nutrition and food system across the region.

As part of the preparation for the APRC, the Representative of FAO in Cambodia, Mr Alexandre Huynh, convened a consultation meeting with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) to discuss the importance of the APRC and the participation of the member countries. The discussion also emphasized the country’s agriculture development including barriers, needs and opportunities. The importance of Research and Development was notably discussed. Other key themes discussed included Cambodia Agriculture Master Plan 2030, centered on government, development partners and private sector partnership for agriculture, as well as innovation for better farming. 

H.E. Srey Vuthy, Secretary General confirmed that two government officials from the Department of Planning and Statistics and the Department of International Cooperation of MAFF would represent Cambodia at the conference, while MAFF Minister and some high level officials already had prior commitments during the conference in February 2020.