The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Laos organized an introductory meeting on the proposed new project “Enhancing the Enabling Environment for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems”. The meeting also provided a venue to exchange on activities supporting land-based investment and/or responsible agricultural investment as well as to ensure the proposed new project is aligned with ongoing projects and priorities.

The meeting was organized on 25^th July 2019 in Vientiane Lao PDR. On opening the meeting, Mr. Nasar Hayat, FAO representative to Lao PDR remarked “There are significant numbers of agricultural investments coming into Laos, of both foreign and domestic origin. Ensuring that these investments are implemented responsibly and sustainably is paramount to help put Lao PDR on a sustainable development pathway. This meeting is timely as the ASEAN Guidelines on ‘Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry’ will be launched at the end of this month.”  

The meeting was attended by over 25 participants from different sectors including from the Departments of Planning and Finance (DOPF), Agriculture Land Management (DALaM), Agriculture, Forestry, and Livestock, all under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) as well as other key stakeholders from the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC), and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE). The meeting was enriched through the participation of non-government stakeholders including from Mekong Regional Land Governance (MRLG) and Village Focus International (VFI).

Through an open discussion session, the participants brainstormed about the risks of investments that are not responsible and sustainable, and measures to promote responsible agricultural investment. Through this exercise participants appreciated the highly inter-sectoral nature of the topic, and that inter-sector and inter-ministerial collaboration would be essential for promoting responsible investment in agriculture, forestry and food systems.

FAO hosts the Secretariat to the Committee on World Food Security (CFS). Using a multi-stakeholder, inclusive approach, CFS develops and endorses policy recommendations and guidance on a wide range of food security and nutrition topics, including the “Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems” (CFS-RAI).