Author Archive for: FAO-Newsroom

As COVID-19 continues to threaten lives and livelihoods across many countries of the Asia-Pacific region, it has led to setbacks in the fight to end hunger and malnutrition. In this context, the 35th Session of the FAO Asia and Pacific Regional Conference (#APRC35), hosted virtually by the Royal Government of Bhutan, started today with representatives from 46 countries examining the present situation of the region’s food security, with a particular emphasis on implications linked to the spread of the coronavirus and its impact on food systems region-wide.

The latest analysis by the Cadre Harmonisé indicates an increase in acute food insecurity of more than 50 percent since the situation in Burkina Faso was last assessed in March. Experts say the crisis has been exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19 on people's ability to earn money to cover their daily needs in a country already reeling from conflict and climate change.

The initiative, launched by the Government of Italy and led by FAO, is gaining momentum, as more countries are joining the initiative in an effort to tackle medium and long-term adverse impacts of the current pandemic on food systems and agriculture.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today unveiled a comprehensive platform to help the global community step up action to reduce food loss and waste as the UN agency and partners call for increased efforts and gear up for the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste – to be marked for the first time on 29 September 2020.

The $10 million agreement was signed today by FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol and Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Rome-based UN Agencies Victor Vasiliev during a virtual ceremony.

The Memorandum of Understanding - the first to be signed virtually by the IsDB - will also focus on project design/implementation, policy advice and knowledge-sharing to increase the joint impact of both FAO and the Bank's work in the agricultural sectors.