BD hosts FAO Asia-Pacific confce for first time in 2022

Bangladesh will host the 36th FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific Ocean or APRC, for the first time in 2022 since joining the UN agency in 1973, reports bdnews24.com.

The member states agreed to the proposal of Bangladesh to hold the next session in Dhaka at a virtual meeting after the 35th APRC of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque said at a media briefing at Hotel Intercontinental on Friday.

"China, India, Bhutan, Iran, Timor-Leste, Thailand, Philippines and Cambodia directly supported and the other states agreed to the proposal to hold the 36th conference in Bangladesh.

"The session will open a new door to us for exchange of views and mutual cooperation on the achievements, successes, technologies and innovations of the countries in the region," he said.

The regional conference is held once every two years, in years when the global FAO conference does not meet in regular session.

The minister hoped that the novel coronavirus will cease to exist by 2022 and Bangladesh will be able to organise the session without any hardship linked to the COVID-19 disease.

The 35th conference of FAO, organised by Bhutan, was held through video conference from Sept 1-4 due to the coronavirus pandemic.