The APTERR Secretariat welcomed the representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation (aT) of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to the Secretariat office on 9 December 2022 for discussing a further improvement of APTERR’s activities in strengthening food security in the region.
The representative from the ROK consisted of Mr. Woo Yong Bae, Senior Deputy Director, and Mr. Young Hyun Park, Assistance Director, from the Food Grain Policy Division of the MAFRA and Mrs. Seonsil Hwang, Deputy Director, and Mrs. Seo Yeon Kim, Assistance Manager, from the Grain Aid Department of aT.
As one of APTERR’s major donors, the ROK has already contributed 19,000 MT of rice since 2016 through the Tier 3 programme to assist people affected by various types of disasters in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, the Philippines and Viet Nam. The meeting thus discussed and exchanged views on challenges learned from the previous Tier 3 programmes and plans to improve the ongoing programme implementation to become more efficient and effective. In 2022, the ROK contributes 1,000 MT of rice to be prepositioned in Myanmar (600 MT) and the Philippines (400 MT). The rice will be ready to provide a rapid response in time of the emergency occurrence in both countries.
The meeting also talked about the preparation for the upcoming 11th Meeting of APTERR Council hosted by the ROK in 2023. The APTERR Council members meet regularly at least once a year to update and discuss APTERR’s activities. Next year, the APTERR Council Meeting will be held in the ROK under the co-chairmanship of Thailand and the ROK.
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