Ms. Nattavadee Sraprathum, Technical Staff for Food Emergency Monitoring and Information (FEMI) as a representative of the APTERR Secretariat, participated in an online focus group meeting to conduct a global strategic environmental scanning and industry-specific analysis under the international trade intelligence community for climate change measures and sustainable development project organised by the International Institute for Trade and Development (ITD) on 31 July 2024.
Before the focus group meeting started, Ms. Sraprathum introduced the implementation of APTERR to all participants for better understanding on the regional cooperation scheme in strengthening food security in the ASEAN Plus Three region. She then discussed from a perspective of regional food security cooperation on key driving factors that could impact the future of trade and food industry, the emerging future trends relevant to the food industry, and the navigation of uncertainty to gain insights into potential outcomes.
She highlighted a complex emergency as one of her main concerns as it involved not only the impacts of climate change but also the situations of disrupted livelihoods and threats to life, such as geopolitical conflicts, pandemics or others unforeseen challenges. Meanwhile, information sharing from relevant stakeholders, and exploring diversify source of staple food were the keys to deal with uncertainty and also reduce pressures on a wide range of people. Furthermore, boosting nutritional value in food industry could be an alternative means to meet emerging trends in the future as a powerful driving force towards ending hunger.
The focus group meeting convened experts and international scholars, including Mr. Suphakit Chareonkul, Executive Director of ITD, Professor Dr. Chris Elliott, Professor of Food Safety and Microbiology at Queen's University Belfast and Founder of the University's Institute for Global Food Security, Assistant Professor Dr. Awanwee Petchkongkaew, Co-Founder and Co-Director of International Joint Research Center on Food Security (IJC-FOODSEC), and Dr. Sumanya Ngandee, Computer Technical Officer Senior Professional Level and Manager of ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) to share valuable insights on the global and regional trade and food industry.
Aims of the meeting are to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among international experts to develop strategies aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and conduct a comprehensive global environmental strategic scanning to analyse and assess emerging trends, risks, and opportunities relevant to sustainable development.
