รัฐบาลไทย-ข่าวทำเนียบรัฐบาล-PM meets with Director-General of Food and Agriculture Organization
วันพุธที่ 10 มกราคม 2567
10/01/2567
PM meets with Director-General of Food and Agriculture Organization
PM meets with Director-General of Food and Agriculture Organization
January 9, 2024, at 1300hrs, at the Purple Room, Thai Khu Fah Building, Government House, Mr. Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Srettha Thavisin on occasion of his visit to Thailand. Government Spokesperson Chai Wacharonke disclosed gist of the meeting as follows:
The Prime Minister welcomed FAO Director-General to Thailand, and stated that the latter’s visit is very important to the strengthening of cooperation between Thailand and FAO that has continued throughout the past 72 years. As FAO member country where FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) is located, Thailand stands ready to forge close cooperation with the organization in sharing and exchanging knowledge and information regarding food and agriculture, on which Thailand has expertise, to other countries; building awareness on the importance of soil resources; applying technologies and innovations to enhance agricultural productivity; and promoting sustainable food security at the national, regional, and global levels.
FAO Director-General thanked the Prime Minister for the warm welcome, and for the Thai Government’s continued support to FAO RAP. He also affirmed FAO’s confidence to work together with the Prime Minister, and the organization’s commitment to promote technical and academic exchange in a bid to elevate cooperation with Thailand on environmental development, agriculture, and water and soil resource management. The FAO Director-General also extended his invitation for the Prime Minister to visit FAO Headquarters in Italy.
The two parties also discussed issues of mutual interest:
With regard to the World Soil Day, both the Prime Minister and FAO Director-General agreed on the importance of water and soil resource development. UN General Assembly has designated December 5 of each year as World Soil Day to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and advocating for the sustainable management of soil resources. For Thailand, King Bhumibol (King Rama IX) played a crucial role in sustainably developing and managing water and soil resources for better quality of life of the Thai people.
The Prime Minister affirmed Thailand’s readiness to consider hosting the World Soil Day events, as proposed by FAO, in a bid to communicate to the world the importance of soil resources, and to encourage FAO member states across the globe to carry out soil resource management in an efficient and sustainable manner, which would lead to achieving sustainable goals of food security and ending world hunger.
With regard to the cooperation on application of technology for climate change mitigation, both parties are well aware of the importance for Thailand to adapt in a changing climate which has impacted the country’s agricultural productivity, and become a threat to food security. FAO proposed a cooperation in applying innovation and technology and in exchanging knowledge and techniques for capacity building in a bid to enhance the country’s agricultural productivity amidst the climate change. The organization also suggested promotion of Bang Kachao, which is an artificial island in Samut Prakarn province formed by a bend in the Chao Phraya River and a canal at its western end, as a Future City and the urban “Green Lung” in the similar manner as New York’s Central Park.