APEC 2023: Promoting sustainable food system transition and market opening

The Third Senior Officials’ Meeting and Related Meetings (SOM3) of the APEC 2023 Conference takes place in Seattle from July 28 to August 21, 2023 in Seattle, USA. Within the framework of APEC SOM3, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam has sent representatives to attend relevant events where Vietnam’s agricultural sector has been appointed as the focal point, such as:

Food Security Ministers’ Meeting (FSMM);

High Level Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology (HLPDAB);

Oceans and Fisheries Working Group (OFWG);

Experts Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade (EGILAT);

Policy Partnership on Food Security (PPFS);

Agricultural Technical Cooperation Working Group (ATCWG);

Emergency Preparedness Working Group (EPWG);

Senior Disaster Management Officials’ Forum (SDMOF).

Faced with growing food insecurity globally due to rising costs, conflict and climate change disrupting production and supply chains, APEC member economies seek to increase agricultural productivity through technological innovation and sustainable production practices.

The Ministers of Agriculture of the APEC had a private meeting on the afternoon of August 3, 2023 in Seattle, USA to strengthen measures in order to meet the needs of a growing population with limited resources due to challenges caused by climate change.

The APEC Food Security Ministers’ Meeting (FSMM) focuses on promoting innovation and science, including biotechnology, to improve the productivity, sustainability and resilience of agricultural production before the impacts of climate change while protecting the environment, setting innovation and technology as the key to building a resilient food system in the APEC region.

FSMM also emphasizes the importance of commitments to maintaining a rules-based, non-discriminatory, open, fair, inclusive and transparent multilateral trading system, having the WTO as the center, and recognizing the importance of transparency measures in the process of promoting international trade, especially in food, animal and plant products.

On behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, Dr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, Director of the Department of International Cooperation, shares that Vietnam is always aware of the importance of ensuring food at any time, any place, for people around the world in general and those in the APEC region in particular.

“Vietnam has committed to transforming its agricultural system towards transparency, accountability and sustainability at the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021. Vietnam will not only provide quality food but also strive to reduce negative impacts on the environment.”

Vietnam is taking strong actions to implement the National Action Plan on Food System Transformation, approved by the Prime Minister in early 2023. Vietnam positively supports APEC's efforts to ensure food security, food safety and improved nutrition for all, as well as promoting innovation, developing green, low-emission agriculture and building climate resilience. This serves as an important foundation to create a resilient and sustainable future for all, following the theme set out at APEC 2023.

Vietnam now places a high priority on innovation in agriculture to make agriculture more resilient and adaptive to climate change. Public-private partnership is considered a tool to promote ecological agricultural practices and digital transformation, thereby enhancing added value, protecting the environment and achieving sustainable development.

In this regard, Vietnam supports the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate initiated by the United States and the United Arab Emirates. At the same time, Vietnam is working with the World Economic Forum to develop a Food Innovation Hub in Vietnam in the form of a public-private partnership.

Within the framework of cooperation with APEC Policy Partnership on Food Security (PPFS), Vietnam proposes two projects, namely: (1) Strengthen APEC cooperation in circular agriculture development to promote inclusive and sustainable growth; (2) Promote APEC cooperation to replicate best practices of digital community model towards sustainable and inclusive rural transformation.

Vietnam hopes to receive cooperation and support from other APEC member economies to take common and practical actions to ensure food security in the region, and at the same time protect the environment in the face of global warming.

The conference has also adopted the AEPC Principles for Achieving Food Security Through Sustainable Agriculture, including:

Principle 1: Promote resilient, sustainable food systems that support food security, manage the environment, sustain livelihoods and deliver social benefits for present and future generations.

Principle 2: Promote policies to improve sustainability and resilience in food systems.

Principle 3: Accelerate the transformation of APEC food systems towards sustainability and resilience through decision-making on policies and regulations that reflect applicable international agreements and accepted standards.

Principle 4: Promote the role of a transparent, predictable, open and fair market and multilateral trading systems in regional and global food security.