A Taiwan-proposed emergency food mechanism was the subject of discussion at the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum working group meeting that wrapped up April 11 in Taipei City.
More than 60 representatives from 19 member economies took part in sessions covering the initiative’s planning and design, cost, implementation, and social and economic impacts, according to the Council of Agriculture.
Opening the meeting, COA Minister Chen Bao-ji noted that global warming has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, threatening food security in the region and creating a need to enhance emergency response capabilities.
The mechanism would be coordinated with existing international humanitarian relief organizations to quickly provide free emergency food supplies to disaster victims, Chen explained.
Taiwan first submitted the initiative in mid-2010, and it was later included in the Niigata Declaration at the conclusion of the first APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting, held in Japan in October of the same year.
The COA said it will refer to recommendations put forward by APEC members and submit an enhanced plan to the APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting scheduled for Kazan, Russia, May 30 and 31.
