Government Ministers and Heads of Delegations from as many as 46 Member Nations are gathering in Colombo for the event. Sri Lanka is hosting the APRC37.

The Director-General was received at the airport by Janaka Dharmakeerthi, Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture in Sri Lanka, Jong-Jin Kim, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative, and Vimlendra Sharan, the FAO Representative for Sri Lanka.

During his stay, the Director-General will also visit agricultural sites, and is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral discussions with Sri Lankan leadership and Ministers from other Asia-Pacific countries.

The #APRC37 , convened by FAO's Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and hosted by the Government of Sri Lanka, marks a major international, multilateral milestone in an effort to reform agrifood systems across the Asia-Pacific region. The Conference runs from 19 – 22 February in Colombo.

President Wickremesinghe and the Director-General are expected to inaugurate the Ministerial session of the conference on Tuesday, 20 February with delegates from across the Asia-Pacific region participating. The objective is to outline a pathway toward a full recovery from the pandemic and other converging crises, and reinforce ways to rebuild and transform the region's agrifood systems, delivered through better production, better nutrition, a better environment and leading to a better life for all – leaving no one behind.

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