Vietnam shares food security experience at APEC
According to VNA Special Envoy, on September 9, in Vladivostok city of the Russian Federation, the 20th APEC Summit continued two important sessions on food security, innovative growth, the world economic situation and the Asia-Pacific region.
President Truong Tan Sang at the closed session of APEC leaders.
(Photo: Nguyen Khang/VNA)
The session on food security and innovative growth was chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, the host country of the first APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting held in 2010, were invited to deliver keynote speeches. This was the first time food security had been the main topic of a session at the APEC Summit.
Speaking at the meeting, President Truong Tan Sang emphasized that efforts to ensure food security need to be closely linked with the overall national development strategy, the economic restructuring process as well as the implementation of the Millennium Goals and efforts to respond to climate change.
Sharing Vietnam's experience, the President affirmed that agricultural and rural development is the first breakthrough of the renovation process and continues to be an effective measure to help Vietnam stabilize the macro-economy, maintain growth momentum and ensure social security.
The President suggested that APEC members step up cooperation within ASEAN, ASEAN+3, trilateral and South-South cooperation frameworks to provide practical support to developing countries in ensuring food security.
President V. Putin stated that more than ever, food security is becoming a major global challenge and as the leading economic cooperation forum in the region, APEC needs to take strong action.
APEC leaders stressed the urgent need to increase cooperation in the face of population growth, child malnutrition, agricultural production being deeply affected by climate change as well as urbanization and industrialization... Since the food crisis in 2007-2008, food prices have remained high and are forecast to fluctuate until 2020. Currently, there are still about 1 billion people in the world living in poverty, of which 60% are in the Asia-Pacific region.
Therefore, the Conference agreed to continue to actively implement cooperation measures to ensure food security based on a multi-sectoral approach, focusing on increasing investment in agriculture, increasing food production output and productivity, public-private partnership, applying new technology, sustainably managing marine ecosystems, preventing illegal fishing... Leaders also proposed promoting cooperation to ensure food safety, developing transparent and stable agricultural markets...
At the session on the world economic situation and the economy in Asia-Pacific, leaders shared their assessments of the challenges to economic recovery, the risk of declining growth, the far-reaching impact of unstable financial markets and high public debt in Europe.
Accordingly, the Conference agreed to promote the implementation of the APEC Growth Strategy approved by the leaders in 2010, promote fiscal stability policies, support and further contribute to international efforts, especially the decisions of the G-20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, for strong, sustainable and balanced growth, job creation and social security.
Speaking at the Conference, President Truong Tan Sang stated that it is necessary to innovate economic development theory and model to match the speed of scientific and technological development and rapid shifts in the correlation of international economic forces.
The President suggested that APEC pay more attention to supporting member economies in economic restructuring and growth model innovation, while continuing to make practical contributions to reforming the global economic-financial governance mechanism towards greater fairness, democracy and efficiency, promoting the role of developing and emerging economies./.
According to (TTXVN)-LT
