KUALA LUMPUR: Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu has called on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) to take swift action against hunger and famine in Palestine.
In a statement released on Wednesday (Aug 21) night, the ministry highlighted the severe humanitarian crisis affecting children in Gaza and mentioned Malaysia’s latest humanitarian effort, which involved bringing 127 Palestinians to Malaysia for medical treatment.
Mohamad led Malaysia’s delegation to The Ninth Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Food Security Ministerial Meeting (9th FSMM) held in Trujillo, Peru on Aug 18.
According to the ministry, Mohamad represented Malaysia as one of the 21 Apec economies at the meeting, alongside the United States, Australia, Brunei, Chile, China, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Vietnam in addressing global food security challenges.
The main agenda of The 9th FSMM focused on reinforcing Apec’s commitment to enhancing stability and food security across the Asia-Pacific region.
The ministry added that during the meeting, the Agriculture Minister and representatives from other Apec economies formulated and endorsed the Trujillo Principles for Preventing and Reducing Food Loss and Waste and the Apec Trujillo Declaration on Food Security.
The Trujillo Principles document guides for the 21 Apec economies to support the sustainable development of the food system and reinforce their commitment to environmental preservation, aligning with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The document complements the Food Security Roadmap Towards 2030, established during the 6th FSMM in 2021.
“Mohamad expressed Malaysia’s full support for the Trujillo Principles and extended appreciation to all Apec economies for their collaborative efforts in finalising the document at this year’s meeting,” read the statement. – Bernama