The meeting of GIZ with U Kyaw Shwe the Director General of the Department of Agriculture (DoA) of Myanmar to discuss the preparation of the Policy Dialogue on Food and Nutrition Security for Myanmar will take place on 23 June 2015 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. The Dialogue aims to provide a platform for exchange of information and to build consensus on policies and strategies for tackling food insecurity within the country.

About 30 participants from concerned agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, the Ministry of Forestry, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development, the Ministry of National Planning and the Ministry of Commerce are expected to attend the Dialogue.

Food security has been recognised as an important agenda in ASEAN Member States (AMS). Economic crisis and hikes in food prices have a widespread on the nutritional and health status of global people, especially in the developing countries. During the period of 2011 to 2013, an estimated 842.3 million people were undernourished, according to FAO and a large number of people are facing with hunger. Rapid population growth with high food demand has also brought the pressure on food security in Asia.

In addressing long term food security and improve the livelihood of farmers in the region, the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework was adopted by ASEAN at the 14thASEAN Summit in 2009 to provide scope and joint pragmatic approaches for cooperation among AMS. The ASEAN leaders reiterated the importance to develop a common and unified position to ensure sustainable food security and nutrition in ASEAN and endorsed the new phase of AIFS Framework and SPA-FS, 2015-2020 at the 25th ASEAN Summit held in November 2014 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

The government of Myanmar is committed and places first priority on national as well as ASEAN regional food security and nutrition.

The government of Myanmar is now preparing on Development of Food Security and Nutrition Plan (2015), which provided a Strategy for Strengthening the Agricultural Sector, Food and Energy Security, and nutritious food production. Myanmar has to fulfill her obligation of providing emergency food stocks for regional food security. The government of Myanmar has also given priority to reduction 16 % poverty in the nation and adopts the Nation Plan in 2011, which provide the strategy for strengthening the agricultural sector and food security.

In supporting the implementation of AIFS Framework and SPA-FS, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood System (SAS) Project was launched in 2014 as continuation of the ASEAN Biocontrol Project (2011-2013). The project is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and being implemented by GIZ. It aims at developing regionally coordinated policies and strategies for sustainable agriculture and food production system.

To promote the implementation of the AIFS Framework, it is important to enhance the understanding and awareness on food security and AIFS framework among policy makers and concerned agencies. This would be also useful for the development of policies and strategies to improve food security in Myanmar in response to the new phase of AIFS Framework and SPA-FS, 2015-2020.