demographic ageing, rapid urbanization, and the globalization of unhealthy lifestyles.

Transcription

1 Welcoming and Opening Address By His Excellency Mr. Jakkrit Srivali Ambassador Attached to the Ministry Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand At the Expert Consultation Workshop on Agri-Food for Better Health: From Seed Industry to Nutritional Security September 29, 2014 Grand Millennium Sukhumvit Bangkok Distinguished delegates, Good morning. On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and the Thailand Research Fund, let me wish all of you a warm welcome. I am delighted to be part of this expert consultation workshop, as it deals with a subject that I believe is becoming more important given today s megatrends. Now, I m certainly not an expert on megatrends. But I do think that agri-foods will have a definite role to play in this context. For some perspective, let me quote Dr. Margaret Chan, head of the World Health Organization (WHO). She said, health everywhere is being shaped by the same powerful forces: demographic ageing, rapid urbanization, and the globalization of unhealthy lifestyles. Under the pressure of these forces, chronic non-communicable diseases have

2 overtaken infectious diseases as the leading cause of morbidity, disability and mortality. Food is not directly mentioned in that quote. But we all know that a big part of any health-related lifestyle has to do with food and dietary habits. And it is here that we face some interesting puzzles where I believe agri-foods can make a difference. The first puzzle is that it sometimes feels as if there is not enough food to go around. The world has made great strides in fighting hunger, yet around a billion people still suffer from hunger and undernourishment. Meanwhile, it is a well-documented fact that there is enough food produced to feed everyone on earth. In many countries, the problem is no longer food scarcity but food quality. Over a billion people are overweight or obese, and the problem is growing in developing countries. So when it comes to the availability of food, it is like living in a house where your refrigerator is full, you have more than you can eat, but some of your family members are starving. Another puzzle is the lengths we go to to indulge appetites that harm our health and put the world at risk. Unhealthy dietary practices are now recognized as a greater threat to global health than tobacco. And yet we clearcut huge swaths of rainforest, use up enormous amounts of water, grain and fertilizer, polluting groundwater and oceans in the process just so that we can raise cattle. And cows, of course, are among the foremost culprits of methane and nitrous oxide emissions,

3 greenhouse gases far more powerful than carbon dioxide. So even setting aside the issue of obesity, we must ask if the cheap hamburgers and steaks are worth these hidden costs. Yet a third puzzle has to with our aging societies. Today, people tend to live much longer, so much so that demographic aging is becoming a serious socioeconomic challenge. Over the past 50 years, health care has not slowed the aging process so much as it has the dying process. But one can t help wonder: as we prolong life, can we not also prolong the quality of that life? We usually assume that aging means a decline in health and vitality. But surely advances in science and technology can change that. In all of this, food has a central role to play. Food should perform the function that Hippocrates had in mind when he said "Let food be your medicine." It should be available wherever it is needed. But plentiful food is pointless if it leads to disease and suffering. The right kinds of food, in the right quantities, can determine our quality of life, health and even happiness. There is still much we can do with the resources we have in order to meet today s challenges on health and well-being. With better food, more accessible quality food, we can prevent the stunting and the death of millions of children, improve quality of life, and

4 enjoy more years of productivity. With more attention given to agriculture and nutrition, we can expect increases in employment and incomes for millions of people. It is gratifying to note that the agenda of the Workshop covers interesting issues related to agro-technology, especially food and nutrition. Thailand is, of course, well known for its food and as a major food producing country. We are endowed with rich bio-diversity and I believe have what it takes to contribute to the area of functional foods and nutraceuticals. We welcome foreign capital and technology, and hope to cooperate with partners and stakeholders in this field. Most countries represented in this room are located in a favorable agro investment climate. With innovative and creative agro-technology brought about by intensive agricultural research, our countries could become even stronger agricultural powers. The Thai Foreign Ministry is proud and pleased to have played a role as facilitator in the establishment of this agro-technology research network. The Ministry values the importance of science and innovation to a country s development and competitiveness. We would therefore be more than pleased to offer our resources and mechanisms to further the advancement and application of research. As a part of the International Research and Innovation Network Development or IRIND, this Workshop is a result of the close

5 collaboration between the Department of American and South Pacific Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Thailand Research Fund. Academic experts and representatives from both public and private sectors have made invaluable contributions throughout the brainstorming process. This goes to show that there is indeed a pressing need for more attention and investment in agriculture. In closing, I would like to thank the Thailand Research Fund, our cohost, and all our distinguished participants. We are also deeply grateful to the experts and agencies, near and far, who accepted our invitation to participate in this Expert Consultation Workshop. The Workshop speaks well for the strong ties between Thailand and countries in the Americas and the South Pacific, as well as our neighboring countries and international organizations such as Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), whose representatives have kindly joined us today. I hope that, through the workshop, our distinguished participants will benefit fully from the research network. I wish you all every success in your deliberations. Thank you.