BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei Darussalam (April 23, 2026) — The Philippines has urged stronger regional coordination to safeguard food security across the Asia-Pacific, warning that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are already disrupting global supply chains and driving up agricultural input costs.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. raised the concern during the Ministerial Segment of the 38th Session of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Asia-Pacific Regional Conference (APRC 38), a biennial gathering of ministers and senior officials from 46 member states focused on food and agriculture policy coordination.
The Philippines, together with Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Australia, had earlier pushed for the inclusion of the “food security implications of the 2026 conflict in the Middle East” in the conference agenda. The move reflects growing concern that disruptions in oil, gas, and fertilizer exports could intensify inflationary pressures on food systems across the region.
The APRC serves as the FAO’s main policy platform for Asia and the Pacific, guiding collective action on food security and agricultural development. The Philippines called for continued real time monitoring of commodity and fertilizer prices and supply and early warning by FAO, market transparency, open and predictable trade among Members, and reiterated its commitment to regional cooperation, emphasizing that food security challenges are increasingly interconnected and require coordinated responses.
At the APRC 38 Ministerial Sessiion on April 23-24, 2026, Philippine Delegation led by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. was also joined by DA Undersecretary for Official Development Assistance and Special Concerns Jerome Oliveros and Philippine Ambassador to Brunei Marian Jocelyn R. Tirol-Ignacio, in addition to the Philippine delegates to APRC38-SOM.
The next session of the FAO Asia Pacific Regional Conference will be hosted by Lao People’s Democratic Republic in 2028. ### (Photos by DA-OSEC)
