The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat (AMM Retreat), held in Jakarta on Feb. 4, revealed an urgent need to address food security through collaborative programs amid global uncertainties, recognizing food security as a shared responsibility among the ASEAN Member States (AMS).

Addressing food security is one of the priorities of Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship, themed “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth”.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which hit the world more than two years ago, has affected food distribution. The unfavorable situation has been further deteriorated by global geopolitical tensions. The ongoing war in Ukraine is disrupting food and fertilizer trade and has threatened the food security of countries dependent on Ukraine and Russia.

The ASEAN foreign ministers acknowledged the impact of emerging challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and the current geopolitical tension on food security.

According to the 1996 World Food Summit, food security is defined as when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

The main dimensions of food security include the physical availability of food, which addresses the supply side, economic and physical access to food at the national or international level and food utilization, commonly understood as the way the body makes the most of various nutrients

Selengkapnya: The Jakarta Post