Dr. Choomjet Karnjanakesorn, General Manager of the APTERR Secretariat, welcomed Dr. Roehl M. Briones, Consultant from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), to the APTERR Secretariat office in Bangkok from 17 to 21 August 2026 for technical assistance aimed at improving APTERR’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and enhancing the Food Emergency Monitoring and Information (FEMI) system to bolster APTERR’s capacity in addressing regional food security challenges.
During the five-day visit, the APTERR Secretariat and Dr. Briones held fruitful discussions on updating APTERR’s operational guidelines, particularly the utilisation of earmarked rice reserve and FEMI, to support the emergency preparedness and rapid response.
The consultation also underscored the importance of deepening APTERR’s partnerships with relevant organisations at both regional and global levels. Such collaboration will help enhance APTERR’s capacity to response effectively to increasing complex and interconnected challenges to regional food security.
Since the establishment of APTERR, ADB has been a longstanding technical partner, providing consistent support to advance APTERR’s operation. The APTERR Secretariat will continue working closely with ADB to further consolidate its role as the region’s frontline mechanism for food security and resilience.
