Philippine Ambassador to Australia Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega meets Australian legislators (L-R) Deputy Speaker Kevin Hogan MP, Mr. George Christensen MP, Hon Keith Pitt MP and Senator Gerard Rennick at the opening ceremony of the 28th Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum on 13 January 2020 at the Parliament in Canberra.

CANBERRA, Australia (15 January 2020) – Philippine Ambassador to Australia Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega represented the Philippine Congress in the 28th Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) held on 13-15 January 2020 at the Parliament House in Canberra.

Australia hosted delegations from the 27 member countries of the APPF and 9 observer countries. The Philippines, along with Australia, are founding members of the APPF. APPF has been holding annual meetings since 1993.

Australia and the Philippines sponsored a resolution on Food Security and Sustainable Agricultural Development. The resolution recognizes the significance of food trade in particular the importance of the agriculture and fisheries sector in providing livelihood to the region’s poor. The resolution called on international cooperation for food security and sustainable agricultural development including measures to address illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, protect marine resources and promote smart fishing practices. The resolution was adopted in plenary on 15 January 2020.

All outcome documents of the APPF may be accessed at www.appf28.org. -- END