Laos: the members of the TG agree on a new mandate and establish different technical sub-committees to achieve sustainable rural development and food security at the national level

One year after the official launching of the Thematic Group on rural development and food security, 22 representatives of several agencies of the United Nations, NGOs, government and bilateral donors, formed a common understanding of the TG's mandate during the Consultation Meeting held in Vientiane on 8 May. Most of the participants agreed on the first of the TG's proposed objectives: to contribute to sustainable rural development and sustainable food security at the national level. To achieve this goal the members decided to establish technical sub-committees as a first step. Themes proposed include, among others: gender, nutrition, sustainable agriculture and production processes, commercialization in agriculture.

Since March, a monthly newsletter is published and distributed to all members. This communication medium is of fundamental importance for improving coordination in the activities of the group. The newsletter gathers information on current and future activities of the group or other groups in Asia. It will also attempt to look in depth at the main events related to development issues.

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