Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization signed a Joint Declaration to strengthen cooperation on productive, resilient and sustainable agro and food value chains in developing countries and emerging economies.
The agreement was signed in Tokyo on 29 May 2026 by Atsushi Suginaka, Director General of MAFF’s Export and International Affairs Bureau, and Gunther Beger, Managing Director of UNIDO’s Directorate for SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation. The signing took place in the presence of Norikazu Suzuki, Japan’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The declaration sets a framework for cooperation in sustainable agro and food systems, climate-smart agriculture, value-added processing, food logistics and supply chains, bioeconomy, sustainable fisheries and forestry, and agro-industrial infrastructure development.
The meeting also included high-level consultations on future cooperation in agribusiness, including food technologies, sustainable agro-industrial development, and partnerships with the private sector. MAFF and UNIDO said they will work with public and private sector partners to develop concrete cooperation projects for sustainable, inclusive and resilient agro and food systems.
“I welcome the signing of the Joint Declaration and expect that the cooperation between MAFF and UNIDO will be strengthened under this framework,” said Suzuki. “The Government of Japan seeks to promote the international expansion of food technology solutions and startup companies from Japan”.