Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Pakistan H.E Han Sungho visted UAF

FAISALABAD Nov 3: Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Pakistan H.E Han Sungho said that Korea and Pakistan were committed to strengthening bilateral relations in different areas including food security, nutrition, and agriculture. He was addressing the inaugural session of the two-day international conference organised by the Pak-Korea Nutrition Center (PKNC), University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) under the theme “Advancing Nutrition through Partnerships & Policy” at the Pak-Korea Nutrition Center (PKNC). He said that he was overwhelmed by the achievement of the Pakistan-Korea Nutrition Center project. It has been possible by the close and strong partnership between South Korea and Pakistan, also by the dedication of all stakeholders. He said that Korean agencies were contributing to different developmental initiatives at Pakistan in several sectors including trade and economic cooperation, health, food and nutrition security and cultural heritage. Country Director of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Islamabad, Donggil Oh, said that sustainable development required coordinated efforts among governments, academic institutions and development partners. He emphasised the importance of strengthening institutional capacities, promoting knowledge exchange and translating research into practical initiatives to improve nutritional outcomes. UAF Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Zulfiqar Ali said that nutrition was not merely a health issue but a fundamental pillar of human development, economic productivity and national prosperity. He emphasised the need to bridge the gap between scientific research, public policy and community-level interventions. He said that PKNC has trained over 12,000 frontline nutrition workers, numerous nutritious and fortified food products, established modern research and training facilities, strengthened provincial outreach centers, and awarded competitive national research, policy research, and start-up grants to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization in the food and nutrition sector. GCWUF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Kanwal Amin, Dr. Arif Rehman, Chief Food and Agriculture Section, Planning Comession of Pakistan, Ms. Sodam Baek, Deputy Country Director, KOICA, Dr. Jaehan Kim, Project Manager Consultant and others attended the event. Central Project Director of the Pak-Korea Nutrition Center, Prof. Dr. Moazzam Rafiq Khan, said that the centre was playing an important role in promoting nutrition research, capacity building and international collaboration. He said the conference would provide an effective platform for sharing scientific knowledge, identifying research gaps and developing policy recommendations to address nutritional challenges.