BANGKOK, 06 AUGUST 2024 - Philippine Ambassador to Thailand and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) Millicent Cruz Paredes received the newly-appointed Director General of the Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific (NACA), Dr. Eduardo M. Leaño, at the Embassy on 06 August 2024.

Based in Bangkok, NACA is an intergovernmental organization of twenty member countries of the Asia-Pacific that promotes rural development through capacity-building in sustainable aquaculture and aquatic resources management. The Philippines is one of its founding members.

Ambassador Paredes and Dr. Leaño discussed the work of NACA in the region and particularly in the Philippines, which is among the region’s top aquaculture producers (fish, shrimp, crabs, and other aquaculture products for local and foreign markets).

Dr. Leaño informed the Ambassador of NACA’s current project in the Philippines, supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, which aims to conduct a baseline assessment of innovative technologies toward the sustainability of the Philippines’ strong aquaculture sector.

Ambassador Paredes affirmed the Philippine Embassy’s full support for NACA and its initiatives in further strengthening the Philippines’ aquaculture sector.

Dr. Leaño, Filipino, assumed leadership of the NACA secretariat in May 2024. He specializes in the fields of aquatic animal health management, fish pathology/disease diagnosis, general aquaculture, marine and freshwater mycology, and fish/shrimp immunology. END