The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Committee held a three-day workshop titled "Secured Finance to Facilitate Sustainable Economic Growth and Improve Food Security" from October 8-10, 2025, at Rikkyo University in Tokyo, Japan. The event focused on international standards relevant to agricultural finance, examining implementation challenges within APEC economies under both civil and common law systems. Over the course of the workshop, speakers and moderators from APEC economies discussed several key international instruments relevant to agricultural finance, particularly the UNCITRAL Model Law on Secured Transactions, the UNIDROIT Model Law on Leasing, the UNCITRAL-UNIDROIT Model Law on Warehouse Receipts, and the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment. The program concluded with a plenary session focused on applying the lessons learned from the presentations and discussions to approve recommendations and establish a path forward. ILI's Marek Dubovec presented a study that he co-authored and moderated a panel. Thomas Johnson presented on the U.S. Commercial Law Framework Applicable to Agricultural Finance and the Status of Implementation of Key International Standards in APEC Economies. (fb)

🌽 Economic development is frequently dependent upon a strong and efficient agricultural sector. In our "Achieving Food Security Through Public Private Partnerships" seminar this coming November, participants will learn how to use public-private partnerships (PPPs) effectively to mobilize resources for improving agricultural productivity and strengthening the value chain. By examining a range of comparative case studies, participants will develop skills to recognize and address multiple challenges inherent in PPPs for their effective application in the agriculture and food sectors, to appreciate the value of multi-stakeholder engagement and participatory process in PPP design and implementation and to identify and cultivate potential partnerships. This seminar is designed specifically for the benefit of those actors in the public and private sectors and CSOs/NGOs who are engaged in agricultural development and food security programming as well as government officials responsible for the design and implementation of national policies for food security and/or in related ministries (agriculture, environment, health, etc.). Interested in learning more? For a full list of topics covered in the seminar, please visit our website. 📅 November 17 - November 21, 2025. 📍 Washington, D.C. 🔗 Apply on our website: https://www.ili.org/training/achieving-food-security-through-public-private-partnerships-2/ 📷 ILI’s 2025 “Climate Change and Green Finance in International Development" seminar. (fb)