Sri Lanka and the CFC explore pathways for stronger regional engagement in Asia
The Hague, 27 August 2025 – Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Mrs. Rekha Gunasekera, Alternate Governor of the CFC for Sri Lanka, Ambassador to the Netherlands, and Chair of the Asia Group of the CFC Governing Council.
Ambassador Belal expressed his appreciation for Ambassador Gunasekera’s active leadership as Chair of the Asia Group, recognizing her pivotal role in connecting the CFC’s mission with the priorities of Asia’s dynamic economies. He emphasized that the region, home to some of the fastest-growing economies and commodity-dependent communities, is uniquely positioned to champion inclusive and sustainable value chains.
The discussion placed particular focus on the Agricultural Commodity Transformation (ACT) Fund, an ambitious initiative designed to mobilize resources for catalytic and scalable projects across commodity sectors. Ambassador Belal underlined that financing through the ACT Fund will be critical to bridging the gap between growing demand and limited resources, enabling the CFC to deliver greater impact for smallholders and SMEs. He encouraged the Asia Group, under Ambassador Gunasekera’s chairmanship, to engage governments and stakeholders across the region in exploring ways to support and benefit from this financing mechanism.
Ambassador Belal also reinstated the CFC’s flagship Humanizing Value Chains (HVC) initiative, highlighting its role in addressing the persistent challenges of low farmer incomes and unequal value distribution. He emphasized that HVC is not only about enhancing transparency and fairness within value chains, but also about fostering trust and creating inclusive growth that leaves no smallholder behind. In this regard, he underlined the importance of bringing HVC to the global stage.
The central part of the conversation was the Seville Commitment, particularly paragraph 46(d), which explicitly calls on Member States to increase voluntary contributions to the CFC. Ambassador Belal invited Ambassador Gunasekera, in her capacity as Chair of the Asia Group, to amplify this message across the region, encouraging Asian Member States to reaffirm their support for the CFC and strengthen its capacity to respond to unprecedented demand for financing.
Ambassador Gunasekera warmly welcomed these initiatives and reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s strong support for the CFC. She committed to using her chairmanship to serve as the CFC’s voice in Asia, ensuring that the Fund’s priorities are effectively conveyed to governments, regional bodies, and private sector partners.
The meeting concluded with a shared understanding that Asia’s leadership will be critical to building fairer commodity markets, raising farmer incomes, and advancing sustainable development in line with global commitments.
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[CFC Media Relations Team]
[Email: managing.director@common-fund.org]
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