Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay has announced the appointment of Diedrah Kelly as executive director of Canada’s new Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO) in Manila, Philippines.

This comes as a confirmation of the nation’s previous commitment to open the first-ever Canadian agriculture office in the Indo-Pacific region, which aims to bolster ties, advance technical cooperation, assist Canadian exporters in finding new business opportunities, and help position Canada as a preferred supplier.

Kelly has 20 years of international experience with Global Affairs Canada, including numerous assignments abroad, a release states. She was most recently the Consul General of Canada in Mumbai, India, and prior to that served as ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

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“The Indo-Pacific region holds so much potential for Canada’s agricultural sector, and the establishment of the new Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office in Manila is a sign of our commitment to the region. I would like to congratulate Ms. Kelly on her appointment as Executive Director of the IPAAO, and I look forward to working with her to create more opportunities for Canada's high-quality products,” said MacAulay.

Canada has trade agreements in place with several key markets in the Indo-Pacific region, including South Korea under the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA), and with Australia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The IPAAO represents a CAD$31.8 million investment from the Government of Canada, and supports the trade pillar of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.