10th ASEAN Social Forestry Network Annual Meeting

The ASEAN Social Forestry Network (ASFN) and the ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change gathered in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines from 14 to 16 June 2016 to reflect on activities conducted in 2015 and 2016. The meeting was organized for two days with one day field trip to one of the UNESCO Heritage Sites, the Underground River in Palawan.

This 10th ASFN Annual Meeting was attended by delegates from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Viet Nam, ASEAN Secretariat, and Delegate from the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Agricultural Cooperatives. The representatives of the ASFN Secretariat, ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change (ASFCC), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme South and Southeast Asia (NTFP-EP), RECOFTC-The Center for People and Forests , the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), GIZ-FORCC representative, and CSOs Forum also attended the Meeting.

RECOFTC has an opportunity to deliver presentation highlighted the ASFCC activities that includes participatory action research, development of national working group and learning group, national and regional training and participation to relevant international events, as well as the upcoming activities such as CF Champions Network, CF Leadership Camp, National Training, PAR, and updates on report of current status of CF and CC.

The ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN acknowledged with appreciation the work accomplished by RECOFTC for the ASFN activities with support from the ASFCC. For instance, Malaysia expressed recognition towards the activities implemented by RECOFTC to support the ASFN activities in the country. As a follow up, there will be upcoming national training to be held in September 2016 in Perak, Malaysia, and continuing discussion will take place with Malaysia for the preparation of the training Course. RECOFTC noted the proposal from Thailand to have ASFN national policy dialogues highlighting agroforestry development in the country.