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SEARCA hosts ASRF Program Steering Committee Meeting back to back with ASEAN Regional Meetings

  • 3 July 2018

The ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry (AWG-SF) Leaders and Focal Points with the ASFCC Partners.

DA NANG, Vietnam. The ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry (AWG-SF) Strategic Response Fund (ASRF) Program Steering Committee (PSC) convened in Da Nang, Vietnam on 26 June 2018 to discuss the implementation of ASRF under the ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change (ASFCC) Phase III (2017-2018). 

Ms. Amy Lecciones, ASRF Regional Program Coordinator, presented the ASRF Operational Report for 2017 and informed the members of the activities being implemented in 2018. Ms. Lecciones reported that eight projects from seven ASEAN Member States (AMS) namely: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam are ongoing and that one project from Indonesia is currently being processed and for contracting.

The ASRF under ASFCC III is now on its second and last phase. To ensure sustainability, a new and important activity was implemented, referred to as the ASRF Business Plan development. Mr. Alain Maulion, Technical Consultant, presented the draft ASRF Business Plan.

Dr. Bessie Burgos serves as chair of the ASRF Program Steering Committee Meeting.Dr. Bessie Burgos, SEARCA's Program Head for Research and Development, presided over the meeting on behalf of Dr. Doris Capistrano, Chair of the PSC. Present in the meeting were Mr. Dian Sukmajaya, Senior Officer, ASEAN Secretariat; Ms. Alfi Syakila, AWG-SF Secretariat; Mr. Patrick Sieber, Representative of Global Programme on Climate Change, SDC; Mr. Komsan Rueangritsarakul, Forestry Technical Officer, Royal Forest Department Thailand; and Mr. Do Quang Tung, Head, Forest Protection Department of Vietnam. In this year's meeting, observers were from ASFCC partners and other AMS including representatives from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Non-timber Forest Product – Exchange Programme, Center for International Forestry Research, and The Center for People and Forest.

Meanwhile, the 12th AWG-SF Annual Meeting was held on 27 June 2018. Dr. Burgos, Ms. Rogel, Ms. Lecciones, and Mr. Capiña represented SEARCA. Updates on the implementation of ASRF and its contribution to the AWG-SF Plan of Action (PoA) and ASFCC Logframe were presented to the AMS Leaders and Focal Points on Social Forestry. Likewise, Dr. Burgos and Ms. Rogel attended the Ad-Hoc Steering Committee on Climate Change on 28 June 2018. Dr. Burgos presented updates on the implementation of various activities of ASFCC on behalf of the ASFCC Senior Advisor, Dr. Capistrano. (Xyrus Godfrey B. Capiña)

Ms. Amy Lecciones presenting updates on the implementation of ASRF to the 12th AWG-SF Annual Meeting.