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Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO)


The Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) is an intergovernmental organization established to strengthen regional forest cooperation by transforming proven technology and policies into concrete actions in the context of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM).
Areas of cooperation include (1) sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, maintenance and enhancement of ecosystem services, as well as reforestation and forest rehabilitation; (2) climate change mitigation and adaptation activities and supporting the initiatives under REDD+ and the role of forest conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries; (3) reduction of deforestation, forest degradation, desertification and land degradation, and mitigation of the impacts of forest-related disasters; (4) capacity building of stakeholdersthrough research and development, sharing of experiences and the transfer of technology, as well as education and exchange programs; and (5) partnerships between the Parties and with other entities to carry out cooperative activities by building upon the current initiatives of other forest-related international agreements and organizations.
The Agreement between the governments of the member states of ASEAN and the Republic of Korea on Forest Cooperation, known as ASEAN-ROK Forest Cooperation (AFoCo), was signed in 2011 and served as the initial phase of AFoCO. AFoCo successfully completed its effective period on 4 August 2016, after which the transition phase towards AFoCO began. The AFoCO was finalized and adopted in September 2015. It duly entered into force on 27 April 2018.
The Philippines signed the AFoCO agreement on 4 June 2018 and deposited its Instrument of Ratification on 20 February 2019. The Philippines is the eigth member to ratify the Agreement. The Philippines was welcomed as Party to the AFoCO at the 2nd Session of the Assembly held in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea on 23-25 April 2019.
The Assembly, represented by a Senior Official on Forestry from each party, is the decision-making body of the AFoCO. A Secretariat based in Korea assists the Assembly in the implementation, coordination, monitoring and reporting of activities under AFoCO.
The strategic priority areas of AFoCO are: (1) initiating customized restoration and reforestation models; (2) supporting research and development in climate change adaptation approaches; (3) introducing systematic management on forest-related disasters; (4) local livelihood improvement and community-based small enterprise development; and (5) strengthening institutional capabilities, diversifying resources, and promoting regional actions.
 
Focal Office:
Forest Management Bureau (FMB)
Date:
August 5, 2012 (entry in force)
DATE SIGNED BY THE PHILIPPINES 4 June 2018
Focal Persons:
High Level
       MR. DEMETRIO L. IGNACIO, JR.
       Undersecretary for Staff Bureaus
       Department of Environment and Natural Resources
       Tel. Nos. - (632) 926 1004 / 928 4969 / 929 6626 Local 2021

Technical Representative
       FOR. RICARDO L. CALDERON
       Director
       DENR - Forest Management Bureau
       Tel. Nos. - (632) 928 9313 / 927 4788

Alternate Focal
       FOR. MAYUMI QUINTOS-NATIVIDAD
       Assistant Director
       DENR - Forest management Bureau
       Tel. Nos. - (632) 927 2491/928 2778
       Email: mayquin@mozcom.com

Technical Focal
       FOR. ORLANDO PANGANIBAN
       Chief, Forest Resources Management Division
       DENR - Forest Management Bureau
       Tel. No. - (632) 927 8127

Vice Focal
       FOR. EDNA D. NUESTRO
       Chief, Forest Policy, Planning, and Knowledge Managment Division
       DENR - Forest Management Division
       Tel. No. - (632) 927 6217
Commitments:
As a party to the Agreement, the Government of the Philippines is expected to provide mandatory financial and in-kind contributions. The latter include the costs of attending and/or hosting official meetings and participation in the activities of the organization.
The country is also expected to participate in the implementation of the organization's Strategic Plan 2018-2022 which aims to contribute to the member countries in (1) achieving the global goal of increasing forest cover up to 3% worldwide; (2) implementing the Paris Agreement in pursuit of policy approaches for adaptation in the forestry sector; and (3) improving livelihood and income through forestry-related activities.
Members of the organization are also enjoined to submit project proposals to AFoCO for the implementation of in-country projects in the areas of biodiversity conservation, maintenance and enhancement of ecosystem services, reforestation/forest rehabilitation, climate change mitigation and related capacity building activities. For AFoCo approved projects, the country has to provide some counterpart funds and resources.
Sources / Relevant Links:
http://www.afocosec.org/
Status:

Updates

The project proposal entitled "Promotion of Vertical Integration in Wood Processing through People's Organizations in Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) Areas in the Philippines" was officially approved for funding during the 2nd AFoCO Assembly Meeting held on 23-25 April 2019 in South Korea.
Other funded Projects under ASEAN-ROK Forest Cooperation (AFoCo) are:
AFoCo Component 2. Capacity Building on Improving Forest Resource Assessment and Enhancing the Improvement of the Local Communities to Address the Adverse Impact of Climate Change
AFoCo Regional CFM Planning Project. Facilitating the Participatory Planning of Community-Based Forest Management Using Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing Technologies in Forest Resources Management in the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand The project is led by the Philippines and will be implemented for five years (2015-2019). The main goal of the project is to contribute to the improvement of forests and forest resources development within the ASEAN region, particularly in areas with community settlements. It has five major activities: (a) In-Country Workshops on the review of Community-level Forest Management (CFM) Planning Procedures; (b) Regional Workshop for the conduct of comparative assessment of in-country CFM planning and related meetings; (c) In-country application of the enhanced procedures in the CFM planning and implementation; (d) CFM Plan Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation; and (e) Project management and supervision. The Philippines is on its fourth year of project implementation and is currently implementing sub-activities, particularly on plantation establishment, maintenance and protection, development of database management and monitoring system and livelihood/enterprise and cross-country visits to Indonesia and Thailand. The Project's technical working group formulated the following: (a) Guide for the implementation of area development; (b) Project proposal outline; (c) Proposed nursery and bunkhouse layout; and the (d) Template Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the recipient People's Organizations (POs) and the implementing regions.
AFoCo-BIPS Project. Capacity Building on the Application of Landscape Approach to Support the Sustainable Natural Resources Management in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore (BIPS) The project is focused on the application of Assisted Natural Regeneration in restoring forest ecosystems. The accomplishments to date are: (a) establishment of a demonstration learning site in Candelaria, Zambales; (b) completion of four batches of the training on Vulnerability Assessment and Assisted Natural Regeneration for selected DENR personnel and people's organization (PO) members, and (c) participation of selected project working group members and people's organization members in country visits to Indonesia and Thailand in October and November 2018.
This Page was updated on 17 December 2019 and will be updated on 10 December 2020
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