ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF)

Updates

The 40th AMAF held in 2018 exchanged views on regional development relating to the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint 2025 and the progress made in the food, agriculture and forestry sector in 2017-2018.
The Ministers appreciated the timely completion of the six (6) key deliverables of the food, agriculture and forestry sector. Among these deliverables are accomplishments under the ASEAN Cooperation on Forestry through the ASEAN Senior Officials on Forestry (ASOF) under the fourth deliverable on policies to promote inter-sectoral cooperation between forestry and other sectors. Under this deliverable, working groups under ASOF worked on the following outputs. These were adopted by AMAF:
- Manual for Assessing Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) Implementation in ASEAN Member States. This provides the framework to facilitate description, diagnosis, assessment and reporting on the state of FLEG implementation in ASEAN Member States, as well as progress, changes and trends in its implementation over time. The Manual will also provide a systemic approach to identifying areas of strength and weakness, and devising and implementing related suitable responses, including continuing adaptation and learning to ensure progress.
- ASEAN Guidelines for Agroforestry Development. This aims to promote the role of agroforestry in simultaneously achieving economic, environmental and social outcomes at farm, household and landscape levels and help ASEAN Member States achieve their targets related to food security, sustainable growth, reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions, land restoration, watershed protection, gender equality, social/community forestry, climatechange adaptation and mitigation and, more generally, the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Other key deliverables endorsed during the 40th AMAF with relevance to forestry are the following:
- Multi-Sectoral Framework on Climate Change: Agriculture and Forestry towards Food and Nutrition Security and Achievements of SDGs (MSFCC). The framework contributes to food security through sustainable, efficient and effective use of land, forest, water and aquatic resources by minimizing the risks and impacts of climate change.
- ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry. These guidelines promote investments in food, agriculture and forestry in the ASEAN region that contribute to regional economic development, food and nutrition security, food safety and equitable benefits, as well as the sustainable use of natural resources.
- AMAF's Approach to Gender Mainstreaming in the Food, Agriculture and Forestry Sectors. This gender policy was written to assist ASEAN Member States in promoting and advocating for gender equality in food, agriculture and forestry policies, programmes, systems and structures at the regional and national levels, and in strengthening and building the capacity of policy makers, field workers and farmers on appropriate approaches to integrating gender in agriculture and climate change.