*Press Release*

ASEAN-FAO Regional Conference on Food Security*
Bangkok, 27 – 28 May 2009
Adopted Joint Chairs’ Summary

1. The ASEAN-FAO Regional Conference on Food Security was held on 27-28 May 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand.
2. The delegates from all ASEAN Member States, namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam as well as from Japan and European Commission attended the Conference. Representatives from 17 agencies representing UN Agencies, International Organisations, Development Partners and Civil Society Organisations also attended the Conference.
3. The Conference was co-chaired by Dr. He Changchui, Assistant Director General and Regional Representatives of FAO Regional Office in Asia and Pacific, and Mr. Sundram Pushpanathan, Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN.
4. The Conference took note of the decision made by the ASEAN Leaders at its 14^th Summit held on 28 February – 1 March 2009 in Cha-am Thailand on the adoption of the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework and the Strategic Plan of Action on Food Security in the ASEAN Region (SPA-FS). The Conference further noted that the ASEAN Leaders pledged to embrace food security as a matter of permanent and high priority policy, review ASEAN’s commitment to achieving objectives of the World Food Summit and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
5. The Conference also took note of the Convergence Matrix of Programmes and Activities on the Implementation of Food Security, which was developed at the ASEAN-UN Meeting on Food Security, held on 11-12 November 2008 in Manila, Philippines. The Convergence Matrix was formulated based on the AIFS Framework and the SPA-FS, and the Comprehensive Framework of Action of the UN High Level Task Force on the Global Food Crisis.
6. The Conference welcomed the FAO’s Regional Priority Framework (RPF) for Asia and the Pacific, which offers the FAO’s renewed commitment in providing technical support to the Member States in a more relevant, efficient and effective result based framework. The Conference also viewed that there is a close link between AIFS Framework and SPA-FS and the FAO’s RPF, which could lead to stronger partnership between ASEAN and FAO in addressing food security, sustainable development of agriculture, good practices for bio-fuel production, and impacts mitigation and adaptation of climate change in Southeast Asia. Member States and partner agencies raised the importance of providing accurate data in a timely manner to assist policy decisions to address the problems faced by small farmers. FAO was also considered to be in an appropriate position to work further on the root causes behind the lack of progress in reducing hunger despite significant reductions in income poverty in the region. The Conference encouraged FAO to assist Members with trade issues in the context of the impasse in the Doha Development Round and examine the issue of foreign direct investment in land. In view of the number of emerging food security issues facing the region the Conference suggested that these be analysed and discussed in a high level policy forum to seek guidance for action at the national and regional levels.
7. The Conference recalled and echoed the importance of the inclusive definition of food security as guided by the World Food Summit held in 1996 that states “/Food security exists when all /people/, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life./” It is important that such a definition be uphold in the implementation of AIFS Framework and SPA-FS. Along this line, the Conference was of the view that nutritional, food safety and health aspects of food security should therefore be fully considered in addressing food security in the ASEAN region.
8. The Conference noted various on-going food security initiatives promoted by various stakeholders at local, national and regional levels, which should be further strengthened and intensified. Along this line, the Conference welcomed the AIFS Framework and SPA-FS as a comprehensive and timely policy framework that could facilitate joint regional efforts and responses to the food security in the ASEAN region. The Conference also welcomed the Convergence Matrix as a regional common framework of actions to facilitate cooperation and coordination and implementation of food security initiatives at national and regional levels in the ASEAN region.
9. The Conference took note of the commitments as well as views, inputs and suggestions by the ASEAN Member States, Dialogue Partners, International Organisations, Development Partners and Civil Society Organisations in supporting the implementation of AIFS Framework and SPA-FS, which have been incorporated into the revised Convergence Matrix for further finalisation. In connection to this, the Conference requested the ASEAN Secretariat with assistance from FAO in following up with the dialogue partners, international organisations and development partners on their respective concrete proposals to support the implementation of AIFS Framework and SPA-FS.
10. The Conference recognised the importance of engaging CSO in addressing food security concern of the poor and marginalised, especially the vulnerable landless and resource-poor women and men farmers and fishers and indigenous people. Addressing serious challenges of hunger and climate change, CSO could help scale up and increase the proportion of organized peasant organizations that can effectively provide voice and services to their members such as securing land and water resources, establishing organic farms and sustainable agro industries and community based enterprises through exchange visits and information and other capacity building interventions. CSO would endeavour to work for an AIFS which puts farmers and consumer-supported agriculture at the center. CSO calls on ASEAN and Member States to focus investments by allocating production, processing, marketing, financial, technical and human resources on sustainable smallholder agriculture.
11. The Conference underscored the importance of an effective mechanism for coordination, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of the AIFS Framework and the SPA-FS. In this regard, the Conference also echoed the urgent need for strengthening the ASEAN Secretariat’s capacity in conducting such coordination, monitoring, evaluation and reporting with support from FAO and other international organisations and development partners. To ensure active involvement of key stakeholders in addressing food security, the Conference proposed the establishment of a more inclusive and participatory ASEAN mechanism on Food Security composed of ASEAN Member States’ governments, dialogue partners, UN agencies, international organisations, development partners, private sectors, CSOs and organizations of small-scale farmers/fishers. To this end, the ASEAN Secretariat was requested to develop a brief concept note in strengthening the ASEAN Secretariat’s capacity on coordination and monitoring of implementation of Convergence Matrix programme on food security for consideration and support from interested development partners