The Preparatory Workshop for the 2nd AMAF Private Sector Dialogue (PPD) on Food Security began  with 26 participants representing farmers organizations, cooperatives, and civil society organizations from the national and regional levels. Representatives from the FAO and national governments also joined to observe. The Preparatory Workshop was organized by the ASEAN Secretariat in collaboration with ASEAN-US MARKET Project.
 

AsiaDHRRA assisted the ASEAN Secretariat and the US-ASEAN MARKET Project in mobilizing a strong CSO participation in the Preparatory Workshop so that CSO perspectives are appropriately incorporated in the action agenda for the 2nd AMAF-Private Sector Dialogue (PPD) on Food Security scheduled on September 27, 2012 in Vientiane, Lao PDR.
At the opening, Mr. David R. Dyer, MARKET Project Chief of Party, said that the Workshop is   aimed at preparing the private Sector inputs to the 2nd PPD.  The event was to serve as a platform to meet, discuss, and consolidate food security issues  towards arriving at focused and clear recommendations to the AMAF during the dialogue.  He noted that the dialogue process which is meant to  allow more space for participation by the private sector, will not end in Vientiane, with the MARKET Project’s commitment to seeing through the deepening of the discussions or debates on relevant issues between CSOs and business groups, and other stakeholders, at the national level.  It is part of the process that has been discussed with AsiaDHRRA who serves as focal point for a broad-based CSO participation in the PPD.
Continue reading the summary of the first day….