19 April 2023 via Zoom Application

Background

Established in 2014 by the ASEAN Technical Working Group on Agriculture (ATWGARD), the ASEAN Climate Resilience Network (ASEAN-CRN) serves as a pivotal platform for regional exchange. Its primary goal is to enhance the adaptive capacity of the agriculture sector in ASEAN member states (AMS) to climate change, while maximizing its potential for mitigation. By facilitating the exchange of information, expertise, and experiences related to climate-smart approaches in food systems, the network actively promotes climate resiliency. Since its inception, ASEAN-CRN has played a crucial role in advancing the agriculture and climate change agenda in ASEAN, providing a valuable dialogue platform that fosters connections between policymakers and the scientific community. Notably, the network has contributed to the establishment of the ASEAN Negotiating Group on Agriculture (ANGA), actively engaging with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to shape policies pertinent to agriculture.

To magnify the influence of its endeavors and bolster its role in advancing ASEAN’s goals of creating a climate-resilient region, the Thailand Department of Agriculture (DOA), in its capacity as the ASEAN-CRN Chair will host the 9^th ASEAN-CRN Annual Meeting virtually on April 19, 2024.

Objectives

In principle, the ASEAN-CRN Chair will provide update on the network’s activities and accomplishments since the 8^th Annual Meeting in 2023. Guided by the ATWGARD Strategic Plan of Action (SPA), the discussions will also encompass pertinent issues within related working groups, including but not limited to Crops, Climate Change, Sustainable Development Goals, Low Carbon Emission, and Food System Transformation while actively contributing to the implementation of key policies aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), COP 28’s climate-resilient food system transformation initiatives as proposed by the UNFCCC, and the Sharm El-Sheikh Joint Work on the Implementation of Climate Actions on Agriculture and Food Security.

Additionally, discussions will encompass aspects such as the GCF Agriculture Sector Readiness for Enhanced Climate Finance, the implementation of Food and Agriculture Sustainable Transformation (FAST), and explore the network’s contributions to various AMAF priorities. All these efforts are intricately tied to ASEAN CRN’s overarching goal of achieving climate resilience in the agricultural sector.

Specifically, it aims to:

Report on the activities and achievements of the ASEAN-CRN since its last Annual Meeting hosted by the Department of Agriculture, Philippines
Review and develop the two-year work plan (2024 – 2025)
Agree on several internal ASEAN-CRN matters such as the designation of Mekong Institute (MI) as the Interim ASEAN – CRN Secretariat, and mechanisms for institutionalizing the ASEAN-CRN to be hosted by the Department of Agriculture, Thailand
Provide a platform for donors, development partners and implementers to meet to achieve common goals and support implementation of the work plan
Identify partners and ways that ASEAN-CRN can contribute to the overall ASEAN Strategic Plan of Food, Agriculture and Forestry Cooperation Vision 2025, the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework, and several priority areas of the AMAF such as the ASEAN Strategies for Decarbonisation of agriculture
Synthesize important points that will be forwarded to ATWGARD for endorsement

Participants

Members and supporters of the ASEAN-CRN, consisting of:

ASEAN-CRN focal points
ATWGARD focal points
Selected focal points of the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Crops (ASWGC)
Selected focal points of the ASEAN Working Group on Climate Change (AWGCC), and Rural Development and Poverty Eradication (RDPE), Gender and other relevant working groups
Regional and international development partners

Download

Meeting Report