FP & DG meetings : 21-24 February 2006

            The fourth FPM will be held on 21 February 2006 and the Meeting of and the Meeting of Directors-General of Agricultural Statistics and Information in ASEAN + 3 Countries will be held during 22-24 February 2006 at Prince’ D Angkor Hotel, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Background and Objectives

           The Focal Point Meeting (FPM) is the decision-making mechanism of the ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) Project. The meeting will be held at least once a year to discuss, review and decide on the following matters:
           a) Work plans of the Project.
           b) Project activities at the regional and national levels.
           c) Other important matters relevant to the implementation of the Project.

           The Meeting of Directors-General of Agricultural Statistics and Information in ASEAN + 3 Countries was first organized in Japan by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on 27-31 January 2003. The Meeting was conducted in such a way that top executives of organizations involved in agricultural statistics and the representative of the ASEAN Secretariat discussed the effective means of AFSIS Project implementation, as well as the roles of agricultural statistics and information in relation to regional food security and poverty alleviation within the framework of ASEAN + 3. After the absence of the Meeting in 2004, it was agreed among JICA and member countries that the meeting should be held annually by reallocating funds from the AFSIS Project for organizing. Therefore, the second Meeting was organized by the AFSIS Project back to back with the third FPM in January 2005 in Yangon , Myanmar . In this year, the meeting is set back to back with the fourth FPM to provide top executives of organizations involved in agricultural statistics and information in ASEAN + 3 countries with the opportunity to:

a) Find ways and means to achieve methodologies needed to improve current situation.
b) Explore recent problems and implementation guidelines of AFSIS Project.
c) Consider future plan for project implementation.

2. Participants of the Meetings

           The FPM will be attended by representatives nominated as Project’s Focal Points from each of member countries including representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Japan , JICA, FAO and East Asia Emergency Rice Reserve (EAERR) Pilot Project.
           The Meeting of Directors -General responsible for Agricultural Statistics and Information in ASEAN + 3 Countries will be attended by Directors – General responsible for Agricultural Statistics and Information in ASEAN + 3 Countries including Focal Points of the AFSIS Project and representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat, MAFF Japan, JICA, FAO and EAERR Pilot Project. more>>