The 21st AFSIS Focal Point Meeting was held on 17-18 May 2023 in Vientiane, Lao PDR. It was organized by the AFSIS Secretariat in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Lao PDR, the host country. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Thatsaka Saphangthong, Director General of the Department of Planning and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Lao PDR.
The distinguished participants included AFSIS Focal Points from 10 ASEAN Member States, as well as, the People’s Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. Representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat, APTERR Secretariat, Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan (RESTEC), AFSIS Secretariat, and observers from EGIS Global Development Cooperation Center, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Lao PDR were also present.
The 21st AFSIS Focal Point Meeting is a great opportunity for the AFSIS Focal Points and all participants to share, discuss, and extend the knowledge and innovation on agricultural statistics, challenges of food security in the region, and sustainable development goals. The main objectives of the meeting are to inform the ASEAN Plus Three Countries about the outcomes and achievements of AFSIS in 2022 and to consider the work plan in 2023, and related issues.
Particularly, during this year’s AFSIS Focal Point Meeting, the draft concept note of AFSIS new framework, which was prepared by AFSIS Secretariat between October to November 2022 and jointly reviewed and discussed in the Bilateral Meeting between AFSIS Secretariat and ASEAN Plus Three countries, including the ASEAN Secretariat from December 2022 to May 2023, was endorsed in the meeting for further action.
Furthermore, AFSIS Secretariat will present the endorsed concept note of AFSIS new framework to the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) and the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry Plus Three (AMAF+3) via the Special Senior Officials Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SSOM-AMAF) and Special Senior Officials Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry Plus Three (SSOM-AMAF+3) scheduled for August 2023 with the aim to seek their approval and direction of AFSIS’ position in the long-term.
The Meeting expressed appreciation toward the roles of the AFSIS Secretariat in strengthening food security and vowed to continually cooperate and support the projects under AFSIS implementation. It successfully ended with great collaboration from all participants. The next 22nd AFSIS Focal Point Meeting will be hosted by Malaysia on 11-12 June 2024 in Putrajaya, Malaysia as a physical meeting.
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On 5–6 March 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat participated in the 14th Meeting of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Council via video conference, hosted by the Kingdom of Cambodia. The meeting brought together representatives from ASEAN Plus Three countries, the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Food Security Reserve Board (AFSRB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the APTERR Secretariat, and the AFSIS Secretariat to discuss key issues related to regional food security and emergency rice reserves.
On 18 February 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat participated in the international event Google’s “Impact of AI on Global Agriculture,” organized by Google.org at Roseate House, Aerocity, New Delhi, India.
On 12-13 February 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat, in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan (RESTEC), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Japan and the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE), Ministry of Agriculture Cooperatives (MOAC), conducted a workshop conducted a workshop The Promoting Rice Planted Area and Production Estimation Using INAHOR and Space-based Technologies in Thailand at the Meeting Room 2, Innovation Building, 3rd FL, Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE)
The In-Country Workshop on Promoting Rice Planted Area and Production Estimation Using Space-based Technologies in Lao PDR was jointly organized by AFSIS Secretariat, JAXA, MAFF Japan, and MAE Lao PDR under the AFSIS-GIS and SAFE projects. The event was held in Vientiane with hands-on training on 9 February 2026 and a workshop on 10 February 2026.
