On August 28, 2024, the AFSIS Secretariat was invited to attend the Thailand Security Dialogue 2024: “Sustainable Peace under Geopolitical Shifts”. The conference was organized by the Strategic Studies Center (SSC), the Commandant of the National Defence Studies Institute (NDSI). The conference aims to provide a platform for the presentation and exchange of academic perspectives on security situations covering their impacts on global and regional peace and security, to gather valuable ideas and perspectives, and to produce analyses leading to recommendations to promote sustainable peace in the region.
On this occasion, Dr. Sumaya Ngandee, AFSIS Manager, was honored to moderate the Panel Discussion session “Food and Health Security: ASEAN’s Strengths or Weaknesses for ASEAN?” This session featured a diverse group of experts from the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the Chula Vaccine Research Center, and the private sector. who engaged in meaningful discussions on these critical issues. The dialogue provided valuable perspectives and information, contributing to the ongoing efforts to enhance Food and Health Security in the ASEAN region.
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On 23 April 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat participated in the Ad-Hoc Senior Officials Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SOM-AMAF), held via a virtual platform, to discuss the implications of recent developments in the Middle East on regional food security and to identify coordinated measures to enhance ASEAN’s food resilience, in preparation for the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) Meeting.
The agricultural sector plays a vital role in supporting food security and livelihoods across ASEAN, where diverse production capacities shape the availability of major agricultural commodities such as rice, maize, sugarcane, soybean, and cassava. This report examines the SSR patterns across ASEAN to emphasize regional strengths, structural imbalances, and the implications for food security and agricultural policy in the region.
The self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) is a key indicator of food security. It shows how well Southeast Asian countries can meet rice demand through domestic production, with the region overall remaining increasingly self-sufficient despite ongoing challenges.
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On 19 March 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat participated in the Asia and the Pacific Food Systems Forum 2026 under the theme “Feeding the Future, Sustaining the Planet” in Manila, the Philippines, organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) . The forum aimed to promote food security policies, review ADB’s related initiatives, and support long-term food systems transformation.
