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 13–15 January 2026, the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE), Thailand, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Japan, and the AFSIS Secretariat, conducted the 1st Meeting of Japan–Thailand Expert Dialogue on Agricultural Statistics. The meeting was held at the Office of Agricultural Economics and field survey activities in Chonburi Province.
On 3–4 December 2025, the ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) Secretariat participated in the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Table Top Exercise (TTX) held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.
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AFSIS and Development of Human Resources" in Cambodia On 27 November 2025, Mr. Charapon Chantorn, Deputy AFSIS Manager, participated in the Completion and Handover Ceremony of the project “Establishing the Real-Time ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) and Development of Human Resources, Phase 3 – Pilot Project on Strategic Crop Forecasting System for Food Security in Cambodia.” The ceremony was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and jointly hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) of the Republic of Korea, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Cambodia, and the Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC).
AFSIS Participated in APRSAF-31 to Strengthen Space Technology Cooperation for Regional Food Security On 18–19 November 2025, in Cebu City, the Republic of the Philippines, the ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) Secretariat, represented by Mr. Charapon Chantorn, Deputy AFSIS Manager, participated in the 31st Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-31). The Forum, a key platform for promoting regional cooperation in space technology across the Asia-Pacific region, was co-organized by the Philippines Space Agency (PhilSA), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
