Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, Executive Director, Mekong Institute (MI), met with Ms. Pouchamarn Wongsanga, Regional Component Lead of thePromotion of Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains in ASEAN (ASEAN AgriTrade), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and Mr. Rapibhat Chandarasrivongs, Director-General, Department of Agriculture (DOA), Thailand, to discuss an institutionalization plan for the ASEAN Climate Resilience Network (ASEAN-CRN). The meeting was heldat the DOA Office in Bangkok on June 1, 2023.  

GIZ’s ASEAN AgriTrade Project, a continuation of the predecessor GIZ project with support from its partner, the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO RAP), and secretariat support from MI, has been assuming the role of the ASEAN-CRN Coordination Unit. However, at the end of 2023, the GIZ project will end its coordination role. The subject of sustainability and institutionalization has therefore emerged and the future direction is currently being discussed. Mr. Rapibhat informed GIZ and MI of the DOA plan to host the Network’s secretariat. However, the process will take some time. Until then, he requested MI, with support from the partners, to continue to provide secretarial support during this transition stage.

Mr. Rapibhat also used the meeting to articulate Thailand’s proposal on ASEAN’s Joint Work on GHG Emission Reduction Program on Crops (AGERcrops). He explained the impetus of this initiative to contribute to the ongoing ASEAN low-carbon development. Thailand will contribute to the initiative by taking a lead in developing guidelines and the baseline for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction in major crops, which could be used as a basis for further development in the ASEAN region.

MI invites development partners and donor communities to support the sustainability plan of the ASEAN CRN and its activities, including the GHG Emission Reduction Program on Crops.