The Twenty- EIGHTH Meeting of
the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry
(28th
AMAF)
16 November 2006, Singapore
JOINT PRESS STATEMENT
1. The 28th Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers
on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) was held in Singapore on 16
November 2006. H. E. Mr. Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National
Development of Singapore chaired the 28th AMAF, with H.E.
Professor
Dr. Thira Sutabutra,
Minister of
Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand as Vice-Chairman.
2. The Ministers reviewed the
progress of the
implementation of cooperation
initiatives and activities in food, agriculture and forestry under
the Vientiane Action Programme (VAP), the Strategic Plan of Action
(SPA) on ASEAN Cooperation in Food, Agriculture and Forestry and the
integration protocols for wood-based products, rubber-based
products, agro-based products, and fisheries sectors under the ASEAN
Framework Agreement for Integration of Priority Sectors. The
Ministers were pleased with the significant progress in the
implementation of various ASEAN cooperation activities in food,
agriculture and forestry.
3.
The
Ministers conveyed their appreciation to the ASEAN leaders at
the 11th
ASEAN Summit in December 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, who recognised that
agriculture plays a pivotal role in improving food security and
poverty reduction. At the 11th ASEAN Summit, the leaders
reiterated ASEAN’s commitment to the World Food Summit and
Millennium Declarations and supported further resource mobilisation
for agriculture and rural development in the Member Countries. The
Ministers expressed confidence that the ASEAN leaders will provide
further boost to the agriculture sector and highlight its importance
when they meet at the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu,
Philippines in December 2006.
Strengthening Animal Disease Control Programme
4. In advancing the ASEAN
leaders’ call in the 11th
ASEAN Summit for responsive and coordinated actions to control and
eradicate the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI),
the
Ministers concluded and signed the
Agreement for Establishment of ASEAN
Animal Health Trust Fund (AAHTF). The AAHTF will serve as the
vehicle in the implementation of unified and
harmonised animal health programmes in ASEAN. In addition to the
contributions made by ASEAN Member Countries, the AAHTF is open to
financial contributions from ASEAN Dialogue Partners, international
organisations and the private sector for implementing mutual and
sustainable animal disease control programmes in ASEAN.
5. The Ministers reaffirmed continuing efforts by the Member
Countries to control and eradicate HPAI that remains a serious
threat to the region. The Ministers recognised the need for Member
Countries to work together and collaborate with international
agencies such as OIE (the World Animal Health Organization) and FAO
(Food and Agriculture Organization) in the fight to control HPAI.
The Ministers commended the work of the ASEAN HPAI Taskforce
in coordinating and promoting collaborative
arrangements and initiatives to enhance understanding and sharing of
experiences in the control of HPAI, through the Regional Framework
for Control and Eradication of HPAI. The Ministers welcomed the
support given by ASEAN Dialogue Partners and international
organisations in strengthening ASEAN’s capability to implement and
coordinate effective plans to address the animal disease control
programmes of economic and public health importance.
Expanding Markets for Agricultural
Products and
Enhancing Safe Food Supply
6. For supporting economic integration, the Ministers
underscored the importance for ASEAN to continue to undertake
concerted efforts in the harmonisation of quality and standards,
assurance of food safety and standardisation of trade certification.
The Ministers also emphasised the need for agricultural and forestry
products to achieve internationally recognised standards in order to
enhance ASEAN competitiveness in the international markets. Towards
this end, the Ministers adopted the following ASEAN standards:
a)
ASEAN Good Agricultural Practices (ASEAN GAP) for the
production, harvesting and post-harvest handling of fresh fruit and
vegetables ;
b)
ASEAN Standards for Mango, Pineapple and Durian, to ensure
they are available fresh to the consumer after preparation and
packaging;
c)
ASEAN Standard for Inactivated Canine Parvovirus Vaccine, to
control canine viral
diarrhoea;
and
d)
A list of 117 additional ASEAN harmonised Maximum Residue
Limits (MRLs) of 19 pesticides. To date, AMAF has adopted a total of
676 ASEAN harmonised MRLs for 52 pesticides used in 59 vegetables,
24 fruits and 15 cash crops.
Coordinated
Actions towards
Sustainable Forestry
7. The Ministers commended
the efforts in the implementation of the ASEAN Regional Action Plan
on Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora. Particularly significant is the
establishment of the ASEAN Wildlife Law Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN)
at the Special Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for the
Implementation of Convention on the International Trade of
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in December 2005
in Bangkok. ASEAN-WEN is an integrated network among the law
enforcement, customs and CITES authorities in Member Countries. The
Ministers welcomed the setting up of the Programme Coordination Unit
(PCU) to support the implementation of ASEAN-WEN.
8.
The Ministers recalled the East
Asia and the Pacific Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG)
Ministerial Declaration of 2001 which commits participants to take
immediate actions to combat illegal logging and its associated
trade, and the VAP which calls on Member Countries to eradicate
unsustainable forest management practices by 2010. The Ministers
noted that progress had been made towards meeting the goals of both
initiatives, based on stronger political commitment, more effective
programmes in countries within the region, and a number of bilateral
and multilateral efforts, including further actions on FLEG matters
by the ASEAN Senior Officials on Forestry.
9. The Ministers called for
enhanced cooperation with their counterparts from outside of ASEAN
and appreciated the offer of the Philippines to host the 2nd FLEG
Ministerial Meeting in 2007 to ensure continued progress with
national, regional and global actions. The Ministers also called for
concerted actions on specific areas of cooperation including
information sharing, forest sector transparency and regional
cooperation in improving forest law enforcement mechanisms. The
Ministers urged for active participation of Member Countries, ASEAN
Dialogue Partners, civil society and the private sector.
10. The Ministers welcomed and
supported the Cebu Resolution on Sustainable Development by the
ASEAN Ministers responsible for the Environment adopted on 10th
November 2006.
Forging Stronger Bonds with Dialogue
Partners
and International Organisations
11. The Ministers noted the
good progress made in the collaborative activities with dialogue
partners and international organisations on food, agriculture and
forestry. The Ministers thanked Australia, China, Germany, Japan,
and Republic of Korea and international organisations like Asian
Development Bank (ADB), FAO, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI),
OIE, and the Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Centre (SEAFDEC),
for their technical assistance and financial support in 2005-2006.
12. The Ministers welcomed the
continued collaboration with China under the ASEAN-China Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) on Agricultural Cooperation. The Ministers
also welcomed the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Strategic Partnership for
strengthening collaboration in sustainable fisheries development in
the region.
13. The Ministers endorsed two
new ASEAN-Japan initiatives on Strengthening of Partnership among
Japan and ASEAN Countries in the promotion of Agricultural
Cooperatives; and on South-South Cooperation Promotion Project for
Agricultural Productivity Enhancement in Developing Countries.
14. The Ministers endorsed the
further development of a series of environmental indicators for
ASEAN rice production as presented as a joint activity with the
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The Ministers also
endorsed the continued development of a digital Rice Knowledge Bank
for ASEAN rice farmers, and the establishment of Rice Camps at IRRI
to educate the young people of ASEAN on the importance of rice
farming and rice research.
29th
AMAF Meeting
The ASEAN Ministers on
Agriculture and Forestry will meet for the 29th AMAF in
Thailand in
2007.
The
Ministers from other ASEAN Member Countries expressed their sincere
appreciation to the Government and people of Singapore for hosting
the 28th AMAF Meeting and for their warm hospitality.
LIST OF MINISTERS
H.E. Pehin Dato Dr. Haji Ahmad Haji Jumat, Minister of Industry and
Primary Resources, Brunei Darussalam
H.E. Dr. Chan Sarun, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries,
Cambodia
H.E. Dr. Anton Apriyantono, Minister of Agriculture, Indonesia
H.E. Mr. Sitaheng Rasphone, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Lao PDR
H.E.
Dato Mah Siew Keong, Deputy
Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry, Malaysia
H.E. Major General Htay Oo, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation,
Myanmar
H.E. Dr. Segfredo R. Serrano, Undersecretary, Department of
Agriculture, the Philippines
H.E.
Mr. Mah Bow Tan,
Minister for National Development,
Singapore
H.E. Ms Grace Fu, Minister of State
for National Development, Singapore
H.E.
Professor Dr. Thira Sutabutra,
Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand
H.E. Dr. Bui Ba
Bong, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Viet Nam
H.E. Mr. Ong Keng Yong,
Secretary-General of ASEAN.
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