Asian Forest Cooperation Organization

The establishment of AFoCO was proposed by the Republic of Korea (ROK) at the ASEAN–Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit in 2009 in Jeju, ROK. The establishment of AFoCO was welcomed by all ASEAN leaders.

Signing of the Agreement on ASEAN-ROK on Forest Cooperation

As the initial phase of AFoCO, a cooperation mechanism of ASEAN-ROK Forest Cooperation was formalized by the "Agreement between the Governments of the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the ROK on Forest Cooperation" which was signed at the occasion of the 14th ASEAN-ROK Summit on 18 November 2011 in Bali, Indonesia[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] and entered into force on 5 August 2012.

A new dialogue for the establishment of AFoCO under a multilateral platform was formed with invitations to Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Timor-Leste. This platform covered a wide range of geographical diversity, stretching from coastal islands to glaciated mountains to central Asia deserts. The Agreement on the Establishment of AFoCO (Agreement) was negotiated through six successive dialogues among ASEAN member states, ROK, and prospective members from 2013 to 2015. The Agreement was adopted on 22 September 2015 and entered into force on 27 April 2018.[9]

AFoCO promotes and undertakes action-oriented projects in the areas, as stipulated in the agreement, include:

• promoting sustainable forest management
• reversing deforestation and forest degradation
• addressing climate change and enhancing forest carbon stocks and supporting initiatives
• strengthening capacity and research and development in the forest sector

Many training courses were conducted to strengthen the capacities of diverse stakeholder groups of the member countries by enhancing knowledge and understanding of forest management and providing greater access to relevant information, skills, and technology. One of the highlights includes the establishment of the Regional Education Training Centre (RETC) in Myanmar. As a part of on-going programs, AFoCO has provided scholarships to MS and PhD students. Government officials from member countries are invited on an annual basis to work at the secretariat office for six to 12 months. Young scientists and researchers are also invited to participate in AFoCO Science and Technology Exchange Partnership (STEP) Program every year.

Since 2011, under the umbrella of the ASEAN-ROK partnership in the forestry sector, the organization embarked on sub-regional projects and individual country-driven projects. The programs and projects cover areas ranging from policy support interventions to engaging villagers in forest restoration and rehabilitation activities. Participatory approaches empowering the local communities, and activities on forest fire and disaster management are implemented to contribute to reducing challenges and conflicts faced in the forest sector. Activities are also implemented for local community livelihood, forest restoration, research and development in genetic resources, among others.