ASEAN-JICA Food Value Chain Development Project: The 1st Joint Coordination Committee Meeting was held at the ASEAN Secretariat Office

The ASEAN-JICA Food Value Chain Development Project (AJFVC) is technical cooperation project that will be implemented with the ASEAN Community. It began in January 2024 and will run for three years. The project held its first Joint Coordination Committee meeting on July 9 at the ASEAN Secretariat Office in Jakarta.

The Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting will be held annually to share the strategic direction and policy guidance among stakeholders in the project implementation. The meeting aims to review the project progress , make revisions to the plan if necessary, and facilitate discussions about project evaluation and any issues arising during implementation.

Approximately 30 participants from ASEAN countries participated took part in this online and actively shared their opinions and thoughts. Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN, Kiya Masahiko, attended the meeting and delivered an opening speech. The Ambassador emphasized the significance of this project, as it aligns with the "Midori Cooperation Plan" recommended by the Japanese government and is an important initiative contributing to food security in the ASEAN region. Minh, Director of the Food Agriculture & Forestry Division (FAFD) of the ASEAN Secretariat chaired the meeting, and participants engaged in a lively discussions about the project’s progress over the past six months and future activity plans.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Kenji Okamura, Senior Representative of JICA Indonesia Office, expressed gratitude to the participants from each member country and the ASEAN Secretariat for their active involvement. He emphasized the importance of continued cooperation from each country for the successful advancement of the project. The meeting concluded with a request for the ongoing understanding and cooperation of all participants. In the future, we plan to review the Record of Discussion (RD) and the ASEAN Proposal to make this project more realistic, with the approval of the participants of this meeting. JICA will continue to support this cooperation so that it will bring many results for the agricultural policies in ASEAN countries.