The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) reflects ASEAN’s vision for an inclusive growth. Along this effort, ASEAN commits to “promote agricultural cooperatives as a means to empower and enhance market of agricultural products, to build a network mechanism linking agricultural cooperatives, and to fulfill the purpose of agricultural cooperatives for the benefit of farmers in the region”.
In recognition of the valuable role of cooperatives particularly of the agricultural cooperatives, the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) of the Republic of the Philippines, in cooperation with the ASEAN Center for Agricultural Cooperative (ACEDAC) and the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Agricultural Cooperative (ASWGAC) and in partnership with ASEAN Farmers’ Organization Support Program (AFOSP) implemented by Asian Farmers’ Organization for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) and La Via Campesina (LVC), together with other regional CSOs and agri-agencies (AsiaDHRRA, CSA and WeEFFECT) and local/national Cooperative partners will host the 6th ASEAN Cooperative Business Forum (ACBF) on November 29 to 30 in Manila, Philippines to provide opportunity for learning exchange and cooperation towards enhancing ASEAN Economic Collaboration through Cooperatives.
The 6th ACBF will bring together various government agencies working on Cooperative Development, Co-op and farmer leaders, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Development partners and other stakeholders to discuss key challenges as well as opportunities for regional cooperation among Cooperatives towards an inclusive regional integration process within the context of ASEAN Economic Community framework. ACBF also hopes to showcase agricultural products and services through a Co-op Trade Fair Exhibit.
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