July 11, 2023

Innovative climate risk financing for the agricultural sector in the ASEAN Region

Activities, ASEAN, Climate Risk Financing, News and Events

Agriculture and Food Cluster

GIZ Thailand, in collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat, successfully conducted the Regional Kick-off Workshop for the “Agri-Climate Risk Financing” Project. This workshop aimed to introduce the project’s objectives and implementation plan, establish a common understanding of climate risk financing and gender-responsive climate risk financing as part of climate risk management, and identify the needs of ASEAN Member States (AMS) for collaborative efforts in climate risk financing solutions within the agricultural sector.

The workshop brought together more than 40 participants, including representatives from the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Crops (ASWGC), representing the ASEAN Member States. Additionally, representatives from

The ASEAN Secretariat’s Food, Agriculture, and Forestry Division as well as representatives from the German Embassy to Thailand, Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, private sector, and GIZ, actively participated in the workshop.

Throughout the full-day workshop, the participants gained a shared understanding of climate risk financing, delved into the project’s scope of implementation, and informed regional and national-level strategies. The workshop also provided a valuable platform for participants to exchange experiences and challenges faced at the national level which expectedly led to potential ASEAN strategic recommendations and relevant documents, with the aim of enhancing #regionalcooperation in the future. This workshop marks an important milestone in the Agri-Climate Risk Financing Project, fostering knowledge exchange, collaboration, and the development of effective strategies to address climate risks in the agricultural sector in ASEAN.

In conjunction with the workshop is the 1st Project Steering Committee (PSC) Meeting of the Agri-Climate Risk Financing Project, which was successfully organised on July 12, 2023. This meeting marked the official start of the project and focused on important matters related to project execution.

During the meeting, participants had a common understanding, and they agreed on the project’s steering and implementation structures. The meeting also adopted a tentative project operational plan for regional activities and provided guidance on key issues for successful implementation. Attendees comprised representatives from the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Crops (ASWGC) from the ASEAN Member States, PSC members, and the project team from GIZ in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

These events demonstrate the Agri-Climate Risk Financing Project’s unwavering #commitment to effective communication, cooperation, and collaboration, and meticulous planning for the successful implementation of its objectives. ■