Officials at the 33rd Meeting of ASEAN Agriculture and Forestry (33rd AMAF) said that as ASEAN moves toward the realization of the ASEAN Community in 2015, and achieving the Millennium Development Goals, efforts are also underway to ensure corresponding commitment and support in advancing measures outlined in the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community, a statement released by the ASEAN Secretariat said on Monday.

The meeting discussed cross-cutting issues in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries--involving the enhancement of food security, responding to the impact of Climate Change, cooperation on sectoral and priority issues, and strengthening partnerships with dialogue partners, international organizations, and private sectors.

Sundram Pushpanathan, the Deputy Secretary-General of the ASEAN Economic Community, highlights several achievements of the Meeting. "One is the normalization and signing of ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Agreement. This agreement is very important in our work to respond to disaster and provide humanitarian assistance, particularly among ASEAN plus China, Japan and (South) Korea," he said, adding that the Ministers have also supported a Special Ministerial Event to commemorate ASEAN and International Year of Forest 2011, as well as the First AMAF- Private Sector Dialogue on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

"The side event on forestry leveraged the profile of the ASEAN Cooperation in Forestry, and recognized the support of various partners in achieving ASEAN key initiatives, while the dialogue with private sectors was the first to be conducted in the region. The Ministers agreed that this dialogue was very important in bridging the needs and expectations of both public and private sectors," said Pushpanathan.

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