Promoting public-private-people partnerships for prosperity ASEAN

The forum aims to provide a regular dialogue basis between governmental officials, farmer associations, private sectors, and other relevant sides to promote rural development and poverty eradication. 

The forum themed "Promoting rural development toward an inclusive and shared prosperity in ASEAN" featured the attendance of representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the ASEAN Secretariat, and ASEAN member countries. 

Mr. Nguye Ha Hue, deputy director general of the International Cooperation Department - SOMRDPE leader of Vietnam at the 11th ASEAN Public-Private-People Partnership Forum on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication (SOMRDPE) said that the current work of rural development and anti-poverty efforts still has many complicated developments that are posing new challenges. 

In addition, climate change issues and epidemics are becoming threats to socio-economic life, especially in rural areas.

The representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shared that the Covid-19 pandemic is having a profound impact on social security, people's lives, stability of the country and the whole region, as well as hindering the implementation of regulations Millennium Development Goals.

Within the framework of the ASEAN region, in order to overcome these challenges, solidarity, cooperation, joint effort and consensus among member countries and international organizations (government and non-governmental) are one of the most important factors to resolve the above problems.

More than 10 years since the first ASEAN Public-Private Cooperation Forum was held in June 2012, many activities in the field of rural development, and poverty alleviation has been effectively implemented within the framework of ASEAN cooperation, with support from governmental and non-governmental organizations. These cooperation activities have helped rural ASEAN gradually prosper and human resources in rural areas have been enhanced,” said Mr. Hue.

The sharing, exchange of experiences, and cooperation between governments in the region and international organizations is one of the important channels to jointly realize the goals set out in the ASEAN Framework Action Plan on Rural Development and Poverty Reduction for the period 2021-2025 and beyond. 

Co-chair of the forum, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hong, President of Vietnam Gardening Association (VACVINA), the national people's organization shared that during 36 years of operation, the Association has actively contributed to the efforts of rural development and poverty reduction.

According to Mr. Hong, the tradition of having a CSO representative co-chair the Forum was started here in Vietnam during the first GO-NGO Forum on RDPE, held in Danang in May 2012. It was a joint Forum co-organized by SOMRDPE and SOM-AMAF (both sectors hosted by MARD), the ASEAN Secretariat, and with support from AsiaDHRRA for the mobilization of the CSO participants. 

The sustained leadership role of SOMRDPE to create space for meaningful engagement of different sectors concerned with rural development and poverty eradication led to the broadening of the engagement process and became the Public Private People Partnership or PPPP in 2015, to bring in the participation of the private sector.

With the theme "Promoting rural development toward an inclusive and shared prosperity in ASEAN", the delegates presented the ASEAN Framework Action Plan on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication for the period 2021-2025, summary report "Reducing Inequality in Decade of Action to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals and Accelerate Post-COVID-19 Recovery” and draft Master Plan on Rural Development and promote ASEAN's partnership.

The draft ASEAN Master Plan on Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation seeks to create a prosperous Southeast Asia region that is integrated into the global economy, where the potential of human resources is fostered, to create conditions for individuals and everyone to participate in and benefit from rural development, economic integration, an ASEAN community with good governance to ensure safe and healthy living conditions for the people, to ensure food security, and to eliminate poverty.