Championing ASEAN RAI: Parliamentary leadership and partnerships for sustainable investment in food, agriculture, and forestry

To address the need for more responsible and sustainable investment in food, agriculture, and forestry in Southeast Asia, the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministers adopted the ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry (ASEAN RAI) in 2018. 

IISD has been working with the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to raise awareness of the ASEAN RAI among ASEAN’s parliamentarians and equip them with the knowledge they need to promote and lead in the application of the guidelines in their countries. 

This collaboration involved workshops held in April and July 2024, which informed the development of an ASEAN RAI Parliamentary Implementation Framework and set out specific activities that AIPA member parliaments can undertake to support the application of the guidelines.
 
In October 2024, the 45th AIPA General Assembly adopted a resolution, co-sponsored by Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, formally endorsing the Implementation Framework. This action underscored the crucial role of parliamentary leadership in promoting the ASEAN RAI. The AIPA General Assembly then called on AIPA member parliaments to champion responsible investment and sustainable practices. 

About the Event

Building on this momentum, this event brings AIPA member parliaments, other stakeholders, and potential partners together to explore and promote collaboration on implementing the ASEAN RAI Parliamentary Implementation Framework.

The primary objectives of this event are to (i) lay the groundwork for the application of the ASEAN RAI Parliamentary Implementation Framework by identifying AIPA member parliaments keen to champion specific activities under the framework and (ii) deepen engagement with interested partners on opportunities to support the implementation of these activities.