Promoting the Application of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Guidelines for Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry
A practical handbook for ASEAN parliamentarians
This handbook provides Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) parliamentarians with practical guidance on the actions they can take to support the application of the ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry (ASEAN RAI) and contributes to the creation of a more enabling legal and policy environment for promoting responsible investments in agriculture and food systems in Southeast Asia.
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Over one in five people in Southeast Asia face food insecurity. Responsible investments in agrifood systems can contribute to poverty alleviation, economic growth, food security, and climate resilience in the region.
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IISD and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have published a handbook tailored to ASEAN parliamentarians that provides them with practical guidance on how to support the promotion of responsible investment in agrifood systems in Southeast Asia.
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ASEAN's parliamentarians have a key role to play in establishing the legal, policy, regulatory, and institutional frameworks needed to attract responsible investment in agriculture and improve the livelihoods of their constituents.
Almost 140 million people in Southeast Asia—just over one in five—do not have access to adequate safe and nutritious food. Substantial public and private investments in agriculture and food systems are needed to improve food security and livelihoods in the region and to ensure that the region’s food systems are sustainable and resilient.
To address this need, the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted the ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry (ASEAN RAI) in 2018. These guidelines outline how to promote “responsible” investment in the sector—investments that have positive socio-economic and environmental impacts.
This handbook aims to help ASEAN parliamentarians put the ASEAN RAI into practice. It is based on a global guide, Responsible Investments in Agriculture and Food Systems: A Practical Handbook for Parliamentarians and Parliamentary Advisors, published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and IISD in 2020. Tailored to the ASEAN context, it provides ASEAN parliamentarians with practical guidance on how to integrate the ASEAN RAI into national laws, policies, and institutions to effectively attract responsible investment in their countries.
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