The Marketing Summit in Lao PDR, held for three days that started last November 1 until November 3, 2024 in Pakse, Champasak Province saw the participation of seventy-one groups including the AFoCO CLMV Project partners of thirteen (13) individuals who are part of the Bachieng and Pakse Bamboo and Rattan Handicrafts Group and Textile Group that are engaged and guided by the Association for Rural Mobilisation and Improvement (ARMI).  

The Marketing Summit in Pakse was organized to provide opportunities for communities supported by the AFoCO CLMV Project and the Association for Rural Mobilisation and Improvement to bring together village-level NTFP producers and private commercial buyers, government institutions, local financial institutions including other civil society organizations and NGOs, to develop new marketing strategies and sustainable market linkages and partnerships.  

In his speech on opening ceremony of the Marketing Summit, Mr. Felix “Popoy” Tanedo, NTFP-EP Asia Project Coordinator for the AFoCO CLMV Project mentioned that last month NTFP-EP Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, India, and Vietnam and respective partners launched and celebrated a special day to highlight the importance of non-timber forest products and forest communities’ impact and roles in forest conservation and creation of impactful livelihoods, and hopes that each year organizing simultaneous Marketing Summits in the CLMV countries will boost the awareness of International NTFP Day and the level of communities, inspire them to stride more. 

The Marketing Summit was made possible through the support of the ASEAN Forest Cooperation (AFoCO) and the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF) to showcase non-timber forest products and build partnerships with private institutions such as banks and financing groups in the Champasak Province, gather support from the Office of the Governor of Champasak Province, the Provincial of Agriculture and Forestry Office of Champasak, and the Department of Forestry of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Vientiane (one of the organizers of the Marketing Summit), and  local civil society organizations and community-based groups working in the Champasak Province of Lao PDR.