Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) is a treaty-based intergovernmental organization that promotes cooperation towards achieving the shared SDGs and regional and global forestry objectives (homepage: https://afocosec.org/). The Agreement on Establishment of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) is registered with the Secretariat of the United Nations under Treaty Collection Number 55833 (Multilateral).  To date, the Organization comprises of 14 Parties from the ASEAN Member States (except Malaysia and Singapore), Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic[1], Mongolia, Republic of Korea (ROK) and Timor-Leste, as well as 2 Observers, Malaysia, and Singapore. In terms of governance The principal organs of AFoCO are the Assembly and the Secretariat. The Assembly is the policy-making body composed of the Representatives of all Parties. The Secretariat, headed by the Executive Director and located in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, is responsible for implementing its policies and strategies. Subject to guidance by the Assembly, the Executive Director enters into agreements on behalf of the organization for the implementation of activities of the Organizations. AFoCO also became a Permanent Observer to the United Nations General Assembly and an ODA Eligible International Organization enlisted in the OECD DAC list.

AFoCO’s vision is “A greener Asia with resilient forests, landscapes, and communities.”. Its mission is to strengthen cooperation in the forest sector and promote action-oriented practices of sustainable forest management through policy support, capacity development, and inclusive partnerships to address the adverse impacts of climate change.

AFoCO annually receives budget of yearly 4.5 M USD for the operation of its Secretariat from the mandatory contributions of its Parties and budget for the development and implementation of projects from the voluntary contributions of the Republic of Korea and other sources with a yearly average of 4.5 M USD.   In order to realize its vision and missions, projects and capacity building activities contribute to five (5) different strategic priority areas: (1) Initiating customized reforestation models; (2) Research and development in climate change adaptation approaches; (3) Introducing technology in managing forest-related disasters; (4) Local livelihood improvement and community-based small enterprise development; (5) Strengthening organizational capabilities and regional actions.

The AFoCO Secretariat is housed in its Headquarter in Seoul, Republic of Korea, with a subsidiary body, the AFoCO Regional Education and Training Center (RETC) located in Yangon region, Myanmar.  At the Headquarter, the Secretariat is headed by its Executive Director and assisted by Vice Executive Director supported by three (3) Division Directors for Planning and Budget, Cooperation and Project and Capacity Development or a total of 23 staff members, an average of five (5) Fellowship Officials from the AFoCO Parties and Interns on semestrial/yearly basis.