On August 8, 2024, in Siem Reap, Cambodia, the Agribank delegation led by Deputy General Director Phung Thi Binh attended the 99th Regional Policy Forum of the Asia-Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA) with the topic "Financing Agri-SMEs to trigger engines of local development" with the participation of nearly 100 delegates from many countries in the region. In the afternoon of the same day, the 77th Executive Committee Meeting (EXCOM) of APRACA took place with the participation of delegates from APRACA member organizations.

The Regional Policy Forum is an event organized regularly by APRACA, attracting the attention of many international financial institutions and the participation of many member organizations. The 99th Forum held in Siem Reap is a large-scale in-person event organized with the participation of many international delegates as well as delegates from Cambodian agencies and departments.

At the Forum, delegates exchanged different perspectives on the role and importance of small and medium enterprises in developing efficient agricultural value chain, transformation of food systems to support the local development; the challenges these enterprises face in accessing financial services; as well as solutions to resolve these problems. Through technical sessions of the Forum with the topics "Policies that trigger provisioning unmet financing gaps to support developing agri-SMEs" and ": Role of the institutional mechanism in extending finance to the agri -SMEs in the region: showcasing the best practices", speakers from many countries in the region shared many experiences and practical lessons from their countries to all delegates attending the Forum.

The 77th EXCOM Conference was attended by 18 official members of the Executive Committee and many other delegates from member organizations. The Conference was chaired by the APRACA Chairman and moderated by APRACA Secretary General with the purpose of reviewing activities of the first six months of 2024 and giving direction and tasks in the upcoming period for the Association. After listening to the APRACA Secretary-General's detailed report on the 10 main agendas, the delegates discussed, commented, and made suggestions for each agenda item. The conference achieved the consensus and support of EXCOM members along with the consensus of the attendees.

APRACA is one of four regional and international associations of which Agribank is a member. Having realized the stewardship role of the Association in the region and in international forums, the similarity of operational goals, Agribank joined and became a member of the APRACA Executive Committee since 1991. Agribank held the position of rotating Chairman of APRACA from 2008 to 2010 and hosted many events such as the 16th Plenary Meeting in 2008 as Chairmanship, Executive Committee Meetings (EXCOM) in 2008, 2009, 2010, events such as FINPower Forum in 2008, Conference on Credit - Production - Marketing in 2009, Agricultural Credit Conference 2014. Agribank was trusted and appointed by APRACA 3 times to participate in the Special Committee for the selection of APRACA Secretary General for terms from 2008 to 2016. APRACA's activities not only bring benefits and cohesion to members, but also bring the voice of credit institutions operating in the fields of agriculture and rural areas to international forums, affirming the important role of the Association in the region and in the world.

Kylie Nguyen