New year, new faces!
On 7 January 2020, Mr. Vireak Chhorn from Cambodia, Mr. Lhab Tshering from Bhutan and Mr. Nguyen Duy Vuong from Viet Nam started their Fellowship Program with short orientation of the program and a tour around the office. As Fellowship Officials, they will be engaging in the organization of AFoCO-led events and Assembly sessions as well as the management of projects. Like the previous batches, they will also be taking part in field trips to related institutes and organizations to learn about best practices and build their capacities. We look forward to a fruitful and busy year with our new team members!
We are also delighted to welcome Mr. Orlando A. Panganiban as the organization’s new Director of Cooperation and Projects. Mr. Panganiban is forester by nature and brings with him more than 25 years of experience in forest and forest resource management. Prior to joining AFoCO, Mr. Panganiban was a Senior Forest Management Specialist at the Philippines’ Forest Management Bureau. He has also been the Focal Official of AFoCO-related matters since 2012 and played a key role in the coordination of regional projects such as ‘Capacity Building for Landscape Approach to Support the Sustainable Natural Resources Management in Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines & Singapore‘ and ‘Facilitating the Participatory Planning of Community-based Forest Management Using GIS & RS Technologies in Forest Resources Management in the Philippines, Indonesia & Thailand‘. Mr. Panganiban will lead the development, implementation, and evaluation of projects under AFoCO’s portfolio.
The AFoCO Fellowship Program welcomes junior government officials of AFoCO member countries who are dispatched to the AFoCO Secretariat for a duration of 6 months to a year to experience working in an international organization. Operated on an annual basis, the AFP aims to establish an effective communication network between member countries and the Secretariat, facilitate close cooperation with member countries, and help improve better understanding of the working environment and procedural matters in order to facilitate the smooth implementation of projects and activities.
