When farmers and workers have representation at all levels of governance including 50% ownership of the Fairtrade system, the Regional Conference is where that ownership comes alive. On 18 and 19 July 2026, producer representatives from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Cambodia gathered in Bangkok, Thailand, in person and online, for the Regional Conference and Product Network Meeting of the Southeast Asia region, organised by Fairtrade NAPP and co-funded by the European Union.

This was the second Regional Conference held under Fairtrade NAPP’s new governance structure. The two-day gathering brought producers together to elect their regional leadership, set priorities for five Product Networks, approve the governance documents that guide their region and prepare for the forthcoming Fairtrade NAPP General Assembly. Interpretation in multiple languages supported broader participation in the Conference discussions.

Attendees:

• Producers: Fairtrade NAPP producers/farmers of the South East Asia region, attending physically and online
• Fairtrade NAPP Task Force: Pravakar Meher (Fairtrade NAPP Chair), Raghavendra Shastry, Shailesh Patel, Rosemarie Sumalinog G and Malik M Jamil
• Executives:
  • Bindu Sukumarapillai - CEO
  • Hagung Hendrawan - COO
  • Wardah Hasyim - Regional General Manager, South East Asia
  • Intan Savitri Wahyoe - Programme Manager, Java Island & Eastern parts of Indonesia
  • Tran Ban Hung - Senior Program Manager, Vietnam/Cambodia
  • Natasha Erika Jane Siaron - Advocacy Manager and PSR Manager, Philippines
  • Sirisap Bijlmakers - Countries Manager, Thailand/Lao PDR
• Kavita Ramesh - Sr. Manager (Board Affairs & Governance) and Permanent Secretary of the Regional Conference
• Interpreters: Michele Alvanez, Nalinee C, Trang Nguyen, Ervina Andiny
• Also joining virtually for specific sessions: Sarah Annum (FTNAPP Manager, Gender & Youth) and the Product Network leads for the breakout sessions - Manoj K, Iresha S, and Sayali Rajendra.

Day 1

Opening Remarks by the Fairtrade NAPP Board Chair

Opening the Conference, the Fairtrade NAPP Board Chair, Pravakar Meher, confirmed that the Regional Conference was convened in accordance with the Fairtrade NAPP Constitution and the Regional Conference Charter, and welcomed members joining in person and online. He highlighted the network’s achievements and progress during 2025, including the strengthening of farmer and worker livelihoods through Fairtrade Premium investments, the expansion of strategic partnerships and outreach initiatives, and progress on sustainability and South-to-South strategies. He also presented the launch of the Fairtrade NAPP Strategy 2026-2028, which focuses on strengthening producer organisations, market expansion, innovation and technology, and inclusion and social justice, and encouraged participants to engage actively in governance processes, regional discussions and leadership opportunities.

Honouring a Lifetime Given to Farming Communities

For the first time in the Southeast Asia region, Fairtrade NAPP presented the Fairtrade Lifetime Achievement Award, and it went to Dolores Rebatado Ceralbo, co-founder and long-serving Chairperson of the Pandanon Integrated Balangon Farmworkers Association (PIBFA) in the Philippines.

Following an assessment of nominations against the agreed criteria, Ceralbo was recognised for her visionary leadership and lifelong commitment to strengthening producer organisations and advancing Fairtrade values. Her contributions to rural development, cooperative leadership, women’s leadership, sustainable agriculture and inclusive governance were acknowledged before the entire Conference, as was her mentoring of women, youth and emerging farmer leaders and her thoughtful approach to investing the Fairtrade Premium in farmers’ priorities.

For participants, the award was more than a ceremony; it placed before the region a living example of what long-term producer leadership can achieve, and an invitation to the next generation to follow.

Product Network Meetings: From Coffee to Coconut- Product Networks Set Their Course

In five parallel breakout sessions, producers of coffee, rice, sugar, coconut and minor products worked with their Product Network leads to review activities and set priorities, before presenting their results and recommendations to the full Conference.

The Coffee Network, active across Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Lao PDR, prioritised readiness for human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD) and the EU Deforestation Regulation, climate resilience, stronger market linkages and expanded South to South trade.

The Rice Network, with 30 producer organisations across Thailand, India and Pakistan, focused on addressing climate-related production losses through improved water management and on promoting Fairtrade rice in new markets.

The Sugar Network highlighted certification and audit support, Fairtrade Standards training and Premium monitoring in the Philippines and Thailand, alongside gender and youth participation.

The Coconut Network set out a 2026 to 2028 strategy centred on climate-resilient agriculture, awareness on Fairtrade Standards and pricing, and improved market opportunities.

The newly established Minor Products Network, bringing together producers of cashew nuts, fresh fruits, herbs and spices, coconut sugar, garlic and shallots from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, will serve as a shared platform for cross-learning, market development and greater visibility for Fairtrade minor products. For participants, the sessions turned shared challenges such as a changing climate and evolving compliance requirements into concrete, producer-led plans for each crop.

Governance That Producers Can Call Their Own

Producer members reviewed and unanimously approved the revised Regional Conference Charter and the Code of Conduct for Fairtrade NAPP Producers, along with the Standards Complaint Mechanism Process. The revisions followed the 2025 external evaluation of Fairtrade NAPP’s governance structure and were led by a Task Force established by the Fairtrade NAPP Board, with the documents circulated to members in advance for review and consultation.

A dedicated session then walked members through the General Assembly procedures, covering delegate representation, voting rights, election procedures, proxy voting and the role of the Central Nomination and Election Committee. Members appreciated the clarity of the presentation and noted that it would support their effective participation in the upcoming General Assembly.

Together, these steps mean producers head towards the General Assembly with governance documents they have shaped and approved themselves, and a clear understanding of how their votes will count.

Southeast Asia Programme Updates from the CEO and COO

The Chief Executive Officer, Bindu Sukumarapillai, shared key strategic and organisational updates on Fairtrade NAPP’s progress and ongoing initiatives in the Southeast Asia region during the first half of 2026. Her update covered:

• implementation of the Fairtrade NAPP Strategy 2026-2028 across the region;
• gender and youth initiatives, and advocacy and policy engagement;
• fundraising, strategic partnerships and progress on donor-funded programmes;
• climate resilience and disaster recovery support for producer organisations;
• HREDD and EUDR compliance, monitoring, evaluation and digital initiatives; and
• communication and market-promotion activities, including South-to-South market development, the Producer Network licensing model and NAPP Commercial Ventures, aimed at expanding market opportunities and strengthening the long-term sustainability of producer organisations.

The Chief Operating Officer, Hagung Hendrawan, followed with operational updates on producer certification, programme implementation and planned activities across Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Cambodia. His presentation gave producers a clear picture of:

• certification trends and compliance across the region, and the producer-support and audit-readiness services available to member organisations
• product and farmer-base profiles, and governance and organisational strengthening;
• HREDD and EUDR preparedness and climate resilience work;
• donor-funded projects and commercial and market-linkage activities; and
• the progress of the eight Product Networks.

He also outlined priorities for the third quarter of 2026, including continued certification and compliance support, stronger product-network coordination, producer training and development, buyer engagement and expanded market opportunities across the region. For producers, the two updates connected the network’s regional strategy with the services they can draw on at home, from audit preparation to market linkages.

Day 2

A New Chapter of Producer Leadership

A key moment of the Conference was the election of the region’s new leadership. After the candidates presented their motivation statements to the members, the Regional Conference Nomination and Election Committee conducted the voting:

• Nguyen Truong Xiem, representing a small producer organisation in Vietnam, was declared elected as the Southeast Asia Regional Coordinator.
• Lutchie D Jakosalem, from a small producer organisation in the Philippines, was declared elected unopposed as the Deputy Regional Coordinator.

In a formal handover ceremony, the outgoing Coordinator, Nguyen Huu Ha, passed on the responsibilities and governance documents of both offices to the newly elected leaders, who accepted their appointments with a commitment to supporting producer organisations and strengthening regional collaboration.

Reflecting on her tenure, the outgoing Deputy Coordinator, April Ceralbo, encouraged the incoming leaders to listen, collaborate and lead with humility and purpose. For the producers in the room and online, the election was a direct exercise of the decision-making power that farmers and workers hold within Fairtrade: the leaders who will represent Southeast Asia are chosen by producers, from among producers.

Making Gender Equality Everyone’s Business

An interactive session facilitated by Sarah Annum, Fairtrade NAPP Manager for Gender and Youth, took participants through presentations, group exercises, case studies and discussions on gender equality and inclusion. Participants explored the distinction between sex and gender, gender equality and equity, socially constructed gender roles, unconscious bias and the different forms of gender-based violence. The session also presented Fairtrade NAPP’s approaches to gender mainstreaming, including women’s leadership and participation, gender-responsive policies, access to Fairtrade Premium funds and the engagement of men as allies. Participants left with encouragement to question discriminatory attitudes and practices and to promote equal participation, shared decision-making, dignity and respect within their producer organisations and farming communities.

Key Takeaways

• New regional leadership chosen by producers, with Nguyen Truong Xiem and Lutchie D Jakosalem taking office through a transparent, producer-led election.
• Producer leadership honoured through the first Lifetime Achievement Award presented in the Southeast Asia region.
• Producer-set priorities for the coffee, rice, sugar, coconut and minor products networks, from climate-resilient production and water management to stronger market access and South to South trade.
• Revised governance documents approved and clarity gained on General Assembly procedures, ahead of the forthcoming Fairtrade NAPP General Assembly.
• Stronger connections and solidarity among producer organisations across six countries, in person and online.

Voices from the Conference

Participants appreciated that the Conference welcomed members both in person and online, and congratulated the newly elected Regional Coordinator and Deputy Regional Coordinator, expressing hope that their leadership would contribute to strengthening Fairtrade in the region.

Several members valued the opportunity to meet producers from other countries and product sectors, exchange information and work towards the shared goal of improving farmers’ welfare.

When producers from the Davao region of the Philippines spoke of the recurring natural disasters facing their communities, participants across the region responded with solidarity, and Fairtrade NAPP confirmed it would endeavour to extend whatever support would be possible. The enthusiasm carried into ideas for the future: product exhibitions at coming conferences to encourage South to South trade among producer organisations, country-level communication spaces to stay connected, common attire bearing the Fairtrade or Fairtrade NAPP logo, and more thematic programmes on subjects such as climate change.

The Road to the General Assembly

The Southeast Asia Regional Conference is the second of four Regional Conferences under Fairtrade NAPP’s new governance structure, and its completion, together with the forthcoming Central Asia and South Asia conferences, paves the way for the Fairtrade NAPP General Assembly.

The newly elected Regional Coordinator and Deputy Regional Coordinator take office with a clear set of producer priorities before them, from strengthening the value producers receive through Fairtrade to improving market access and easing the documentation workload on farmers, concerns that Fairtrade NAPP acknowledged and will continue to raise and address, where within its mandate.

In the third quarter of 2026, the network will take forward the priorities outlined by the CEO and COO, from certification and compliance support to closer product-network coordination, buyer engagement and expanded market opportunities across the region. The suggestions producers offered on making future hybrid conferences more inclusive and engaging will inform how the network convenes its members next, with the aim of strengthening participation by producers joining both physically and virtually.