INVITATION & MEDIA ALERT ASEAN LEADERS TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Dear Editor, We would like to invite you to attend: Responsible Business Forum on Food and Agriculture ASEAN BEYOND 2015: COLLABORATION FOR EQUITABLE GROWTH Time: June 23 – 24, 2015 Venue: Meliá Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam Opening Ceremony & Media Welcome: 08:00 AM, Wednesday June 23, 2015 Vietnam, Thursday 18th June 2015 – On June 23rd 2015, The Secretary-General of ASEAN, Le Luong Minh, and Vietnam Agriculture Minister, Cao Duc Phat, will open the 2nd Responsible Business Forum on Food and Agriculture in Hanoi, Vietnam. This high-level forum will convene 350 leaders from ASEAN governments, international businesses, financial institutions and agricultural associations, to help shape a more sustainable future for food and agriculture in ASEAN.

H.E. Mr. Cao Duc Phat, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam, states: “The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam is very pleased to collaborate with Global Initiatives, VCCI and WWF to organize this Forum, which is expected to generate proposals for increasing the supply of sustainably produced commodities, in ways that improve rural livelihoods and reduce impacts to the environment”. Under the theme ‘ASEAN Beyond 2015: Collaboration for Equitable Growth’, participants will produce actionable recommendations for increasing the supply of sustainably-produced tea, rice, coffee, aquaculture, dairy and maize. Experts from each of these commodity sectors will lead discussions on the transformational changes required in the world’s farming systems to create equitable opportunity for smallholder farmers.

Tony Gourlay, CEO of Global Initiatives, the event organizer says: “This two-day forum takes place at a crucial time for global action on climate change and water scarcity, and in a region which significantly affects world food security. We have carefully selected key global decision-makers as the speakers and supporters of RBF Hanoi to facilitate productive discussions on food and agriculture.” The forum is promising to be impactful in the ASEAN region and globally. Delegates will explore innovative and collaborative approaches to improving agricultural productivity in a region where up to 40% of the population depends on agriculture for their livelihoods.

Key speakers and highlights of the forum: - Vu Tien Loc, Chairman and President, Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)

will give a welcoming address; - An ASEAN Government - Business Dialogue will bring together political leaders to agree on

priorities for the region’s farming systems;

 - A dedicated Business and NGO networking session, will be hosted with the purpose of

facilitating mutually beneficial relationships between businesses and NGOs; - Kavita Prakash-Mani, Executive Director, Grow Asia, World Economic Forum will discuss how

the public and private sectors can work together to benefit smallholder farmers; - Nguyen Thi Anh Hong, Vice Chairwoman, Vietnam Tea Association, will be part of a high-level

group discussing ways to strengthen the tea market to benefit both the growers and the sellers; - Peter Timmer, Cabot Professor, Emeritus, Harvard University will give an exclusive presentation

--END-- Key event details: Event website: http://www.responsiblebusiness.com/events/responsible-business-forum-hanoi/ See event website for full agenda, registration, as well as a list of speakers and supporters. To register as media, contact To Thi Minh Hong (Ms.) at Galaxy PR: hongttm@galaxy.com.vn

Title: ASEAN Beyond 2015: Collaboration for Equitable Growth Event series: Responsible Business Forum on Food and Agriculture Location: Meliá Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam Date: 23 - 24 June 2015 Working groups: rice, dairy, coffee, maize, aquaculture and tea Lead Organizers: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Vietnam (MARD), Global Initiatives Co-organizers: Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), World Wide Fund for Nature Vietnam (WWF-Vietnam) Supported by: The Government of Sweden through the Regional Asia Environment Conference Support Programme Corporate Partners: Monsanto, Syngenta, FrieslandCampina, CropLife Asia Event partners: ASEAN Business Advisory Council (BAC), AsianNGO, Aquaculture Stewardhip Council, Corporate Citizenship, Forum for the Future, Global Aquaculture Alliance, IDH, The Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), SNV, 4C Association. Conversations powered by: Pigeonhole® Live, Jublia.

About Global Initiatives events: Global Initiatives’ events have been convened worldwide in 16 countries with notable speakers including the Presidents of South Korea, Indonesia, Guyana, Mexico and the Maldives, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, Government Ministers and CEOs of many international businesses. The Responsible Business Forum series presents practical ways to accelerate solutions for a more sustainable world while increasing business and industry growth. Leading global companies discuss deeper integration of sustainability and social responsibility to deliver longer-term business success. The Responsible Business Forum on Sustainable Development is held annually in Singapore and in 2014 the Responsible Business Forum on Food and Agriculture was launched in Manila, Philippines. This year it takes place in Hanoi, Vietnam.