The APEX Partners gathered in Penang, Malaysia on 30 June 2026 to reflect on six years of collective action advancing food sovereignty, agroecology, and climate justice through people-led development (PLD), a praxis that places communities at the centre of identifying their priorities, shaping solutions, and leading transformative change. Coordinated by PANAP and MASIPAG, APEX brings together grassroots organisations, farmers, Indigenous Peoples, rural women, youth, and advocates across Asia to strengthen people’s movements through agroecology, PLD, collective advocacy, and regional solidarity. APEX advances agroecology as a transformative approach that defends farmers’ rights, secures land and seed sovereignty, protects biodiversity and Indigenous knowledge, and challenges corporate control of food systems.

The meeting celebrated concrete gains—from community seed exchanges and people-led agroecology initiatives to stronger women’s and youth leadership, participatory action research and documentation, and engagement in regional and global policy spaces. The meeting was also an opportunity for all to assess its work and highlight how work in APEX could further improve and reach out to more and new partners and communities. Partners reaffirmed that learning exchanges and collective organising remain at the heart of building resilient communities and stronger movements for food sovereignty. Together, partners remain committed to deepening solidarity, strengthening people’s movements, and advancing just, resilient, and sustainable food systems across Asia.