HIGH-LEVEL MEETINGS ON FORESTS AT FAO, 14 - 19 MARCH

 

(Reissued as received.)

ROME, 9 March (FAO) -– Two high-level meetings on forestry will be held at Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) headquarters in Rome next week.  The FAO will hold the Ministerial Meeting on Forests on 14 March and the seventeenth session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO) from 15 to 19 March.  Both are open to journalists.

One of the main agenda items tabled for the Ministerial Meeting on Forests is international cooperation on forest fires.  Forest fires are a significant precipitating cause of deforestation and they emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere contributing to climate change.  Until now, cooperation on forest fire management focused on fire suppression.  However, there is growing recognition that forest fires are directly linked with forest management -- better managed forests contribute to less forest fires.  The causes of forest fires also often lie outside the forestry sector, such as the application of slash-and-burn for agriculture.  The ministers at the meeting will, therefore, discuss opportunities for cooperation at local, regional and international levels to address forest fires at the root cause.

The Ministerial Meeting will also address the international commitment to sustainable forest management, and the role of the forest sector in the rehabilitation of Asian communities following the tsunami disaster of 26 December 2004.

Approximately 50 ministers have confirmed their attendance to the Ministerial Meeting.  Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the FAO, and Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo, will address the opening session.

Approximately 100 heads of national forestry agencies will discuss ways to implement in practical terms what the ministers propose at the Committee on Forestry.  In addition, they will discuss specific ways that forests contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, with emphasis on practical implementation on the ground.

More than 400 representatives of member countries, non-governmental organizations and international organizations are expected to attend the COFO.  Matti Vanhanen, Prime Minister of Finland, will speak at the opening session.

A total of 20 side events are planned during the afternoon sessions throughout the week, including topics such as forest law compliance; forests and climate change; forests and bioenergy; invasive species; and forests and conflict.  Most of these events will feature presentations by representatives of other organizations and the private sector, followed by informal discussions.  For example, the meeting on forest law compliance will feature new guidelines for the use of countries to address illegal logging.

For the Ministerial Meeting agenda, please see: http://www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/009/j3820e/j3820e00.htm.

For the Committee on Forestry agenda, please see: http://www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/009/j3821e/j3821e00.htm.

For accreditation purposes, please contact FAO Media Relations Office, e-mail:  media-office@fao.org, tel.:  +39 06 5705-3625.  Accreditation will be at the FAO main entrance throughout the week on production of a valid press pass.

Contact:  Maria Kruse, Information Officer, FAO, e-mail:  maria.kruse@fao.org, tel.:  +39 06 5705-6524.

* *** *