Safeguarding Forests Will Be Essential to Realizing Sustainable Development Goals, Secretary-General Tells Wildland Fire Conference

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s video message for the sixth International Wildland Fire Conference, in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, today:

I am pleased to greet the participants in this important conference on wildland fire, which is taking place in Asia for the first time. 

I thank the Korea Forest Service and the Province of Gangwon for hosting. 

Your theme, “Fire of the Past, Fire in Future”, is particularly timely as the United Nations embarks on implementing the new vision adopted by the Member States that seeks to transform our world by 2030.

Safeguarding forests and wildlands will be essential to realizing the 17 new Sustainable Development Goals.

The management of wildland fires will contribute in particular to achieving Goal 15, which aims to protect ecosystems, manage forests, combat desertification, reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

As our planet continues to experience the cumulative impacts of global warming and urban sprawl, there is a critical need to integrate fire management into natural resource management strategies at the global level.

I look forward to the contributions you will make to our common endeavour to build a safer and more sustainable world for all.

Please accept my best wishes for a successful conference.

Kam sa hamnida.

Thank you.