03 October 2016

74TH ECE-FAO-FORESTS, 18-20 OCTOBER 2016 in GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

The joint UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section supports the activities on forests in the ECE region, provides the Secretariat to the UNECE Committee on Forests and Forest Industry and the FAO European Forestry Commission, and works to implement the UNECE/FAO Integrated Programme of Work (IPOW).

In line with the continued efforts of the UN System to enhance coherence and “Deliver as One” the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) formalized their sixty-year old partnership in an agreement to support the implementation of the joint ECE/FAO program of work for forestry and timber. This was done to in order to ensure the most effective, coordinated and long-term response to emerging developments in the pan-European region such as, sustainable forest management, climate change, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use. The IPOW encompasses sustainable forest management as well as the sound and legal use of forest products, for raw material and energy, and forest services. To achieve this, the IPOW aims to assist member countries by: providing the best available information; facilitating policy dialogues and communication; and building capacity. The Committee will review and guide activities in data collection and analysis, policy support, capacity building and communication. In addition, the meeting has a focus on the commercial aspects of the forest based industries (transformation, profits, trends, challenges, etc.). Half a day will be dedicated to market discussions of forest-based industries. Additional themes envisaged for this session include review of the results of the work on forest ownership and green jobs in the region.
The Committee will also be invited to contribute to the Strategic Review of the Integrated Program of Work 2014-2017 and provide recommendations for the future programme (2018-2021). Next year the 70th anniversary of UNECE as well as 70 years of successful collaboration between COFFI (former Timber Committee) and the FAO European Forestry Commission (EFC) will be celebrated.
The COFFI session will be conducted in English, French and Russian. The session will be followed by a workshop “Measuring the value of forests in a green economy” on 21 October 2016.
For further information contact Mr Christoph Duerr:

Forestry and Timber Section Forests
Land and Housing Division
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 GENEVA 10 / Switzerland
Ph. +41 22 917 2879
Fax +41 22 917 0041
E-mail: christoph.duerr@bafu.admin.ch