The Bangladesh Forest Department and the Ministry of Environment and Forest participated in the 27th session of the Asia Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC), organized by FAO and hosted by the Forest Department of Sri Lanka from 23 to 27 October 2017.
 “Forestry in a new landscape” was the theme of the APFC, and aimed to cover a range of related topics including climate finance, forest and landscape restoration, community-based forestry, and urban forestry. Delegates from 34 member countries, including Bangladesh, have joined the APFC sessions. 13 delegates from Bangladesh participated in the sessions including members from Ministry of Environment and Forests, Forest Department, and development partners such as USAID, FAO, GIZ, SilvaCarbon and universities.
APFC member countries discussed issues related to forestry and key problems of regional significance to promote environmentally sound, socially acceptable and economically efficient forest management practices.
A partner event on “Forest monitoring, management and protection in Bangladesh” was organized by the Bangladesh Forest Department on 25th October 2017 with the support from development partners.  The partner event presented the progress and challenges related to forest management, protection and monitoring systems.
Several partner events were organized to share activities and challenges with forest managers from different countries. One exhibition booth was allocated to the Bangladesh Forest Department over the five day period of the event. Books, leaflets, posters, brochures reflecting the Bangladesh Forest Department activities were displayed and distributed at the booth.
The APFC sessions linked the forestry experts from government agencies and non-governmental organizations to share best practices, media contacts, information and knowledge, and collaborate on research initiatives and shared outreach activities. Regional collaboration on forest management and conservation will continue improving knowledge sharing and informed decision making.