Mr Chairman,
Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my privilege to address this Second Ministerial Meeting on Forestry, as I am certain that it will be as valuable for the global agenda on forests as the First Ministerial Meeting held here four years ago. In doing this, let me wish you a warm welcome and express my appreciation for the excellent response to my invitation to exchange ideas and discuss how to carry world forestry into the 21st century.
Forestry needs greater recognition of its existing contribution and potential, to basic human needs and to the stability of life support systems of our planet. A main reason for FAO calling this meeting and for getting Ministers responsible for Forestry together, is to provide a forum, at the highest political level, to bring the global issues on forestry to the forefront, and to call attention to crucial issues for the future of the sector and for the benefit of society at large.
Meeting the challenges of a rapidly growing population and of an evolving society with new patterns of consumption, requires that trees and forests deliver their full potential to sustainable development, taking into account the multiple dimensions of their contribution. This requires a conceptual framework that unites science with social consciousness, economic realities, and environmental necessities, which I believe has been emerging since UNCED, particularly in the course of the on-going international policy dialogue on forests. Further elaboration and implementation of this concept of sustainable forestry will have far reaching impacts on the quality of life of all the people of the world.
The environmental role of forests has long been recognized by foresters, and is being incorporated into forest management regimes, giving special attention to the management of watershed areas and fragile lands, to climate change mitigation, and to the protection of biological diversity, including the preservation of wildlife, natural ecosystems and their values. In addition, trees have more and more been integrated into farming systems for environmental benefits as well as improved and sustainable livelihoods.
In addition to environmental values, the forests and trees of the world provide a vast array of goods and services that are utilized in one way or another by virtually all of the world’s population. Forestry activities have a great potential for generating employment and income and can provide valuable contributions to eradicating poverty and ensuring food security.
Beyond the environmental and economic dimensions of sustainable forest management, there is an increasingly important social element. This involves a concern for people’s needs and a respect for their values and traditions. Managing forests with and for the people means listening to and learning from them, since local knowledge and experience are crucial inputs that often have been insufficiently tapped in the past. This requires broadening the forest stewardship community to ensure true partnerships across the broad spectrum of interest groups - indigenous people, local communities, environmental and conservation organizations, private industries, land owners and government agencies at all levels.
Conflicts in land use and conflicts between user groups need to be resolved in order to eradicate the root causes of deforestation and forest degradation, including the serious problem of forest fires which this meeting will be examining. In fact, it is rightly said that the solution to problems of deforestation and forest land degradation lies outside the forests. A typical case is the tragedy of many tropical landless farmers seeking survival on fragile forest lands, which once cleared for farming, often rapidly loose their productivity. Thus these various concerns call for a broader vision of alternative paths to rural development and stronger partnerships between the forestry and the agricultural sectors. FAO is fully convinced, based on its many years of experience, that it is essential for Forestry and Agriculture to work hand in hand in the fight against poverty, malnutrition, social injustice and land degradation.
The problems of resource degradation and their impact on forest and agricultural productivity have been once again driven home by the devastating forest fires that many parts of the world have witnessed over the past year. The result has been widespread attention in the media and increasing calls from the public, as well as from governments and international organizations, for preventive action to reduce the environmental and health impacts and the huge economic loses from uncontrolled forest fires. In October last year, FAO convened an expert meeting on public policies affecting forest fires, to look into the root causes of the problem, since these go far beyond the regulatory, preventive and fire combating capability of forestry administrations. I hope that the discussion of this item on your agenda will give governments and the international community further insight into the problem and a greater awareness of the need for concerted co-operative action at international level.
As you consider the FAO Strategic Framework, I would welcome your guidance on the priorities that FAO should follow in the future, in order for it to give clearer leadership and be more effective in responding to the present and emerging needs of our Member Nations. In discussing last week the FAO Strategic Framework 2000-2015 and the medium-term implications for forestry programmes, the Committee on Forestry took note of the revised Forestry Department Strategy and of the recommendations of the Second High Level Panel of External Experts on Forestry which I convened last year to advise us on the new directions to be adopted. The conclusions of COFO are tabled for your discussion under item 6 of your agenda.
I would also be grateful if Ministers could advise the Organization on how to increase its assistance to the on-going international policy dialogue on forests. FAO has been actively supporting the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF) and closely collaborates with partner international organizations through the Inter-Agency Taskforce on Forests. Since the IFF completes its mandate in 2000, it is important that we hear now from Ministers about those actions which need to be taken over the coming year in order to reach a decision in 2000 on the remaining unresolved issues on the IFF agenda. This is a key reason for calling this meeting. In addition, we hope that you will advice us on what role FAO should play in this process over the next year and beyond.
Finally, I should like to reiterate the importance of linking the environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainable forest management and to consider the important trans-sectoral policies that affect the forest resources, and the prevailing unplanned and destructive manner in which many of them are exploited. Policy-makers at the turn of the millennium face the choice of short term gains, or long term sustainability. Unless short-term costs are faced, it will be difficult to hand over to new generations a forest heritage which responds to the needs and expectations of the people in each country, and beyond national boundaries.
To this end, I would like to stress the importance of partnerships, involving governments, the private sector, land owners, local communities and environmental groups, in all aspects of forestry decision-making and implementation. If the commitment, experience and resources of this broad community of interests are combined and focused, sustainable forestry will not only be possible, it will be real. Let us all challenge ourselves to redouble our efforts to manage the world’s forests in ways that enhance their environmental, economic and social contribution to the stability of the life support systems of our planet and the well-being of its inhabitants. Let’s build partnerships across the various communities of interest, thinking globally, planning collectively and acting nationally, in order to chart a sustainable course for the forestry sector to the year 2000 and beyond.
In closing, let me wish you fruitful deliberations and a very pleasant stay in Rome.
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