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We, the 4,417 participants from 149 countries gathered in
Antalya, Turkey 13-22 October 1997, from ministers to field
technicians, from many disciplines and backgrounds, from
governmental and non-governmental organizations and other
major groups, concerned about the state and future of the
world's forests and the need to improve their management for
the benefit of people: Underscoring that all types of forests provide
crucial social, economic and environmental goods and
services to the people of the world and contribute to food
security, clean water and air, and soil protection, and that
their sustainable management is essential to achieving
sustainable development; Recalling the 'Statement of Forest Principles' and
the forest related chapters of Agenda 21 adopted by the UN
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in June
1992 in Rio de Janeiro; Recognizing the significant progress made since
UNCED through national, regional and international
initiatives to assess the state of the world's forests and
better understand and advance sustainable forest management,
but also recognizing the pressing need for further
action both within and outside the forest sector, including
agriculture, energy, water and population; Noting with alarm the continued rapid rate of
forest loss and degradation in many regions of the world and
emphasizing that reversing this trend and achieving
sustainable forest management worldwide depends first and
foremost on increased political will by all countries at the
highest levels; Noting in particular the proposals for action
recommended by the UN Commission on Sustainable
Development's Intergovernmental Panel on Forests in February
1997, which reflect a balanced, holistic and integrated
approach to sustaining the multiple benefits of forests; Welcoming the decision by the UN General Assembly
Special Session in June 1997 ("Rio plus 5") to establish the
Intergovernmental Forum on Forests to promote implementation
of the Panel's proposals and continue the international
dialogue; Acknowledging the informal meeting of ministers
responsible for forests hosted by the Government of Turkey
in Antalya, 13 October 1997; Call on: 1. Countries to demonstrate increased political
will to overcome the obstacles to achieving sustainable
forest management; 2. Forestry professionals to respond to the
changing needs and challenges of achieving sustainable
forest management and take the lead in creating
environmental, social and economic awareness, adjusting
education curricula, promoting participatory forest planning
and decision-making processes by all interested parties, and
enhancing training of forestry professionals and field
staff, with particular attention to the role of women and
youth. 3. Countries, international organizations, and major
groups to work together to implement the proposals for
action agreed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests and
ensure that further international forest policy
dialogue and associated actions, within the
Intergovernmental Forum on Forests and other policy fora
continues to be based on openness and transparency; 4. Countries and the international donor community,
especially the international financial institutions, to more
effectively contribute to and enhance the mobilization of
domestic and international financial resources and
environmentally sound and appropriate technology
transfer, on preferential terms as mutually agreed, to
build the capacity of developing countries and countries
with economies in transition to better inventory, assess,
monitor and manage their forests in a balanced and
sustainable manner for multiple benefits, including through
the wider use of joint ventures and public-private
partnerships, especially joint implementation
programmes; 5. Countries and international organizations to adopt a
cross sectoral approach to national policies
for forests, agriculture, energy, water, soils, mining,
transportation and rural development which recognizes that
many of the causes, and therefore solutions, to
deforestation and forest degradation lie outside the forest
sector; 6. Countries, international organizations and forestry
professionals to work in open and participatory
partnership with all interested parties, including
non-governmental organizations, the private sector,
indigenous people, forest dwellers, forest owners, local
communities and others affected by forest and other land use
policies and decisions; 7. Countries and international organizations to further develop methodologies and mechanisms for the valuation of forest goods and services and for facilitating the integration of non-traded forest benefits into markets and public decision-making processes, giving consideration to the equitable distribution of costs and benefits; as well as methodologies and mechanisms for including changes in forest stocks in national accounting systems; 8. Countries and international, regional and national
research organizations to identify and undertake priority
research activities, in response to the needs of
society, that build upon existing scientific and traditional
knowledge, emphasizing the need for applied research, and to
widely disseminate results to all interested parties in a
timely fashion; 9. Countries to develop and apply national level
criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management
to assess the state of their forests and develop
national forest inventory and monitoring systems, which take
into account these criteria and indicators, as well as to
provide data to improve the FAO global forest resources
assessment programme beyond the year 2000; 10. Countries, international organizations, major groups,
the private sector and other interested parties to promote
greater public awareness of the vital role of forests
to society, the problems facing the world's forests and the
urgent need to work together to implement practical
solutions to improve the management of forests; 11. Countries, international organizations and
non-governmental organizations to foster community
forestry and agroforestry programmes and enhance
extension services to forest owners and users in order to
better address the needs of individuals and local
communities relying on forests and promote investments in
sustainable forest management; 12. Countries and international organizations to
recognize that, in many regions of the world, fast
growing tree plantations can contribute to sustainable
management of forests by meeting subsistence needs and can
complement, and/or reduce the pressure on, natural forests
through increased supply of forest goods and services; 13. Countries to develop, implement and review policies,
plans and management practices aimed at minimizing the
destructive nature and extent of wildfires on forest
lands; 14. Countries to prepare and implement national forest
programmes as a means to establish national priorities
and identify actions needed to manage forests sustainably in
a participatory and transparent manner, securing ownership
and traditional rights; 15. Countries and the international donor community to
give increased attention to the rehabilitation of
degraded forest land and to addressing desertification
problems through elaboration and implemention of national
plans for combating desertification, with particular
attention to the problem of moving sands and arid and
semi-arid lands, to better meet the subsistence needs of
people, particulary those relying on forests for food,
fuelwood and fodder; 16. Countries, international organizations, academic
institutions and forestry professionals to raise awareness
at all levels of the importance of biological
diversity, including conserving, enhancing and
sustainably utilising forest related genetic
resources, which provide significant benefits to present
and future generations; 17. Forest industries to adopt and implement voluntary
codes of conduct to contribute to sustainable forest
management through their domestic and international
operations, including through management practices,
technology transfer, education and investment; Extend our warm appreciation to the Government of the Republic of Turkey for hosting, with the support of FAO, the XI World Forestry Congress and request they disseminate widely the conclusions and recommendations of the Congress, including this Declaration, to governments, international organizations and the range of interested parties. Antalya, Turkey
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