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3 July 2017 The FAO Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-based Industries (ACSFI) met in Berlin on 17 May for its 58th session, to provide guidance on FAO work relevant to the paper and forest products industry. The ACSFI is comprised of forestry experts from a wide range of countries covering all aspects of the forest industry. Those involved typically hold senior positions within their respective industries but participate in the committee as individuals. Topics under discussion at the meeting included bio-based food packaging in sustainable development, zero deforestation initiatives and their impacts on commodity supply chains, and the role of forests and forest products in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. [more] |
FAO is supporting country efforts to develop the sustainable and legal trade of forest products, with the following objectives:
- Producers in emerging countries gain improved access to quantitative and qualitative analyses on forest products trade and marketing issues including tariffs, impediments for market access and other trade restrictions.
- Policymakers and the private sector benefit from a wider coverage and a structured interpretation of forest products trade statistics and a higher degree of market transparency feeding into their forest decision making.
- Producers in emerging countries are better up-to-date on forest certification and legality verification, and understand more profoundly their implications for sustainable forest product trade, market access and product promotion.
- National and sub-national governments, local organizations, communities and other rights holders have the capacity to capture opportunities from forest carbon markets.
- Producers in emerging countries know how to apply proven marketing strategies and practices in their local situations, including green marketing in the low-carbon economy, branding and ethical/fair trade tools, and enter into electronic marketplaces and social media networks.
More recently the forest sector has been entrusted with climate change mitigation targets of global importance. This has elevated forest issues higher on the political agenda than maybe ever before. Forest products embody and recycle large amounts of carbon, and trade moves products and their sinks around the world. This complex function will undoubtedly remain under a lively discourse in shaping the future role of forests in low-carbon economies and in the run-up to a global climate accord. Integrating concrete demands for carbon offsets in forests with the conservation of biodiversity and protection of watersheds, is a challenging equation in a world where consumption of forest products will continue to rise.
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Forthcoming meetings
No meetings listed at present
Contact
Forest Products and Statistics Team
Forestry Policy and Resources Division
FAO Forestry Division
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00153 Rome Italy
E-mail: [email protected]