African Forestry and Wildlife Commission

Introduction
Mandate
Membership
Subsidiary Bodies
Previous Sessions
Next Session
Secretariat

Introduction

The African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC) is one of the six regional forestry commissions of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The others cover the regions of Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Near East and North America

The AFWC was established by the FAO Conference in 1959 and it provides a policy and technical forum for the countries of the African region to discuss and address forest issues on a regional basis. Drawing on regional experiences, it also provides advice to the FAO forestry programme.

Mandate

Its purpose is to advise on the formulation of forest and wildlife management policy and to review and coordinate its implementation at the regional level; to exchange information and, generally through special Subsidiary Bodies, advise on suitable practices and action in regard to technical problems; and to make appropriate recommendations in relation to the foregoing.

Membership

The AFWC is open to all Member Nations and Associate Members of FAO, whose territories are situated wholly or partly in the Africa Region as defined by the Organization, or who are responsible for the international relations of any non-self-governing territories in that Region. Membership comprises such eligible Nations as have notified the Director-General of their desire to be considered as Members.

The present Membership is:

Algeria	Gambia	Rwanda
Angola	Ghana	Senegal
Benin	Guinea	Sierra Leone
Botswana	Guinea-Bissau	South Africa
Burkina Faso	Kenya	Sudan
Burundi	Lesotho	Swaziland
Cameroon	Liberia	Tanzania, United Republic of
Cape Verde	Libya	Togo
Central African Republic	Madagascar	Tunisia
Chad	Malawi	Uganda
Congo, Democratic Republic	Mali	Zambia
Congo, Republic	Mauritania	Zimbabwe
Côte d'Ivoire	Mauritius
Egypt	Morocco
Equatorial Guinea	Mozambique
Ethiopia	Namibia
France	Niger
Gabon	Nigeria

Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Somalia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States of America attend sessions as observers

The working languages of the commission are English and French.

Subsidiary Bodies

• The Working Party on the Management of Wildlife and Protected Areas (FO-709) (English, French), open to all Member Nations of the Commission.
• "Sylva Mediterranea" which is the committee on Mediterranean forestry issues under the auspices of the Forestry Commissions for Africa, Europe, and Near-East. The Sylva Mediterranea meetings are... however organized independently of the regional Forestry Commissions' Sessions.

Previous Sessions

The AFWC meets in formal session at intervals of around two years and, more recently, has been meeting between sessions in order to monitor progress in the implementation of its recommendations.

Previous sessions were in 1960, 1969, 1972, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1992, 1995. 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 and in 2006. Reports of these sessions can be downloaded in French and English at the FAO Website.

• Report of the Fifteenth Session - [English], [French]

Next Session

Details of the sixteenth session, to take place in 2008, shall be announced later. Meanwhile, below are the details of the fifteenth session that took take place 27-31 March 2006 in Maputo, Mozambique.

• 16th Session of the Working Party on Management of Wildlife and Protected Areas - Monday, 27 to Tuesday 28 March
• Workshop on Forestry, Wildlife and Poverty Alleviation - Monday, 27 to Tuesday 28 March
• 15th Session African Forestry and Wildlife Commission - Wednesday, 29 March to Saturday 1 April.

Please find below the background documentation for the fifteenth session in English and in French:

• Announcement
• FO:AFWC/2006/1 - Provisional Agenda
• FO:AFWC/2006/3.1 - AFWC and other FAO-supported initiatives, including follow-up to the requests and recommendations of the 14th session of the Commission
• FO:AFWC/2006/3.2 - Development in international forest-related agreements and initiatives
• FO:AFWC/2006/4.1 - Accessing funds for sustainable forest management
• FO:AFWC/2006/4.2 - Progress towards sustainable forest management in Africa
• FO:AFWC/2006/4.3 - Achievement of the MDGs through regional cooperation: NEPAD and other regional and sub-regional organizations
• FO:AFWC/2006/4.4 - Forest Law Compliance
• FO:AFWC/2006/Inf.1 - Information note on conditions of travel and stay in Mozambique, including Registration form
• FO:AFWC/2006/Inf.4.1 - Planted Forests Code
• FO:AFWC/2006/Inf.4.2 - Fire in the agriculture-forestry interface
• FO:AFWC/2006/Inf.5 - Forests and climate change in Africa: Rising the challenges Meeting type: African Forestry and Wildlife Commission

Veuillez trouver ci-dessous les documents pour la 15ème session:

• Annonce
• FO:AFWC/2006/1 - Ordre du jour provisoire
• FO:AFWC/2006/3.1 - Initiatives de la commission et autres activités appuyées par la FAO, y compris les suites données aux requêtes et recommandations formulées par la commission à sa quatorzième session
• FO:AFWC/2006/3.2 - Faits nouveaux concernant les initiatives et les accords internationaux sur les forêts
• FO:AFWC/2006/4.1 - Accès au financement de la gestion durable des forêts
• FO:AFWC/2006/4.2 - Progrès dans la gestion durable des forêts en Afrique
• FO:AFWC/2006/4.3 - Contribution aux objectifs du Millénaire pour le développement (OMD) grâce à la coopération régionale: le Nouveau Partenariat pour le Développement de l'Afrique (NEPAD) et d'autres organisations régionales et sous-régionales
• FO:AFWC/2006/4.4 - Respect de la législation forestière
• FO:AFWC/2006/Inf.1 - Note d'Information
• FO:AFWC/2006/Inf.4.1 - Code pour les plantations forestières
• FO:AFWC/2006/Inf.4.2 -Les feux dans l'interface agriculture-foresterie
• FO:AFWC/2006/Inf.5 - Forêts et changement climatique en Afrique: Faire face aux enjeux

Secretariat

RAFO, through its technical group leader, provides the Secretariat of the AFWC. This is the most important continental forum to discuss policy, scientific and technical issues relating to forestry and wildlife; its deliberations give rise to special recommendations at meetings of the FAO Committee on Forests (COFO) and to governments of member countries.

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Michel Laverdiere
Regional Forestry Officer
FAO Regional Office for Africa
PO Box GP 1628, Accra , Ghana
Tel: +233 21 675000 ext 3202
Fax: +233 21 668427
Michel.Laverdiere@fao.org

See also: www.fao.org/forestry/site/31085/en