28. The Commission welcomed information about activities on forest fires implemented by FAO and other partners (document FO: AFWC/2004/INF.5). It took note of the important recommendations from the Proceedings of the International Wildland Fire Summit, held in Sydney, Australia, in October 2003. It recommended further dissemination of the outcomes of the Summit and urged countries to incorporate them in their forest fire management policies and programmes.
29. Recognizing that forest fires are causing grave ecological, economic and human damage, the Commission encouraged its members to reassess and strengthen commitment to combat forest fires and to develop bilateral, sub-regional and regional cooperation to do so. It recognized that approaches to forest fires at national level should be based on the right combination of education and extension to support community-based forest fire management, and appropriate organization and equipment at local and national levels. The Commission recommended that countries, FAO and other partner organizations support the economic valuation of damages of various nature caused by fires through, i.a. appropriate case studies, and thus help increase awareness of the need and political commitment to combat them.
30. The Commission stressed the importance of bilateral, regional and global agreements on forest fires. It recommended that FAO continue to support cooperation in forest fire and in particular proceed with the completion of its programme and convene a ministerial meeting on forests, including forest fires, in connection with the Seventeenth session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO) in 2005.