The Committee on Forestry (COFO) 2003 has endorsed the framework for FR A2005 outlined at Kotka IV meeting including reinforcement and formalization of the National Correspondents (NC) network that constitutes the backbone of the global assessment as it directly engages leading professionals that represent their countries in the assessment work. FAO organized this training of NCs in November 2003 to implement this directive from COFO.
Specific objective of training of NC were the following,
• to formally institutionalise the system of national Correspondents,
• to initiate efforts to build their capacities in global forest resource assessment to respond to immediate needs of FRA 2005 and to long term needs of FRA programme,
• to formally launch for development of FRA 2005,
• to develop national and regional work plans for implementation of FRA 2005, and
• to receive feed back from NCs on the basic three documents (Guidelines For Country Reporting, National Reporting Tables for Country Reporting , and Terms and Definitions) for making changes, if considered necessary.
FAO took the following preparatory steps before the meeting to ensure productive participation of NCs.
a. Seeking official nominations of NCs for global FRA from all countries
b. Developing background technical material in close collaboration with the FRA Advisory Group and distributing it to participants three months in advance of the meeting.
c. Developing pilot studies for five countries (Guatemala, India, Italy, South Africa and Sweden) to serve as example of country reporting to FRA 2005.
d. Developing a FRA 2005 website to publish the three background documents on the web (“Terms and Definitions”, “Guidelines For Country Reporting” and “Specification of National Reporting Tables” to enhance credibility through openness, transparency and neutrality and to make them available to users at large.
FAO organised this meeting in collaboration with International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) and invited all officially nominated national correspondents to participate in this process. In addition, FAO requested the members of the advisory group to get direct feed back from the national correspondents before finalizing the three basic documents and schedule of reporting. All FAO staff related directly or indirectly with FRA work, either made presentation or worked as chair or co-chair in the sessions so that NCs feel closer to them and interact with them as and when needed.
The training programme consisted of eight technical sessions, three group works, and one opening and one closing session as detailed below. It followed the tentative schedule drawn for the five days of training of NCs (Annex 15).
1. First Plenary session - Introduction - Concepts, Process and Sixteen reporting tables
2. Second Plenary Session - Introduction to National Reporting Tables
3. Third Plenary Session: Technical Guidance for Group work 1
4. Group Work 1 – Review and comments while working with Sixteen Reporting tables
5. Fourth Plenary Session: Presentation of the output from Group Work 1
6. Fifth Plenary Session: Introduction to Complementary Activities
7. Sixth Plenary Session: Introduction to Thematic Reporting and Group Work 2
8. Seventh Plenary Session: Introduction to Group Work 3 – Development of Work plans
9. Group Work 2 – Links with C&I processes
10. Group Work 3 – Development of Regional and National work plan for 2004
11. Eighth Plenary Session: Presentation of Group work 2
12. Ninth Plenary Session: Presentation of Group work 3
13. Tenth Plenary Session : Concluding Session
