Highlights
2026 International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists
Aims to foster inclusive policy dialogue and collaborative engagement to improve pastoralist livelihoods and sustainable rangeland management. Rangelands and pastoralists have great potential to contribute and deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals.
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2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer
The Year will spotlight the essential roles women play across agrifood systems, from production to trade, while often going unrecognized. Women farmers are central to food security, nutrition and economic resilience.
Stories
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Events
XXXIII Session of the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission (LACFC)
Virtual Event, 23/06/2023 - 30/06/2023
About LACFC
Based on national and regional priorities of the countries, the FAO regional initiatives, and the international and dialogues and agreements based on forestry items, the mandate of the LACFC is to advice FAO on the forestry programme to be developed in the Region. This includes the formulation of policies for the sustainable management of forests and wildlife and to analyze, facilitate and coordinate their execution at a regional level, change of information and, in general, through special bodies (technical cooperation networks), advises on suitable practices and actions with regard to technical problems and makes appropriate recommendations in relation to these matters.
Documents list
Report
Working Documents
FO: LACFC/2023/1: Provisional Agenda
FO: LACFC/2023/3: Sustainable Wood Value Chains
FO: LACFC/2023/4: Non-wood forest products
FO: LACFC/2023/5: Scaling Up Finance for Sustainable Forests Management
FO: LACFC/2023/6: Implementation of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030
FO: LACFC/2023/7: Our Forests Keep Burning
FO: LACFC/2023/8: Forest Health in Latin America and the Caribbean
FO: LACFC/2023/9: FAO Framework for Forestry 2024-31
FO: LACFC/2023/10: Input to FAO governance
Information Documents
FO: LACFC/2023/Inf. 1: Inf.1 Provisional Timetable (Quito time)
FO: LACFC/2023/Inf. 2: List of documents
Virtual event at the 33rd Latin American and the Caribbean Forestry Commission (LACFC)
Forests,
forests products, and forestry: Cornerstones for the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy in Latin
America and the Caribbean
27 June 2023 | 12:15 - 13:45 (ECT, Quito local time)
Trees and forests play a significant part in the livelihoods of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) by providing food, energy, medicine, building materials and income through harvested forest products, in the form of wood products as well as non-wood forest products. The region is making substantial efforts towards enhancing biodiversity and sustainable forest management, expanding the forest area, promoting cross-sectoral collaboration and building sustainable bioeconomies. On the other side, in some parts of the region, forest areas are still facing deforestation mainly driven by agricultural expansion and animal husbandry. With the population expected to double by 2050, new approaches are needed to further enhance the sustainable use of the region's forests and the sustainable consumption and production of forest products to sufficiently meet the needs of a booming population and transit to sustainable food systems and a carbon-neutral bioeconomy.
This event, organized by FAO and its Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-based Industries as well as the World Bioeconomy Forum, will provide an opportunity to discuss how Latin America and the Caribbean could further develop its bioeconomy based on its forest resources. It will outline how the sustainable use and production of forest products can help countries reaching their climate, biodiversity and land degradation neutrality targets. Opportunities and challenges for the sustainable production and use of forest products will be discussed through the lens of forest-linked economic sectors such as agriculture and a forest-based bioeconomy. The discussion aims at triggering recommendations to FAO, its Members and other stakeholders, including civil society, academia and the private sector, on how to further expand the contribution of forests, wood-based and non-wood forest products to the sustainable bioeconomy.
Agenda
Moderator: José Carlos da Fonseca Junior, Executive Director, Brazilian Tree Industry (IBA), Vice Chair, FAO’s Advisory Committee on the Sustainable Forest-based Industries (ACSFI), Advisory Board member of the World Bioeconomy Forum *
| 12:15 | Welcome remarks | Moderator |
| 12:25 | Forests and forest products – a cornerstone of FAO’s Priority Programme Area on Bioeconomy for Sustainable Food and Agriculture: Opportunities and challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean | Mr Sven Walter, Senior Forestry Officer, Forestry Division, FAO |
| 12:35 | Status of the global bioeconomy and its relevance for Latin America and the Caribbea | Mr Jukka Kantola, Founder, World Bioeconomy Forum* |
| 12:45 | Panel discussion: Sharing of experiences on the contribution of forests, forests products, and forestry to the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy in Latin America and the Caribbean | Panelists
|
| 13:20 | Q & A | Moderator |
| 13:40 | Wrap up & closing | Moderator |
Contact
For general inquiries, confirmation of attendance and any other matter, kindly contact:
Secretary of the Commission
FAO Regional Office for Latin America and Caribbean
Magdalena Elizalde
FAO Regional Office for Latin America and Caribbean
Barbara Jarschel
FAO Regional Office for Latin America and Caribbean
Appointment
Regional Representative
Mr. Rene Orellana Halkyer was appointed by the FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, as Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, effective 1 November 2025.
Featured video
Key Documents
Publications
How to use antibiotics effectively and responsibly in poultry production - for the sake of human and animal health
2024
The use of antibiotics and thus the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) can be reduced by adopting the right husbandry practices. This publication provides practical tips to the livestock producer aiming at improving animal health and hence the reduced use of antibiotics
FAO's four priorities in Latin America and the Caribbean
In depth
80th Anniversary of the FAO
FAO celebrates 80 years of working for a more prosperous, sustainable, and equitable future for all, leaving no one behind.
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38 FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and Caribbean
18 to 21 March, 2024, Georgetown, Guyana
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Spain - FAO Program for Latin America and the Caribbean
Ibero-American and Caribbean Cooperation for #FoodFirst and Sustainable Development
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Brazil-FAO International Cooperation Program
Alliance for the promotion of sustainable development and food security in the region
Mesoamérica Hunger-Free AMEXCID-FAO
Promoting public policies and innovative solutions for food security and sustainable rural development.
We are all connected
how our health is linked to that of animals, plants and the environment.
FAO Campus
Courses of self-study, semi face-to-face and virtual with tutor.
Central American Dry Corridor
Stories and facts about this "land of opportunities" in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
Parliamentary front against hunger
More than 400 legislators work with FAO, the Spanish Cooperation and AMEXCID
Global
Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)
Discover the systems in Latin America globally recognized as agricultural heritage.
One Country One Priority Product
Global action on green development.
World Food Day
Water is life, water is food. October 16, 2023. Leave no one behind.
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Gender Equality
Empowering women in food and agriculture.
Global School Feeding Platform
Technical resources for experts and practitioners.
Data on food and agriculture
Free access to data from more than 245 countries.
Multimedia
FAO Brief - 14 April 2025
14/04/2025
In this episode, an IPC analysis reveals the highest number ever recorded of acutely food insecure populations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to conflict, economic instability and surging food prices; sustainable water management is essential to feed Europe and Central Asia and build...