21 March is the International Day of Forests, and this year’s theme, ‘Forests and biodiversity’, raises awareness of how forests are vital for plant and animal species, providing a home to an estimated 80 percent of life on land.

Biodiversity also helps forests adapt and survive in the face of pressures such as climate change, wildfire and pests and diseases, as well as providing many people with food, shelter, medicine, energy and income. 

At 3 PM CET on Friday, 20 March, we invite you to help us mark the day together online and to find out who won the International Day of Forests 2020 photo contest by watching a virtual ceremony prepared by FAO headquarters. 

Watch the virtual programme at 3 PM CET on Friday, 20 March on the International Day of Forests website: http://www.fao.org/international-day-of-forests/

Agenda 

• Welcome by Hiroto Mitsugi, Assistant Director-General, Forestry Department, FAO
• Introduction by event moderator, Tiina Vähänen, Chief, Forestry Policy and Resources Division, Forestry Department, FAO
• Screening of the 2020 International Day of Forests video spot: “Forests and Biodiversity”
• Video message by QU Dongyu, Director-General, FAO
• Video message on forests and biodiversity by Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Acting Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
• Keynote address on forests and biodiversity by Mette Wilkie, Director, Forestry Policy and Resources Division, Forestry Department, FAO
• Keynote address on the interdependence of people and wildlife in the 21st century by David Wilkie, Executive Director, Rights and Communities, Wildlife Conservation Society
• Screening of the video "Restoring the balance between food security and wildlife conservation in the forests of northern Madagascar"
• Announcement of the winners of this year’s International Day of Forests photo contest
• Closing remarks by Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General, Climate and Natural Resources, FAO