| VIII Latin American Forestry Congress, Mendoza, Argentina, 28 March 2023. The event focused on the current situation and the prospects for the development of sustainable forest value chains to achieve more resilient, inclusive and carbon-neutral economies in the face of global environmental challenges. Organized by the National Directorate of Industrial Forestry Development of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Argentina, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Commission on Poplar and other Fast-Growing Trees Sustaining People and the Environment (IPC) and the National Poplar Commission of Argentina, within the framework of the VIII Latin American Forestry Congress (CONFLAT) and V Argentine Forestry Congress. The symposium presented the situation of production forests and their wood value chains in Latin America and how, in the face of the new challenges that arise, the existing mechanisms for the exchange of knowledge between countries are advancing, showing these experiences and the lessons learned. [More information] Doula, Cameroon, 1 and 2 December 2022 On 1 and 2 December 2022, the second dialogue of the Sustainable Wood for a Sustainable World (SW4SW) Initiative took place in Douala, Cameroon. Building on the priorities identified during the first Dialogue in 2019 and following a request to FAO to support the restructuring of the Wood Promotion Center (Centre de promotion du bois- CPB in French), the two-day workshop identified priorities and operational measures to strengthen the wood value chain in Cameroon oriented towards domestic and regional markets by adding value, improving efficiency, inclusion and competitiveness. [More information] FAO's Forestry Technical Network Webinar, 21 June 2021 Sustainable wood is a renewable material which if responsibly sourced can contribute to a resilient planet, reduce deforestation and ecosystem degradation, while providing for livelihoods, including those of indigenous peoples and traditional communities. Building on the lessons learned from the first four years of the Sustainable Wood for Sustainable World (SW4SW) initiative, this webinar presented and exchanged information on innovative initiatives focusing on making cities more sustainable through the increased use of wood in construction. The presentations of invited speakers provided participants with an informed discussion about the technological innovations favouring the use of wood in housing and infrastructure, the wood benefits for the environment and forest livelihoods, as well as the regulatory and capacity needs to implement a sustainable value chain. All speakers agreed that evidence shows that the natural properties of wood, such as high recyclability and zero waste, make it a critical material for sustainable cities and the bioeconomy. Education of foresters, architects and engineers, and awareness campaigns are essential to unlock the full range of contributions from wood in construction to sustainable cities and livelihoods in developed and developing countries. Watch the webinar recording here. Presentations Webinar, 25 June 2020 This webinar held during the COVID-19 Forestry Webinar Week on 25 June 2020 had the SW4SW leading organizations discussing the main findings from a global survey on the impacts of the pandemic on wood value chains.[more information] The workshop gathered participants from 17 countries and 6 continents, representatives of public and private sectors, as well as representatives of academia and international organizations, all experts or of relevance to advancement of the bioeconomy. These experts with a great variety of backgrounds and achievements could discuss strategies for sustainability and dissemination of wood-based bioeconomy in developing and developed countries. The main topics of discussion were: The workshop provided the basis for establishment of an informal international working group on wood products in the sustainable bioeconomy and gathered valuable information to feed the work of FAO and its partners in the implementation of the SW4SW Initiative. This workshop contributed to complement the discussions held in the three FAO SW4SW regional dialogues organized in 2019: in Douala, Cameroon (for francophone African countries); in Johannesburg, South-Africa (for other African countries); and in Nanning City, China (with focus on trade). As follow up to this workshop, a community of practice on wood in the bioeconomy will be launched within the Sustainable Wood for a Sustainable World (SW4SW) initiative. The possibility of creating a working group to contribute to the formulation of indicators on sustainable wood-based bioeconomy in coordination with the broader bioeconomy work in FAO will be assessed as well. Nanning, China, 23-25 November, 2019 The meeting held on 23-25 November 2019, in Nanning, China promoted an exchange among China and some of its main trade partners from the developing world on how to make international timber trade work for improving sustainability of wood value chains and unlocking their contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals. During two days of discussions and one day of field visits, representatives from public and private sector from more than fifteen countries and international organizations had in-depth discussions on how to collaborate to reduce pressure on forests, in particular the “boom and bust” of species which are high in consumer preferences, improve forest governance with understanding and respect of countries’ laws, and increase employment opportunities in wood supplier countries. Participants provided concrete suggestions for South-South cooperation, including: training for wood processing to increase generation of skilled jobs; investments and technology transfer for increased wood processing; generation of evidence to support better integration of sustainable wood value chains in REDD+ strategies, increase exchanges for better understanding and respect of national legal systems, technical exchanges and capacity building on plantation systems. The Johannesburg event was the second regional dialogue in Africa, following on from the regional dialogue for francophone Africa held in Cameroon 28-30 May 2019. The purpose of the regional dialogues is to raise awareness and build capacity to increase contributions of wood value chains to sustainable development and climate change mitigation. The Johannesburg dialogue brought together key stakeholders in forestry and wood value chains from the rest of Africa. Participants included delegates from Southern, East, West and Lusophone African countries. In summary, the priority action points arising from the meeting were: The SW4SW is expected to continue with concrete actions to support a regional vision for sustainable wood value chains. The first SW4SW dialogue took place in Douala, Cameroon, marking the start of SW4SW activities in Africa. The meeting brought together 65 professionals from governments, the private sector, civil society, professional associations, international organizations and communities. The SW4SW Regional Dialogues aim to raise awareness and build capacity on the contributions of sustainable wood value chains to sustainable development. Through dialogue, with a wide range of stakeholders, priorities for Francophone countries in Africa aim to strengthen wood value chains with a view to achieving economic, social and environmental sustainability are identified and consolidated through the formulation of a preliminary roadmap preliminary. The Expert Meeting brought together a wide range of participants (companies, funds, development finance institutions, small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), producer organizations, development agencies, and sector experts) to discuss how to catalyze private finance for sustainable forestry, and in particular the potential of the value chain approach. The proposal to create a Forest Finance Information Hub (FFIH) was presented and discussed, as well as the draft roadmap for a collaborative approach to implement the FFIH. FAO and Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forestbased Industries (ACSFI) and in collaboration with partner organizations, including the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade (FAST), International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), World Bank (WB) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), organized on October 31 and November 1, 2017, a global meeting on the theme "Sustainable wood for a sustainable world", at the Headquarters of FAO in Rome to explore the role of sustainable wood value chains in achieving sustainable development. The meeting addressed both political and commercial aspects; highlighted the different roles of supply and demand in the creation of sustainable wood value chains; explored the positive contributions of sustainable forest management, responsible wood production, technological progress, diversification of wood products on the sustainability of rural and urban societies, and their importance for a more inclusive development model. The engaged attendance of more than 100 participants representing a broad range of stakeholders showed the relevance and great momentum of the topic. Many participants manifested they contentment with the event filling a space of dialogue in the international arena regarding sustainable wood value chain. | [-] |
