28th Session of the Committee on Forestry
28 September – 2 October 2026 | FAO headquarters | Rome, Italy
The Committee on Forestry (COFO) is FAO’s highest global intergovernmental body on forestry, and it anchors UN-system policy dialogue and technical guidance on forest-related issues. The 28th Session of COFO will be held from 28 September to 2 October 2026 at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. Learn more about the Committee on Forestry here.
COFO brings together 128 Members and meets every two years, convening ministers, heads of forest services, senior government officials and partner organizations. Its sessions identify emerging challenges, promote innovative approaches and provide strategic direction for FAO’s forestry programme. COFO reports to the FAO Council on programme and budget matters and to the FAO Conference on policy and regulatory issues.
Between sessions, six Regional Forestry Commissions support regional policy dialogue, technical cooperation and help shape COFO’s agenda. COFO also oversees the Working Group on Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems, which supports the development of a comprehensive understanding of dryland ecosystems.
Key substantive topics related to the COFO 28 agenda
Highlights from COFO 27 and World Forest Week 2024
The 27th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO 27) took place from 22–26 July 2024 at FAO Headquarters in Rome, bringing together over 1 000 delegates from 108 Member Nations, ministers, UN agencies and civil society organizations. Concurrently, the ninth World Forest Week (WFW) featured high-level dialogues, exhibitions and Youth engagement under the theme “Accelerating Forest Solutions through Innovation.” Both COFO and the events throughout World Forest Week served to strengthen global collaboration for inclusive, resilient and sustainable forest-based solutions.
The main achievements of COFO 27 can be found in the session report, which endorsed the FAO Forestry Roadmap 2024‑2031 and updated priorities for FAO’s forestry work and approved the Multi-year Programme of Work for 2024-2027. COFO also hosted the launch of the flagship report The State of the World’s Forests 2024, presenting extensive data on global forest resources and on humans’ interaction with them, and serving as a core knowledge product informing global forest processes.
Meanwhile, World Forest Week hosted engaging dialogues on forest innovation and agroforestry, the celebration of the CPF Wangari Maathai Forest Champion Nida Collado, and the inaugural FAO Green Cities Initiative Awards which were awarded to the cities Mendoza and Newcastle. The week emphasized the importance of youth empowerment and intergenerational dialogue in advancing forest-sector innovation and sustainability.
Contacts
Speeches by the COFO 28 Chairperson
- Opening remarks at the COLI Global Summit - Country-Led Initiative on Advancing Sustainable Forest-based Bioeconomy Approaches (CLI-ASFBA), 23 February 2026
- Intervention at the 44th Session of the FAO Conference on Item 11.4 Report of the 27th Session of the Committee on Forestry, 1 July 2025
- Intervention at the 29th Session of the Committee on Agriculture on Item 2.3 Scaling up Actions on Agriculture and Forestry Linkages, 30 September 2024
Join the Committee on Forestry
FAO Member Nations wishing to become members are invited to contact the COFO Secretariat.
COFO Steering Committee
The COFO Steering Committee (SC) is composed of the COFO Chair as well six SC Members that are elected at the Regional Forestry Commissions and act as both Chairs of their respective Commissions as well as Vice-Chairs of the Committee on Forestry.
