Pre-World Forest Week high-level dialogue

Overview

This high-level dialogue will provide a platform for countries and other stakeholders to review progress on implementation of the sustainable wood pathways identified in the Ministerial Call on Sustainable Wood launched in 2022 at the XV World Forestry Congress in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

This event will also be an opportunity to explore emerging partnerships, synergies and critical needs to achieve the objectives of Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement.

A Ministerial segment will be chaired by His Excellency Norbert Totschnig, Austrian Federal Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management, where countries will renew commitments to collaborate and invite new countries to join efforts towards scaling-up contributions of wood to the development of strong environmentally-friendly and carbon-neutral economies.

The main language of the event will be English, with interpretation available in the six UN official languages. The event will be broadcasted.

Outputs

• Review of progress on sustainable wood use since the Ministerial Call on Sustainable Wood.
• Global exchange of knowledge, experiences and lessons learned among initiatives and projects. 
• Identification of opportunities for international cooperation and collaboration among initiatives.
• Renewed and broadened country commitments to implement the sustainable wood pathways and to join forces together to promote enhanced policy and technical dialogue and exchange among producer and consumer countries and key stakeholders.
  
  

Welcome

Moderator: Henry Bonsu 
International Broadcaster

Zhimin Wu
Director
Forestry Division
FAO

Alexander Buck
Executive Director
International Union of Forest Research Organizations

Maureen Whelan
Manager, International Affairs
Canadian Forest Service
Co-Chair Forest Carbon Leaders Partnership
Canada

Presentation: Forest and climate leaders’ partnership

Veronika Juch
Coordinator of the Secretariat
European Wood Policy Platform (woodPoP) 

Presentation: The European Wood Policy Platform (woodPoP)

David Brand
Chair
International Sustainable Forestry Coalition

Presentation: Expanding the role of the private forestry sector in the global sustainability transition

Paul King
Chief Executive Officer
Built by Nature

Presentation: Principles for responsible timber construction

Michael Berger
Chief Executive Officer
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification

Kim Carstensen
Director General
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

Presentation: FSC Sustainable wood from resilient forests

Nelly Paredes
Executive Director
Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre
Peru

Presentation: Promoción de caminos hacia la madera sostenible

Song Hee Nam
Director General of International Affairs Bureau
Korea Forest Service
Republic of Korea

Presentation: Republic of Korea’s experience and challenges on sustainable wood

Marcus Vinicius Alves
Deputy Director General
Brazilian Forest Service
Brazil

Presentation: Advancing sustainable wood pathways - Brazilian experiences

Sita Dieudoné 
Directeur de la Valorisation des Ressources Forestières
Republic of Congo

Presentation: Faire progresser les voies du bois durable - experience de la Republique du Congo

Elikana Maige John
Senior Conservation Officer
Department of Forest Resource Assessment
Tanzania Forest Service
Tanzania

Presentation: Advancing sustainable wood pathways - Tanzanian experiences on sustainable wood value chains

Thaís Linhares Juvenal
Senior Advisor Governance, Economics and Production
Forestry Division
FAO 

Presentation: Towards a global wood policy platform - sustainable wood for a carbon-neutral bioeconomy

Tahiana Ramananantoandro
Head of the Forestry and Environment Department
School of Agronomy, University of Antananarivo
Madagascar

Presentation: Using wood in construction to develop a carbon-neutral bioeconomy in Africa

Martin Greimel
Head of Centre for Bioeconomy
Boku University
Austria

Presentation: Pathways towards a carbon-neutral bieconomy in the wooden construction, textile and packaging sector

Maria De Cristofaro
Outreach and Capacity Building Officer
Forestry Division
FAO

Presentation: Reshaping the sustainable wood narrative  - Grow the Solution - a global advocacy initiative

Kai Lintunen 
Head of International Communications
Finnish Forest Association

Video address by H.E. Norbert Totschnig
Federal Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management
Austria

Video address by H.E. Rosalie Matondo
Minister of Forest Economy
Republic of Congo

H.E. Jules Doret Ndongo
Minister of Forests and Wildlife
Republic of Cameroon

Nelly Paredes
Executive Director
Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre
Peru