The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Advisory Committee on Paper and Wood Products (ACPWP) was established in 1996 as a result of the merger of the FAO Advisory Committee on Pulp and Paper and the Wood-based Panels Committee. The combination of these two committees allowed for a global approach to the common problems of the forest products industry and reflected the current trend in the industry to group those two sectors together.
The Committee is FAO's main contact with the private forest industry and its mandate is to advise FAO's Director-General on what activities should be undertaken by the Organization in this field. Furthermore the Committee provides a privileged avenue of communication with the private sector, ensuring that activities undertaken are both relevant to current issues faced by industry and that the information presented is accurate and useful, especially regarding statistics.
The Committee is composed of a maximum of twenty-five members, chosen for their experience and knowledge of the industry. Typically senior executives of companies and associations, the members come from all regions of the world and currently represent over ninety percent of the world production of pulp and paper. FAO acknowledges the contribution made by Committee members who so generously donate their time and their organization's resources.
Sessions of the Committee are held annually and alternate between FAO headquarters in Rome and other locations. This year's Session took place in Oaxaca, Mexico and FAO expresses its gratitude to the Government of the State of Oaxaca and to Smurfit Carton y Papel de México for their most generous invitation and their help in ensuring the success of the meeting.
Wulf Killmann
Director
Forest Products and Economics Division