Ladies and Gentlemen - Welcome to Rome and to FAO.
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to FAO on behalf of the Director General of FAO, Dr. Jaques Diouf. Dr. Diouf appreciates the fact that you have come. He considers that one of the important roles FAO plays is by assisting a wide range of groups to meet together in a neutral arena to discuss important issues.
It is very gratifying to see so many of you here, especially as many of you have come long distances. I think this is a clear indication of the interest you have in the subject, and the importance you place on this seminar. There are in fact about 90 participants from over 30 countries here today plus the FAO staff. You come from all parts of the world, all interest groups, and all certification processes.
I would also like to extend my own best wishes as head of the Forestry Department and those of all the staff of that Department. I would particularly like to note two points. Firstly, that such a large number of distinguished participants is here. You represent in one place a wealth of knowledge and experience on certification issues which will, I am sure, be put to good use over the next two days in this seminar on "Building Confidence among Forest Certification Schemes and their Supporters".
And secondly, we are very pleased to have been able to work on this seminar with GTZ and ITTO, two organisations we share much in common with, and with whom we cooperate on many issues. I welcome the representatives of these two organisations here and wish to thank them for joining us in organising and hosting this seminar. I also welcome all representatives of the various other organizations present today. For many of you it may the first time to participate in an FAO, HQ meeting. We look forward to continuing such collaboration in the future.
FAO's aim is to assist in achieving improved forest management world-wide. We believe that the goal of improved forest management is of great importance. There are a number of practices that may be able to contribute to this process, and one of these is certification of forests and the associated labelling of forest products. This continues to be a high profile subject in the forestry sector and one that FAO has maintained a close involvement with. This present seminar is one example of our desire to assist by providing a neutral forum for discussion, debate and decision.
Finally could I highlight an important point: that this is YOUR seminar - and thus will be what you, the participants, make of it.
My best wishes for a successful seminar.