Building back better: COVID-19 pandemic recovery contributions from the forest sector

22-25 June 2020, 12:00-15:00 CET

The COVID-19 Forestry Webinar Week will feature a series of virtual sessions in the week in which COFO and the World Forest Week were originally scheduled. The sessions comprise high-level events as well as technical thematic sessions. Thematic sessions are organized by the FAO’s Forestry Department with partners within and outside FAO. 

Background 

As the COVID pandemic continues to spread around the globe, multiple impacts become visible. This will affect forests and forestry in many ways. Businesses are disrupted along almost all value chains. People are losing jobs and income, and some migrate back to rural areas. There is also an increased risk of further deforestation and degradation of the natural resource basis from which people make their living – with long-term negative consequences to producers and society.

Forestry and forest-based sectors have a key role to play in providing solutions. Forests act as safety nets for the most vulnerable members of society, providing food, subsistence and income in times of scarcity and thereby increasing resilience to shocks such as the current one. With the right incentives, they can provide sustainable jobs and income and become a source of economic prosperity and sustainable development. Find more information on the impacts of COVID-19 on the forest sector at: 

• http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8844en  
• http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca9456en 
• http://www.fao.org/2019-ncov/q-and-a/impacts-on-the-forest-sector/en/

Objective

The objective of the COVID-19 Forestry Webinar Week is to:  

• assess impacts of pandemics on people and forests; 
• identify and discuss possible responses that help mitigate impacts on people and forests and help address the situation in the short term while at the same time contributing to building a more resilient and sustainable future;
• propose follow-up steps, including policy dialogue and mobilizing of resources and action that better enables the forest sector to help rebuild sustainable and resilient societies (building back better).  

High-level sessions

1. Heads of Forestry Dialogue: COVID-19 impacts for the forest sector – main issues, response needs and opportunities to build back better
2. Partnership for Development Dialogue: COVID-19 responses - how to integrate forestry in recovery support measures

Thematic sessions

• Mitigating impacts on forest-dependent people and recovery support to enhance their resilience.
• Mitigating impacts on forests and restoration as a means to enhance ecosystem and community resilience.
• Building back better legal and sustainable value chains.

Expected Outcomes

• Enhanced contributions of the forest sector to COVID-19 related recovery efforts in countries, better enabled to help building a more resilient and sustainable economy and society.
• Enhanced and more responsive support to countries through international forest governance mechanisms and development partnerships. 

Language

• High-level sessions: with simultaneous interpretation in EN/ES/FR as well as CN/RU/AR
• Thematic sessions: EN/ES/FR 

Participation

To receive the login details for the webinar series, please email [email protected].