Fire Management Actions Alliance - Charter

Background

Fire has a critical role to play in nature and in land management on the one hand, in maintaining fire dependent ecosystems and providing an important and cost-effective land use tool, while on the other, in causing deforestation, forest degradation, emission of greenhouse gases and destruction of livelihoods, biodiversity and infrastructure.

Following the recommendations of the 3rd International Wildland Fire Conference and 1st Wildland Fire Summit, Sydney, Australia, October 2003, the Ministerial Meeting on Sustainable Forest Management, held March 2005, and the Committee on Forestry, also held March 2005, FAO coordinated a multi-stakeholder process to prepare a Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management. The Strategy is being designed to include Voluntary Guidelines, Global Assessment of Fire Management, and Review of International Cooperation in Fire Management.

The Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines (hereafter referred to as “the Guidelines”) provide an international framework, outline cross-sectoral issues, detail the principles and attributes needed to balance the social, cultural, environmental and economic dimensions of fire management, and prescribe key actions for the planning and management of fires. This framework supports the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, particularly Goal 1 to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, Goal 7 to ensure environmental sustainability and Goal 8 to develop a global partnership for development.

The FAO Committee on Forestry, in March 2007, recognized the progress made to date and (a) requested FAO, in collaboration with the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network and other partners, to finalize the Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management, (b) welcomed the development of the Guidelines in a multi-stakeholder process and recommended that members and forestry stakeholders make use of them; (c) recommended that FAO and partners facilitate implementation of the Guidelines, and (d) recommended that the Guidelines be maintained as a living document, to be updated and improved through feedback from implementation. The Fire Management Actions Alliance is a response to these expectations.

1. Purpose

The purpose of the Fire Management Actions Alliance (hereafter referred to as “the Alliance”) is to stimulate improved fire management and reduce damage from fire worldwide.

2. Objectives

The Alliance

• reviews and updates the Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines;
• encourages stakeholders at all levels to adopt and use the Guidelines;
• develops documentation to support the Guidelines;
• develops / provides global examples of documents that support the Guidelines;
• strengthens international cooperation in fire management. 

3. Operating principles

The Alliance membership consists of organizations willing to improve fire management.

The Guidelines are the basic document for the Alliance, outlining a comprehensive perception of sound fire management that is shared by all members.

The Alliance will not involve financial implications for members aside from those regarding the participation of each member in its work.

The performance of the Alliance is determined by the commitment (a) to implement fire management activities and (b) to enhance international cooperation by its members.

The Alliance members provide examples on how the guideines were used to improve fire management in the landscape.

A Secretariat carries out communication and related tasks. The Secretariat operates with in-kind resource contributions from members.

The Alliance, as a non-geographically based group, will work with the Global Wildland Fire Network in order to promote mutual goals and objectives in enhancing international cooperation in wildland fire management.  The Alliance is without any prejudice to the status of each of its members.

4. Membership

Any organization, agency, or group, willing to adhere to the Charter of the Alliance, can apply for membership.

There are no membership fees.

Membership applications should be sent by letter to the Secretariat stating involvement in fire management, the intention to join the Alliance, and to adhere to the Purpose, Objectives and Principles of the Alliance.

An Advisory group to the Secretariat will decide membership approvals.

Membership does not imply any financial or other resource commitment by the member.

Membership implies a commitment:

• to promote the Guidelines;
• to make use of the Guidelines in implementing fire management activities;
• to develop  / provide examples of documents that support the guidelines;
• to share knowledge, information and data on activities and progress in fire management, with reference to the Guidelines;
• to enhance international cooperation in fire management.

A member can leave the Alliance at any point in time, with immediate effect, through a letter to the Secretariat.

5. Secretariat

FAO, through its Forest Management Division, resources permitting and following internal management decisions, in collaboration with the secretariat of the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network and with support of members, provides communications, coordination and related services to the Alliance through the Secretariat. The Secretariat operates with voluntary contributions from members.

The Secretariat’s tasks include:

• maintaining a publicly available web based knowledge reference about the Alliance, including membership, activities, documents and experiences from fire management activities;
• maintaining information on members and their respective activities and progress in implementation of the Guidelines;
• coordinating reviews, publication and communication of the Guidelines;
• coordinate support to members in programme and project analyses and awareness raising activities based on the Guidelines;
• assisting in identifying donors to strengthen capacity in implementation of the Guidelines in developing countries;
• convening meetings (including online fora) for reviewing progress and functions of the Alliance;
  planning, prioritizing and coordinating the Secretariat activities according to available resources.

Any member can, and is encouraged to, provide in-kind contributions to the Secretariat functions. FAO coordinates such in-kind contributions.

6. Operation of the Alliance

The Secretariat will regularly invite all members to review the Alliance’s progress, decide on changes in its charter, and to nominate members of an Advisory group to support the Secretariat. As a minimum, there shall be one opportunity per year for members to participate in decisions on the future of the Alliance, in face to face meeting or through electronic submissions. Majority rule is applied, with one vote per member.

To terminate the Alliance, a majority decision by its members is required.

7.  Founding Members

The Alliance is established on 16 May 2007 during the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference in Seville, Spain.  The following organization, agencies, and groups declared their intention to become members: