Exchange Visit - Icelandic Group Cedar Forests

06/10/2022

In line with the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 2021, to designate 2022 as the International Year for Sustainable Mountain Development. The Civil Coalition for the Mountain organized an exchange event with a delegation from Iceland (A group of 52 people consisting of foresters, experts, associative actors and farmers) in addition to several members of the Civil Mountain Coalition. The meeting was held under the theme : « Our Forest : a universal heritage to be protected » on Thursday, October 06th, 2022, in the conference hall of the National Park in Azrou -Middle Atlas. The main theme of the meeting was about forest policy in Morocco, especially with regard to the measures taken to protect the cedar tree.

The event included two main activities which the attendance appreciated a lot. The first activity was a presentation given by Dr. Achibane Hassan, an expert at the National Park in Ifrane, with whom the audience interacted with extensive and constructive discussion, while the second one was a guided visit to the Cedar Museum in the Cedar House built amidst Boudmam Cedar Forest. The visitors explored the corridors of the Cedar House, and enjoyed its rich items and antiques and valued their deep symbolic connotations. This was an important occasion to get in touch with some members of the Icelandic delegation and to discuss ways of joint action in line with the Sustainable Development Objectives worldwide.

And to provide explanations and clarifications about the reality of the forest field in Morocco and at the same time learn about the forest policies and practices from the Icelandic delegation.

The meeting was supervised by members of the National Secretariat and the National Council of the Civil Coalition for the Mountain, led by the National Coordinator of the Coalition, Mr. Mohamed DDICH.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the Coalition offered a traditional tea party in honor of the visitors and the representatives of the delegation handed over a symbolic gift to the National Coordinator of the Coalition as a token of recognition and friendship.