Forests have become a permanent fixture in climate discussions, from their inclusion in the Paris Agreement to the recent Glasgow Leader’s Declaration on Forests and Land Use at COP26. These ecosystems provide vital solutions for halting global climate change and enabling sustainable development. Harnessing the power of forests also requires ongoing communication and collaboration among international climate and forestry experts to drive cross sectoral and multi-level action. Organized by the Korea Forest Service (KFS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) last month, the World Forestry Congress (WFC) presented an opportunity for the international community to evaluate the state of the world’s forest resources and consider the...

Catalyzing change with gender-responsive, climate-forest finance Assigning forest carbon rights is crucial for any effective REDD+ system. Often linked to debates about forest tenure, carbon rights also determine who can benefit, how and to whom carbon is sold and under what circumstances. Debates about forest carbon rights strongly link to debates about equity in REDD+. Clear and secure forest carbon rights are also important for encouraging public and private investment into REDD+. What are carbon rights? Currently, there is no internationally accepted definition of carbon rights, and very few countries have adopted definitions in their national legal systems. As it concerns the right...

In Colombia’s municipality of Segovia, in the department of Antioquia, on the eastern edge of the Andes, lies one of the country's great gold reserves, most of which lie under natural forests with great ecosystem richness. Its people identify as peasants because they were born "in the mountains, where the sun shines, where the eagle nests, where the nightingale sings, where the moon lights the paths and where they take care of the land with the furrow of their hands,” says Madonna Zapata Bolívar, Social Mission Professional, FAO Colombia (FAOCO). In particular, the community of El Tamar has been dedicated for many...

More than 50 stakeholders participated in an online meeting focused on Gender and Forestry organized by FAO with the support of ECOWAS and Sida in the framework of the project “Global transformation of forests for people and climate, a focus on West Africa” funded by Sida. This meeting, held on 30 May 2022, increased awareness of gender and forestry issues in the West Africa region and promoted dialogue on strategies, actions and priority needs to address these issues. Gender is a central and cross-cutting theme for this regional project and is mainstreamed throughout its components, including improving knowledge of forest ecosystems...

The XV World Forestry Congress was held this year in Seoul, South Korea from 2-6 May. Jointly organized by the Korea Forest Service (KFS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Congress provided an opportunity for the international community to gather and evaluate the state of the world’s forest resources, as well as share strategies, tools and ideas for building a green, healthy and resilient future. Over 15,000 registered participants, from over 160 different countries,represented governments and public agencies, international organizations, the private sector, academic and research institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and local community and...