The participants from 141 countries gathered in person and online at the 15th World Forestry Congress in Seoul, Republic of Korea adopted the Seoul Forest Declaration.

Seoul Forest Declaration

• Shared responsibility: The Declaration urges that responsibility for forests should be shared and integrated across institutions, sectors and stakeholders.
• Increased investment: Investment in forest and landscape restoration globally needs to triple by 2030 to meet internationally agreed commitments and targets on restoring degraded land.
• Moving towards circular economy: One of the key takeaways was the importance of moving towards a circular bioeconomy and climate neutrality.
• Innovative green financing mechanisms: To upscale investment in forest conservation, restoration and sustainable use, and highlighted the potential of sustainably produced wood as a renewable, recyclable and versatile material.
• Decision-making: It urged the continued development and use of emerging innovative technologies and mechanisms to enable evidence-based forest and landscape decision-making.

Other takeaways

• Close cooperation among nations is needed to address challenges that transcend political boundaries.
• This was strengthened at the Congress by the launch of new partnerships such as the:

1. Assuring the Future of Forests with Integrated Risk Management (AFFIRM) Mechanism and
2. Sustaining an Abundance of Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Initiative

Back2Basics: World Forestry Congress

• The first World Forestry Congress first held in Rome in 1926. After that, it is held about every six years by the UN-FAO.
• In 1954, FAO was entrusted with supporting Congress preparations in close cooperation with the host country and proudly continues to do so today. .
• It has been providing a forum for inclusive discussion on the key challenges and way forward for the forestry sector.

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