2023 Annual Thematic Dialogue
Theme: Sustainable Wood for a Sustainable Future
Date: 24 October 2023, 10:15~17:30 Seoul time (GMT+9).
Venue: 3rd Floor, Yeouido Post Tower (Yeouido Post Tower, 60 Yeoui-naru-ro 60, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul)
Background
The Annual Thematic Dialogue is a dialogue session and platform for forward-looking discussions among Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) and its member countries to inform the strategic planning process and programming for the coming years. This activity also aims to harvest the interest of member countries to facilitate achieving AFoCO’s regional and global responsibilities, engage diverse stakeholder groups to make AFoCO’s operation relevant to on-going policy processes and contexts in the member countries. This will be organized as an annual event with a theme-based discourse on strategically timely and relevant topics. The theme for 2023 session is “Sustainable wood for a sustainable future“ and it will be organized jointly with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN this year to seize synergies with relevant requests by FAO member in recent governing and statutory bodies, including the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC). Noting that the 30th Session of the APFC is taking palce prior to AFoCO’s Annual Thematic Dialogue, the Dialogue can provide an opportunity to review and build on the relevant APFC30 outcomes as part of its discussions.
Relevance of the theme
As global consumption of all materials is expected to rise to meet the needs of a growing population, the world will need more renewable resources. The region accounts for a major share of global forest product production, consumption and trade and continues to be one of the most dynamic and rapidly developing regions in the world. Sustainably produced, wood products can be a reliable source of renewable carbon-neutral material, offering solutions across multiple value chains, including construction, furniture, packaging, renewable energy, biomaterials for clothing, and bio-chemicals. Sustainable wood value chains can also contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals in a variety of ways, most noticeably generating employment and income, including in remote rural areas, contributing to eradicating hunger as a source of fuel for cooking, increasing the offer of clean energy, and presenting an option to enhance the alignment of environmental and socioeconomic objectives in conservation, restoration, and expansion of forest cover, including through protection of biodiversity.
Objectives
- Explore and discuss the challenges to sustainable wood production and use.
- Collectively identify and prioritize actions required to promote sustainable wood production and use.
- Share emerging opportunities from the private sector and other resource partners and discuss ways for collaboration.
Expected Outcomes
- Improved awareness and recognition by participants of the important contributions of sustainable wood value chains to sustainable development, the current challenges.
- Identification of opportunities for international, regional, and South-South cooperation and resource mobilization.
- Interest and momentum built among participants to take action for promoting sustainable wood production and use in the region, based on agreed priorities.
Programme
| (Seoul Time) | Agenda/Presentation Topics | Session format and moderator |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00-10:40 (40 mins) | 1) Arrival (10:00-10:15)-15 mins 2) Opening & Introduction to the agenda -25 mins Opening Remarks (3 mins) Welcome Remarks (3 mins): Congratulatory Remarks (5 mins): Delivering the APFC30 outcomes Keynote Remarks (10 mins): Role of sustainable wood for SFM, Introduction of the agenda/programme (1 mins) – Group Photo (3 mins) | Session moderator: Dr. Kikang Bae Team Leader, Strategic Planning Team, AFoCO |
| 10:40-11:20 (40 mins) | A. Setting the scene 1) Trends of Global Timber Trade: Challenges of Legal and Sustainable Supply Chains in the Tropics (15 mins) 2) The potential of sustainable wood value chains for circular bio-economy, climate action and achieving Global Forest Goals (15 mins) 3) Q&A from the floor (10 mins) | Session moderator: Dr. Kikang Bae Team Leader, Strategic Planning Team, AFoCO |
| 11:20-11:40 (20 mins) | Coffee/ Break | |
| 11:40-12:20 (40 mins) | B. Improved and increased production 1) Community forestry for better tenure and improved livelihoods (15 mins) 2) Forest restoration for increased supply (15 mins) 3) Q&A from the floor (10 mins) | Session moderator: Dr. Kikang Bae Team Leader, Strategic Planning Team, AFoCO |
| 12:20-13:20 (70 mins) | Lunch Break (lunch box) – Informal exchange of ideas, networking etc. | |
| 13:20-13:30 (10 mins) | Arrival to the meeting room for the afternoon session – videos, free interaction | |
| 13:30-14:30 (60 mins) | C. Sustainable production 1) Assurance systems to governance and demonstrate sustainable production for improved market access (10 mins) 2) National timber legality assurance system of Indonesia (SVLK) (15 mins) 3) Important Role of Forest Certification for Sustainable Wood Production (10 mins) 4) PEFC Certification: Creating value for sustainable forests 5) Q&A from the floor (15 mins) | Session moderator: Ms. Sooyeon Laura JIN, Forestry Officer (Policy & Governance), Forestry Division, FAO |
| 14:30-15:20 (50 mins) | D. Sustainable wood in the context of climate change mitigation/adaptation and improved economic development 1) Wood utilization model for enhanced carbon stock (15 min) 2) Factors influencing sustainable wood industry (prerecorded video presentation) (15 min) 3) Increasing value addition in Central Africa (10 mins) 5) Q&A from the floor/ free-style discussions (10 mins) | Session moderator: Ms. Sooyeon Laura JIN, Forestry Officer (Policy & Governance), Forestry Division, FAO |
| 15:20-15:45 (25 mins) | COFFEE BREAK | |
| 15:45-16:30 (45 mins) | E. Mobilizing investment and finance in support of restoration, sustainable production and processing 1) Lessons learned from GCF Projects on SFM and ways forward (how to best link sustainable wood use to GCF funding opportunities) (15 mins) 2) The Power of Partnership – Forests for Global Net-Zero 3) Q&A from the floor (15 mins) | Session moderator: Ms. Sooyeon Laura JIN, Forestry Officer (Policy & Governance), Forestry Division, FAO |
| 16:30-17:00 (30 mins) | F. Next steps and ways forward 1) Recap and feedback of afternoon sessions/ Quick group exercise to write down key challenges and opportunities (10 mins) 2) PROPOSED NEXT STEP (20 mins) | Session moderator: Ms. Sooyeon Laura JIN, Forestry Officer (Policy & Governance), Forestry Division, FAO |
| 17:00-17:15 (15 mins) | G. Closing 1) Survey (5 mins) 2) Closing remarks (5-10 mins) |