On December 15 (U.S. local time), the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution on the Permanent Observer status of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO).
With full support from the Korean government, the Secretariat has been working with all Parties and Observers to obtain AFoCO’s UN General Assembly observer status.
The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the UN proactively engaged in seeking support from UN member states. The draft resolution was fully supported by all 15 members of AFoCO as well as non-member countries such as Germany, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Qatar, and Turkey.
It is significant to note that AFoCO is the only forest sector international organization in Asia to be granted Permanent Observer status. Permanent Observers to the UN General Assembly receives a standing invitation to participate in the sessions of the UN General Assembly.
It is expected that AFoCO will be able to increase its visibility in the international arena, providing more opportunities for partnerships with other international organizations that could contribute to achieving relevant global goals.
AFoCO will contribute further by providing valuable insights and on-the-ground best practices in addressing climate change mitigation through the forest sector, which is linked directly to the cross-sectoral areas of community livelihood, watershed management, and life on land, in particular. Also, continue initiating actions to contribute towards attaining the UN Global Forest Goals and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
