On 31 March 2022, a back-to-back Project Inception Meeting (PIM) and the 1st Project Steering Committee (PSC) Meeting for the project “Pilot project on inventory of unaccounted forests in Kostanay and North Kazakhstan regions and automation of information collection on forestry (AFoCO/028/2022)” was successfully held via online platform. Celebrating the successful launching and beginning of the first regular AFoCO project to be implemented in Central Asia and in Kazakhstan, the Project Inception Meeting (PIM) began with warm introductions from both sides: Forestry and Wildlife Committee of the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and AFoCO Secretariat.
The PIM addressed the following agendas: (1) Introduction of the AFoCO project management, which was provided by a brief presentation from the AFoCO Secretariat; (2) Presentation on the overall work and budget plan, in which the project manager of AFoCO/028/2022 gave a thorough run through the overall work plan and budget of the project; (3) Development of the Project Implementation Plan (PIP) matrix, where the AFoCO Secretariat provided the expected performance of the project throughout the project duration based on the already developed PIP matrix prior to the meeting.
The PIM was followed by the 1st Project Steering Committee (PSC) Meeting, where the meeting addressed the following agendas: (1) Adoption of the agenda; (2) Adoption of the Rules of Procedure (RoP) of the PSC, where the AFoCO Secretariat briefly explained the rules and procedure of the project steering committee; (3) Presentation on annual work and budget plan for 2022. The meeting discussed some of crucial points regarding activities planned for 2022, and agreed to approve the annual work and budget plan for 2022 by circulation of the relevant materials.
The AFoCO Secretariat acknowledged the efforts from Kazakhstan in preparation of the PIM and PSC meeting and congratulated the launching of the first regular AFoCO project in both Central Asia and in Kazakhstan. The meeting ended with hopes that the project will progress as a model project and example in Central Asia so numerous potential projects in other countries may follow in its steps. Participants also expressed hopes to see each other in-person during the 15th World Forestry Congress to be held May in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Submitted by CHA Ji Yea, Team Assistant
