In a significant move to promote sustainable forest management and mitigate climate change impacts, AFoCO and KT&G Corporation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on December 10, 2024, in AFoCO Secretariat, Republic of Korea. This collaboration aims to harness the strengths of both organizations to address pressing environmental challenges and enhance biodiversity conservation across Asia.
Under this agreement, both parties will focus on key areas of collaboration, including:
- Forest Conservation and Restoration: Developing programs to enhance carbon sequestration, strengthen community livelihoods, and promote ecotourism.
- Public-Private Partnerships: Supporting KT&G’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives to integrate sustainable forest management into its operations.
- Biodiversity Conservation: Developing a joint program on “Saving Asia’s Vulnerable Ecosystems,” targeting conservation efforts in biodiversity hotspots impacted by natural disasters and environmental degradation.
The collaboration underscores AFoCO’s role as a treaty-based intergovernmental organization dedicated to forest cooperation in Asia. By engaging KT&G, one of Korea’s leading corporations, the MOU bridges the gap between government initiatives and private sector capabilities. This partnership also reinforces the objectives of the Friends of Asia and Asian Forests (FAAF), a platform facilitated by AFoCO to promote regional collaboration on sustainable forestry.
As part of this collaboration, AFoCO and KT&G will jointly develop two impactful projects: the restoration of forest in the Abay Region of Kazakhstan, severely damaged by forest fires, and the rehabilitation of mangroves in East Java, Indonesia. These efforts underline the partnership’s commitment to addressing critical environmental challenges and promoting sustainable forest management in diverse ecosystems.
This MOU marks a milestone in fostering innovative approaches to forest sustainability, leveraging the complementary strengths of AFoCO and KT&G to address urgent environmental challenges while contributing to a greener and more sustainable future.
