World Forest Week Event on Forest Education
Global status and needs for strengthening forest education—charting a path forward

World Forest Week Event on Forest Education

Date & venue: Monday, 12 October, 11:00–12:00 hrs. (CEST),Virtual (visit the link below to obtain the webcast link to be posted in due course) http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/cofo/world-forest-week/en/

Session outline:

This event will explore the needs and means for strengthening and modernizing forest-related education. It will provide a forum for discussion and feedback to inform the actions needed for inclusive and equitable forest education aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The session will present the ongoing work of the Global Forest Education Project, undertaken by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and ITTO, including preliminary results of an assessment on forest education conducted across six regions; pilot initiatives for filling important gaps in forest education; and steps for developing a global vision and framework for national and subnational actions aimed at enhancing forest education.

Session objectives:

  • Raise awareness of the need to strengthen forest education as the fundamental basis for optimizing the contributions of forests and trees to the SDGs.
  • Inform participants of the project’s contributions to this and its aim to launch a global initiative to upgrade forest education.
  • Provide insights into the status of forest education through a roundtable involving the project’s regional lead partners.

Agenda:

1. Opening remarks (2 minutes)

2. Keynote on the importance of forest education – Representative of Germany’s Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) (5 minutes) – To be confirmed

3. Introduction to the event, project background (9 minutes)

a. Project background – FAO

b. Online Platform for Forest Education (OPFE) –IUFRO

c. Online Learning Course on Legal and Sustainable Supply Chains of Tropical Wood and Tropical Forest Products – Sheam Satkuru, ITTO

4. Preliminary findings of the Global Survey on Forest Education (10 minutes) –University of Helsinki

5. Regional roundtable – moderated dialogue between regional lead partners on the various challenges facing forest education (20 minutes)

The regional partners are the African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE), the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD), The Center for People and Forests (RECOFTC), Michigan Technological University, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, the University of British Columbia (UBC), and the University of Helsinki.

6. Q & A 10 minutes

7. Closing remarks (2 minutes)

For more information on the global forest education survey, click here.

Contact

Khalil.Walji@fao.org or Andrew.Taber@fao.org