3:57 a.m.
Dear Meliaceae Working Party:
The announcement below may be of interest.
Regards,
Sheila Ward
Deputy Coordinator
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: IUFRO Headquarters <office(a)iufro.org>
Date: Thu, Dec 5, 2019 at 7:34 AM
Subject: New Strategic Partnership between IUFRO and BMZ to Better Link
Forest Science with International Development Policies
To: Dear IUFRO Officeholder <mahoganyforthefuture(a)gmail.com>
<http://www.iufro.org/>
* International Union of Forest Research Organizations *
New Strategic Partnership between IUFRO and BMZ to Better Link Forest
Science with International Development Policies
New Strategic Partnership between IUFRO and BMZ to Better Link Forest
Science with International Development Policies
[image: Photo showing From right to left: Heiko Warnken, BMZ, and IUFRO
Executive Director Alexander Buck signing the multi-year cooperation
agreement on 14 November 2019. Photo: IUFRO.]
From right to left: Heiko Warnken, BMZ, and IUFRO
Executive Director
Alexander Buck signing the multi-year cooperation agreement on 14
November
2019. Photo: IUFRO.
PDF for download
<https://www.iufro.org/fileadmin/material/media/gfep-program-release-191205-english.pdf>
(Vienna, 5 December 2019) Forests and trees play an important role in
achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 goals, the
SDGs, which were agreed upon by the 193 Member States of the United Nations
in 2015. In order to better understand and recognize the contributions of
forests and trees to the overall Agenda goals of poverty eradication and
sustainable development, government representatives need unbiased
policy-relevant scientific information that supports well-informed
decisions concerning forests, trees and land use worldwide.
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) have
therefore entered into a strategic partnership that aims to enhance the
interaction between the science community and policy makers.
"The new partnership will strengthen international research cooperation and
innovation in support of Germany's development policy objectives and
priorities," said Heiko Warnken, Head of the Division for Rural
Development, Land Rights, Forests and Animal Husbandry at BMZ. "A
structured collaboration and advisory services will increase the impact and
range of German development cooperation regarding forests, their
protection, sustainable management and restoration," he explained.
The core activity of this new partnership will be carried out in the
framework of IUFRO's Science-Policy Programme and its main instrument, the
IUFRO-led Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) initiative of the
Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF).
"GFEP produces objective and independent scientific assessments on key
issues related to forests and forest policy," explained GFEP Coordinator
Christoph Wildburger. "Since 2007, GFEP has produced six global assessments
on topics such as forests and climate change, forests and water, forests
and food security or forests and biodiversity. Currently, a new assessment
on the relationship between forests and poverty is underway," he added.
Furthermore, in cooperation with IUFRO's Special Programme for Development
of Capacities (SPDC), activities will be initiated to support regional
dissemination of reliable scientific information as well as capacity
building of scientists and institutions in economically disadvantaged
countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The partnership also aims to strengthen communication at the science-policy
interface. Through this partnership, IUFRO's Science-Policy Programme will
be further developed into a full-fledged advisory mechanism for policy and
implementation agencies in the development arena.
"The new strategic partnership will enable both partners to considerably
enhance the contribution of forest and tree related science to
international development policy and therewith support the mutual objective
of providing solutions that benefit forests and people worldwide" concluded
Alexander Buck, the Executive Director of IUFRO.
---------------------------------------
*Media contact: *Gerda Wolfrum, International Union of Forest Research
Organizations (IUFRO), wolfrum(a)iufro.org
The *International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)* is the
only worldwide organization devoted to forest research and related
sciences. Its members are research institutions, universities, and
individual scientists as well as decision-making authorities and other
stakeholders with a focus on forests and trees: https://www.iufro.org/
---------------------------------------
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lists. Should you do not wish to receive further information from IUFRO;
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*IUFRO Headquarters, Marxergasse 2, 1030 Vienna, Austria.*
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