Timber Committee, Economic Commission for Europe
Meeting of the Forest Communicators Network
October 9 – 11, 2007, Bled/Slovenia
Preliminary AGENDA as of 23 August, 2007 Monday, 8 October
Arrival of participants. Transfer from Ljubljana (Airport Brnik) to Bled.
Tuesday, 9 October
Opening of the meeting
Welcome address by representative of host country
Introduction by Mr. Ingwald Gschwandtl, Leader of the FCN
Tools, Tips, Techniques for Communicators
The full day is dedicated to a Train the Trainers Workshop conducted by Mr. Bob Burt from Canada and Mr. Colin Morton from the UK Forestry Commission in co-operation with other FCN members. It will help participants to improve their knowledge and skills concerning forest related communications and should enable to teach others in this field.
Wednesday, 10 October
Communication Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies
The meeting will analyse and discuss the following issues:
The Food - Fibre - Fuel Conflict
Mr. Florian Kraxner from the International Institute for Applied System Analyses in Laxenburg/Austria will provide background information and food for discussion on this topical issue.
5th Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe
MCPFE
The 5th Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) will take place from 5 to 7 November 2007 in Warsaw. The Ministers responsible for forests of 46 European countries and the EU Commissioner of Agriculture and Fisheries are expected to sign a Declaration and two topical Resolutions focussing on forests, wood and energy and on the relation between forests and water. Ms. Martha Gaworska from The Liaison Unit Warsaw of the MCPFE will present the PR strategy for this forest policy highlight. The FCN meeting should identify ways to support and best utilise this unique communication opportunity.
EU Forest Action Plan
The European Union recently adopted a Forest Action Plan aiming at effective actions for strengthening the long-term competitiveness of the sector, improving and protecting the environment, contributing to quality of life and fostering coordination and communication. Based on a presentation by Tamas Szedlak from the European Commission the meeting will discuss the potential for cooperation and synergies in
support of the Forest Action Plans implementation.
European Forest Week 2008 (The Pan-European Forest Week, to be held in October 2008, is an initiative jointly promoted by the MCPFE, the FAO-European Forestry Commission, the ECE-Timber Committee and the European Commission. It aims to increase the visibility of the
forest based sector and to raise awareness about its important contribution to the protection of the environment and the development of economy and society in Europe. It will provide an umbrella and framework for a series of events and for different European actors, including governments, national and regional bodies and processes as well as the private sector and civil society. The FCN is requested to
provide PR expertise for the preparations.
The United Nations Forum on Forests
and its International Instrument on all Types of Forests The United Nations Forum on Forests at its 7th session in April 2007 established a
Non Legally Binding Instrument on All Types of Forests. The implementation of this instrument and several components of the Forums Work Programme for 2007 – 2013 provide the forest community throughout the world with a range of communication opportunities. In particular the Ministerial Meetings scheduled for 2011 and 2013, and
the International Year of Forests declared for 2011 are unique opportunities to raise awareness at all levels about the importance of sustainable forest management. Mr. Pekka Pattosaari, Director of the United Nations Forum on Forests, will present the state of preparations.
New FCN products
Guide on Best Practices in Forest Sector Communication The FCN is expected to publish by 2008 a guide on best practices in forest sector
communication, which could be used as a reference tool for forest related communications. Mr. Gerben Janse (European Forest Institute) has collected and compiled best practice examples from all over the UN-ECE region. The FCN meeting will evaluate his findings and discuss ways on how to best utilise this work.
Consumer Attitudes towards Forest Based Products
The FCN has taken up the task to look into public opinions with regard to forests, their management and their products. As first part of this exercise in 2003 the FCN together with the MCPFE published the report ‘Europeans and their Forests – What do Europeans think about forests and SFM’, which provides a synoptic review of representative public opinion surveys in Europe. Mr. Ewald Rametsteiner (University of Agriculture and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna) will now present the outcomes of the second part of this study, which analyses representative public opinion surveys on forest based products.
Success Stories and Lessons Learned
Participants will share success stories and lessons learned regarding forest communication activities:
"Golden Cone" Awards Ceremony in Forestry
Experiences made in Latvia
Forest related Environmental Education
Experiences made in Austria, Czech Republic and France
Thursday, 11 October
Study Tour
Practical examples of forest related communication activities around Bled will be demonstrated and discussed.
Friday, 12 October
Departure of participants. Transfer back to Lubljana/Airport Brnik.