fao.org – 21-12-2022
Originally scheduled for 2021, the XV World Forestry Congress was to address many of the key challenges of the twenty-first century: climate
change, biodiversity loss, desertification, water scarcity, malnutrition and hunger, to name a few.

When the Korea Forest Service and FAO began preparations for the Congress, to be held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, we didn’t know that another challenge would need to be added to the list. The COVID-19 pandemic brought into sharp focus considerations and challenges that had long been in the background, and redefined our understanding of the role of forests and trees in health, development and human relations.
In the face of the pandemic, the organizers decided to postpone the Congress to 2–6 May 2022 and turn it into a hybrid event.
This decision proved fortunate, enabling attendance by a record 15 000 participants from 160 countries, despite the concerns and restrictions, with about 5 000 attending virtually. Participants and organizers alike deserve credit for their commitment to public safety: the first global event of its size held amid the harsh waves of the pandemic, the Congress took place safely, and no attendee contracted the disease.
The Congress generated unique attention with around 1 100 news articles and impressive web-based and social media outreach. Its official website attracted 700 000 visitors and 15.5 million hits over 20 months. On social media, 68.4 million readers saw 17 000 messages, generating 342 000 interactions. FAO’s corporate channels published 270 posts, which reached 23 million accounts. We are proud that the Congress was able to extend its influence, including through these channels.
The one-week event involved 53 main sessions, addressed by more than 390 speakers,i and included a high-level dialogue and two ministerial forums, all with simultaneous interpretation in four languages (available in person and virtually). Participants were also able to enjoy five pre-Congress events, 116 side events, 95 poster presentations and 59 speeches at the Speakers’ Corner. The Congress attracted over 2 000 voluntary contributions (papers, posters and videos), of which 1 064 have now been published (available at www.fao.org/event/world-forestry-congress).
The collective wisdom of the global community generated rich outputs, and two powerful signals emerged: Forests can help solve many of the world’s biggest challenges, but action is needed now because we have no time to lose.
Congress participants identified key directions for the way ahead through four “outcome documents”: the Seoul Forest Declaration, the XV World Forestry Congress Action Points, the Ministerial Call on Sustainable
Wood, and the Work with Us – Youth Call for Action. Through these documents, the Congress stressed the following:
? Forests transcend political, social and environmental boundaries: responsibility for forests should thus be shared and integrated across institutions, sectors and stakeholders; coordinated and meaningful action is needed on many fronts.
? Investment in forest and landscape restoration globally needs to triple by 2030 to meet internationally agreed commitments and targets on restoring degraded land.
? The principles of sustainable forest management should be applied beyond forestry in developing greener and more circular bioeconomies.
? Innovative green financing mechanisms are needed to promote the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of forests.
? Legal and sustainably produced wood has potential to transform the building sector, provide renewable energy and innovative new materials, and underpin a circular bioeconomy.
? Forest-based solutions must include the perspectives of family farmers, smallholders, forest communities, Indigenous Peoples, women and youth, and empower these stakeholders to participate and benefit equitably.
There was strong consensus that healthy forests are crucial for reducing the risk of future pandemics and providing other essential benefits for human health.
Ensuring such benefits requires sound decision-making and effective action, which, in turn, require research, solid information and good education.
The Congress developed a rich set of recommendations – through
the Congress Action Points and the Youth Call for Action – for purposeful action on all fronts.
It also made recommendations for communicating the Congress
outcomes to other global forest-relevant fora, including the Conferences of the Parties to the Rio Conventions and various FAO governing bodies.
Peter Csoka,
Associate Secretary-General, XV World Forestry Congress
Dr. Eunsik Park,
Secretary-General of the XV WFC