Seoul Declaration

Seoul Declaration

Subject: Environment

Section: Biodiversity

Context:

Need to triple investments for restoring degraded land by 2030 according to the “Seoul Declaration”

Content:

About Seoul Declaration:

The Declaration focuses on identifying key areas that can help combat multiple crises humanity faces

It was adopted May 5, 2022, at the XV World Forestry Congress, held in Seoul, South Korea.

Declaration, signed by 141 participant countries

About World Forestry Congress:

• Since the first World Forestry Congress was held in Rome in 1926
• And about every six years, the Congress has been providing a forum for inclusive discussion on the key challenges and way forward for the forestry sector.
• In 1954, FAO was entrusted with supporting Congress preparations in close cooperation with the host country and proudly continues to do so today
• The Congress functions are advisory, not executive, and participants attend the Congress in their personal capacity
• Congress is not an intergovernmental meeting; it has neither formal constituencies nor country delegations

Key highlights of the Seoul Declaration:

• Vast areas of degraded land across the globe require restoration.
• The investment in forest and landscape restoration globally must be tripled by 2030 to implement global commitments and meet internationally agreed goals and targets
• The declaration stressed the need to scale up the financial and technical investments and strengthen partnerships and cross-sectoral collaboration.
• The responsibility over forests should be shared and integrated across institutions, sectors and stakeholders in order to achieve a sustainable future.
• Forest-based solutions must be inclusive of the perspectives of family farmers, smallholders, forest communities, indigenous peoples, women and youth and respectful of their rights.
• The solutions must empower them to participate equitably in decision-making and sustainable forest value chains, the document said.
• Production and consumption need to be sustainable and policies should foster innovative green financing mechanisms to upscale investment in forest conservation, restoration and sustainable use
• Healthy, productive forest must be maintained to reduce the risk of, and improve responsiveness to, future pandemics and provide other essential benefits for human physical and mental health.
• The Declaration added that the full potential of sustainably produced wood can be utilised to transform the building sector, along with providing renewable energy and innovative new materials as wood was “renewable, recyclable and incredibly versatile.”

New initiatives taken at the World Forest Congress to boost international cooperation:

1. Assuring the Future of Forests with Integrated Risk Management (AFFIRM) Mechanism
2. The Sustaining an Abundance of Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) initiative
3. The Platform for REDD+ Capacity Building 

Other outcomes of the XV World Forest Congress:

• The Seoul declaration, as well as the Youth Call for Action and the Ministerial Call on Sustainable Wood, should be transmitted to the next COP of UNFCCC and the upcoming COP to the Convention on Biological Diversity and to other important forest-related fora.

What is Youth Call of Action

• During World Environment Day on 4th June 2021 a flagship virtual event Organized in partnership with the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC) and the UNEP under the theme Reimagine, Recreate, Restore.
• Youth from different sectors, media personalities, entrepreneurs, and civil society leaders will participate in this virtual event and call to action for our ecosystems

 Ministerial call on Sustainable Wood

• Sustainable production and consumption of wood promotes forest conservation, enhances the value of forests and mitigates climate change.
• Sustainable wood offers solutions across multiple value chains, including construction, furniture, packaging, renewable energy, biomaterials for clothing and biochemicals
• Ministerial Call on Sustainable Wood was initiated by Korea, Japan, Austria, Peru, Gabon