European Forest Week 2008 - Celebrating Sustainable Forest Management

1. MinisterialConference on theProtection of Forestsin Europeby PIOTR GRYGIER

3. Structure of the MCPFE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCES At Ministerial Conferences the ministers responsible for forests in Europe take decisions on common aspects of highest political relevance regarding forests and forestry.Ministerial Conferences on the Protection of Forests in Europe took place in 1990 in Strasbourg, in 1993 in Helsinki, in 1998 in Lisbon, in 2003 in Vienna and in 2007 in Warsaw. EXPERT LEVEL MEETINGS, ROUND TABLE MEETINGS, AD HOC WORKING GROUPS, WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS

4. Fifth Ministerial Conference - Warsaw 2007 • The Fifth Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe was held on 5 – 7 November 2007, in Warsaw, Poland. The Conference theme: “Forests for Quality of Life” highlighted of contemporary challenges and decisions to assure that Europe’s forests continue to be managed sustainably and provide benefits to the best of their potential. • The Ministerial Declaration and two Warsaw Resolutions embraced requirements for political response and decisions on the issues of promotion of wood as a renewable energy carrier and the role of forests in water protection in the context of climate change. • The following documents were signed during the Conference by high level representatives of 38 European Countries and the European Community, and 2 more countries that signed these documents after the Conference.    • Warsaw Declaration • Warsaw Resolution 1: Forests, Wood and Energy • Warsaw Resolution 2: Forests and Water • Two Ministerial Statements were adopted by acclamation: • Ministerial Statement on Pan-European Forest Week 2008 • Ministerial Statement on Forest Fires

6. Mutual statement of the organisations assigned to theMajor Group “Social NGOs” to the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue at theWarsaw Conference, November 2007 ENFE European Network of Forest Entrepreneurs BWI Building and Wood Workers’ International UEF Union of European Foresters PEFC Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes

15. Upcoming events 2008/10/20 European Forest Week 2008/11/03 Conference "EU funding for Environmental Projects" 2008/11/12 MCPFE Expert Level Meeting 2008/11/27 Meeting MCPFE Working Group "Exploring the potential added value of and possible options for a legally binding agreement"

18. Welcome to the European Forest Week 2008 Web site European Forest Week 2008 celebrates the contribution of European forests in mitigating climate change,providing wood and renewable energy, securing the supply of fresh water and protecting our environment. The week was declared by the ministers responsible for forests of 46 European countries and is being jointly organized by the European Commission, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, in close collaboration with the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, France. During the week of 20-24 October, a series of meetings will be held by these entities and other European forestry-related partners at the Food and Agriculture Organization Headquarters in Rome, Italy. The Rome events will bring together hundreds of individuals from governments, non-governmental organizations, research institutions, regional and international networks, United Nations agencies and the private sector. Senior forestry and other sector-related officials from all over Europe will attend. The meetings will provide a unique opportunity for diverse stakeholders and forest managers to share perspectives and seek solutions to some of the most challenging issues facing forests and forestry today: climate change, energy and water. In conjunction with the Rome meetings, a high-profile European Union Presidency event will be held in Brussels (20 October) and a number of national and local events will take place in participating countries throughout Europe.

19. Working together for sustainable forest management in Europe • CALL FOR ORGANIZATION OF NATIONAL EVENTS • The objectives of National Forest Week are to: • Increase the visibility of the forest based-sector and its contribution to development of economy and society in Europe. • Raise awareness about its important contributions to mitigating climate change, providing freshwater and protecting the environment. • Engage other sectors in a participatory dialogue on forest related issues. • The European Forest Week will provide an umbrella for forest-related events organized by the public and private sectors as well as civil society throughout Europe. It is organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Ministerial Conference for the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) and the European Commission (EC), in close collaboration with the European Union Presidency at the time of the event, France. • At the regional level, the week will be marked by a series of events in Rome and Brussels including press conferences, high-level policy discussions and networking opportunities on a number of topical themes, including climate change, energy and water in relation to the forest sector. • National dimension • Countries are invited to organize events to address forest issues of national relevance, sharing the objectives of the week and explicitly linked with it. These could be conferences or policy forums, public events such as forest fairs, nature walks or exhibits, symbolic events such as tree planting, or media events aimed at improved communication. A dedicated Web site (www.EuropeanForestWeek.org) will link to national events and will provide suggested messages, a media kit and information resources for event organizers. The sponsoring organizations are not in a position however to provide financial support for national events. • Countries considering the organization of national events or other contributions to European Forest Week are invited to contactMaria Casa.