Azerbaijan is strengthening its forest sector with a new ten-year national forestry programme, developed with UNECE support. Strong emphasis is put on increasing forest cover while conserving and improving the country’s forest resources.
The sustainable development of forests is among the main priorities of the government of Azerbaijan. In May 2019, Azerbaijan joined the international Bonn Challenge on forest landscape restoration and committed to restore 170,000 ha of forests by 2030 and an additional 100,000 ha if further funding can be mobilized. This commitment increases the visibility for the country’s efforts to improve and sustainably manage their forests, which is also a main target in the country’s new forestry programme.
The new National Forestry Programme and its Action Plan for the period 2020 to 2030 were finalized and presented at a meeting on 14 June 2019, in Baku, Azerbaijan. It was organized by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan together with the joint UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section and the FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in Azerbaijan.
The National Forestry Programme was drafted within the framework of a project on the revision of the national forestry programme and the modernization of the forest management system which was supported by UNECE and jointly implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan. The National Forestry Programme provides a sound legal basis for forest management and ensures the development of institutional capacities. It will now be put forward through the national process for official adoption.
The presentation of the newly developed forestry programme was attended by the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Chairman of the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency, the Head of the FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in Azerbaijan, the Deputy Chief of the UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section and the international forestry specialist from the FAO sub-regional office in Turkey.
Another outcome of the meeting was a Memorandum of Understanding between the State Agrarian University and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources to improve the education and ensure technical training for young forestry personnel in Azerbaijan.
60 participants from the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the State Committee on Property Issues, the State Statistics Committee, the Azerbaijan Amelioration and Water Farm OJS, the Food Safety Agency, IDEA, institutions and international organizations attended the meeting.
Learn more about how UNECE/FAO are supporting countries’ sustainable forest management: www.unece.org/forests