The Role of Forests in Ensuring Sustainable Production and Consumption

15.00–18.00 GST/12.00–15.00 CET
Online and at the Swedish Pavilion, The Forest, Expo 2020, Dubai

Watch the recorded live broadcast here or visit the event webpage to learn more.

To celebrate the International Day of Forests 2022 the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and IUFRO World Congress 2024|Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) co-organized a high-level event under the theme “Forests and sustainable production and consumption”. 

Today the world is facing unprecedented challenges, with climate change being among the most pressing of all. These challenges threaten the well-being of people and nature, and call for immediate action to develop innovative and creative solutions that set the world on a path to peace and prosperity on a healthy planet.

At this event, high-level guests and experts discuss how forest-based innovations, resource efficiency, forest-based products and ecosystem services can contribute to a sustainable lifestyle and accelerate a shift towards more sustainable consumption and production. These efforts help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, well-being and a transition towards low-carbon and green economies.

Event Agenda

15.00    Expo and Pavilion walk through

15.05    International Day of Forests 2022 video spot

15.10    HIGH LEVEL SEGMENT

Master of Ceremony: Ismahane Elouafi, Chief Scientist, FAO

• H.E. Jan Thesleff, Ambassador of Sweden, Commissioner General of the Swedish Participation at Expo 2020 Dubai
• QU Dongyu, Director-General, FAO
• John Parrotta, President, IUFRO
• H.E. Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Minister of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia
• H. E. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, Egypt, UNFCCC COP27 Presidency
• Jaana Husu-Kallio, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland
• Beth MacNeil, Assistant Deputy Minister, Canadian Forest Service, Acting Chair of the FAO Committee on Forestry

16.00    KEYNOTE

Why forests matter for planetary health and human well-being

• Bhaskar Vira, Head of Department of Geography, University of Cambridge

16.20    PANEL DISCUSSION

Moderator: Fredrik Ingemarson, Director of IUFRO World Congress 2024

• Roberto Andres Bosch, President, Gremial Forestal, Guatemala
• Magdalena Jovanovic, President, International Forestry Students’ Association
• Mokena Makeka, Principal, Dalberg Advisors, South Africa
• Bhavna Prasad, Senior Adviser, Sustainable Business, WWF India
• Annie Sandgren, Programme Manager, IKEA

17.40    CLOSING

Closing remarks

• Göran Ericsson, Dean, Faculty of Forest Sciences, SLU
• Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General, FAO

Welcome video for World Forestry Congress 2022

Welcome video for IUFRO World Congress 2024