5th MCPFE

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT

The upcoming 5th Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe: “Forests for quality of life”, which will be held on 5–7 November, 2007, Warsaw, Poland, is organized under joint chairmanship of Poland and Norway.

The ministers responsible for forests from 46 European countries, representatives of the European Community as well as delegates from observer countries and international organisations are invited to take part in deliberations on the priorities of forest policy in Europe.

The foremost subject of the Warsaw Conference framed in the Ministerial Declaration and two Resolutions are inter alia the role of forests in mitigating climate change and promoting wood as a renewable energy carrier as well as in protecting water quality and amount. The substance of the documents has been negotiated during the previous MCPFE Drafting Meetings and is expected to be approved at the Expert Level Meeting which is to be convened on 3-4 September in Warsaw, Poland.

The Warsaw Summit will offer an opportunity for sharing views among the European ministers, representatives of international forest organisations and non-governmental organisations, delegates from observer countries and research community through the plenary session and during the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue (MSD). The Conference will also encompass thematic sessions dedicated to presentation of the Reports on SFM (sustainable forest management) and also illustration of achievements of European countries in progressing towards SFM.

Herewith, it is a pleasure to present a share of detailed organisational information and the preliminary schedule of the 5th Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe.