From 26 to 28 May, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Latvian State Forest Research Institute (LVMI) “Silava”, is holding an international expert seminar in Riga entitled “Forestry for the Future: Bringing Stakeholders Together for Climate Policy and Sustainable Growth”. The aim of the seminar is to analyse the role of forests in the economy and in sustainable development, and to identify a balanced approach to reconciling the economic, social and environmental aspects of forestry.
The seminar's discussions on the best possible regulatory framework for the forest sector will take place across three sessions. The first session, “From a Global to a Local Perspective on Forestry”, will address current issues in global forestry while outlining the most suitable solutions available at regional level. The second session, “Forestry in the Context of Multiple Planetary Crises: Climate, Water, Biodiversity and Land Use”, will examine the multifunctionality of the forest sector, the roles assigned to it and the demands placed on it by contemporary society, the fulfilment of which may give rise to competing interests. The third session, “Forest Policy and Forest Management”, will analyse current forest and related sectoral policy from a variety of perspectives.
The seminar will also include a field visit to forest sites, where LVMI “Silava” researchers Laura Ķēniņa, Valters Samariks and Pauls Zeltiņš will present the latest scientific findings to participants and offer an insight into forest management in Latvia.
The seminar is being held on the basis of an OECD initiative to focus on and analyse the forest sector policies of OECD member states in greater depth. Taking part in the seminar will be representatives of OECD member states and the OECD Secretariat, as well as leading forest sector experts from the European Forest Institute, the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the European State Forest Association and other international organisations.
The seminar will be held in English. Further information about the OECD can be found on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.