20 April 2011: Researchers from 31 countries meeting at an international symposium raised concerns about the increased vulnerability of wheat production in many countries to new varieties of stem rust, which could lead to epidemics threatening regional food security and rural livelihoods, as well as further increases in global food prices.
The Forestry and Timber Section of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in cooperation with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), is organizing a meeting with stakeholders across the UNECE region (Western and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North America) to discuss the development of an action plan on forests and the green economy. Discussion will focus on: Sustainable Wood Consumption and Production; Low-carbon Forest Sector; Valuation of and Payments for Ecosystem Services; Monitoring and Governance; and Green Jobs. The action plan, once finalized, will be reviewed by the UNECE Timber Committee and FAO European Forestry Commission at their joint session, scheduled from 10-14 October 2011 in Antalya, Turkey. It will then be presented as a regional sectoral example at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) in June 2012.
Organized by the African Union (AU) Commission, the fifth meeting of the Steering Committee and 24th General Assembly of the Inter-African Phytosanitary Council (AU-IAPSC) will assess the level of implementation of the recommendations of previous meetings, and adopt forthcoming programmes for 2012. The IAPSC was created under the aegis of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with the mandate to: prevent the introduction of crop pests and diseases into Africa; assist AU members in controlling and eradicating existing diseases; discourage and stop the uncontrolled commercialization and distribution of agro pharmaceuticals and chemicals in Africa; prevent damage to human health through toxic residues; guide member States on the implications of using biotechnologies for plant protection; and represent and assist African countries in the context of the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures of the World Trade Organization. Challenges to be addressed at this meeting include: the long term strategies to react to increased threats from exotic pests due to increased trade and climate change; sustaining Africa's phytosanitary science capability in the face of declining resources and an erosion of the scientific basis; and improving coordination of national plant protection organizations and research programmes.
20 April 2011: The UN-REDD Programme has released the March/April edition of its newsletter, which features an article on the March 2011 Policy Board meeting held in Da Lat, Viet Nam, where partner country representatives, civil society organizations and donors spoke to the UN-REDD Programme about their evolving commitment to REDD+ and the value of their partnership with the Programme.
The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment and the Finnish Environment Institute, are organizing a workshop to discuss the role of payment for ecosystem services for the green economy. The workshop will address issues linked to payments for different ecosystem services, particularly in the forest and water sectors, to explain the sectoral relevance of environmental research linked to the valuation and payment of ecosystem service. The outcome of this workshop will feed into an action plan on forests and the green economy that will be discussed at the joint session of the UNECE Timber Committee and FAO European Forestry Commission from 10-14 October 2011 in Antalya, Turkey, and presented as a sectoral contribution at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) in 2012.
Organized by the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), this Expert Working Group (EWG) Meeting will consider core activities for capacity building under the IPPC. Participants will discuss: recommendations for the future structure of the EWG; terms of reference, rules of procedure and an explanatory paper for a proposed subsidiary body on phytosanitary development to the IPPC; and a new version of the IPPC capacity building work plan. Furthermore, participants will: review the work of databases related to capacity development; finalize proposals for the next meeting of the Strategic Planning and Technical Assistance (SPTA) group; discuss possibilities for projects and activities related to resource mobilization and advocacy for capacity building, and discuss priorities for a draft E-learning work programme.
This meeting will be hosted by the Government of Zambia and supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). The workshop is part of the FAO and National Forest Programme-Facility joint effort to assist countries to address emerging policy issues related to forests and climate change through integrating climate change considerations into national forest programmes.
7 April 2011: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released the 90th edition of its BiotechNews Update, featuring articles about activities and publications in the area of biotechnology in food and agriculture by FAO and other international organizations.
8 April 2011: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is seeking nominations for a Latin America and Caribbean regional consultation and capacity building workshop on REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, as well as the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of carbon stocks), including on relevant biodiversity safeguards.
6 April 2011: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has created a new partnership with 11 other organizations and institutions to tackle the threats of climate change facing forests in the Mediterranean region. The announcement came during the Second Mediterranean Forest Week, held from 5-8 April 2011, in Avignon, France.
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