News
The Second Workshop of the Project ''The Peace Forest Initiative’’.
Mr. Tengiz Nasaridze, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, attended a workshop on sustainable forest management and land degradation solutions aiming to enhance cross-border cooperation in the South Caucasus region.
The Deputy Minister emphasized the necessity of regional coordination, noting that overcoming global problems requires united efforts.
"Coordinated efforts within the scope of the project "The Peace Forest Initiative in the South Caucasus" is vitally important. This type of cooperation is the only way to address the problems and challenges posed by climate change as soon as possible. Forest restoration and sustainable management help to reduce the risk of soil erosion and disaster while also generating a variety of economic benefits. The mentioned program will assist in reducing land degradation and promoting sustainable forest management at regional, national, and global levels," said Mr. Tengiz Nasaridze.
" Forest Peace Initiative in the South Caucasus” is a unique global initiative promoting peace and trust-building by restoring degraded lands and forests in post-conflict regions.
South Caucasus countries: - Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan joined the initiative in 2024, and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Regional Environmental Center for the Caucasus (REC Caucasus), the World Bank, the Korea Forestry Service (KFS) and the Global Partnership for Sustainable and Resilient Landscapes (PROGREEN) are implementing the initiative.
"The mentioned initiative will contribute to building cross-border trust, coordination among allies, increasing the capacity of stakeholders, and developing a joint plan for the management of common natural resources, to ensure the resilience of local communities to climate change. We all need to work together to find ways to solve the problems that hinder the sustainable development of society and economy," said Mr. Utchang Kang, Programme Management Officer of the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
The working meeting will last three days, and the parties will draft the regional concept paper on sustainable land management and restoration.
The representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, the Ministry of Environment of Armenia, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan, UNDCCP, the Korean Forestry Service, the World Bank, and REC Caucasus attended the meeting.